He’s become the unofficial face of duck hunting, the self-professed adopted son of the South, and if you see him and a cameraman wandering through the crowd this weekend … yes, it’s him. Outdoorsman and The Fowl Life host Chad Belding will be in Lynchburg this weekend to document the 2021 Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue.
Belding is a former University of Nevada Las Vegas Division 1 baseball player’s who leveraged his love of duck hunting into sponsorships, a couple of podcasts, and the Outdoor Channel’s The Fowl Life, where he and his dog, Duff, get up early to show viewers hunting tips and duck camp experiences with some of the most well-known waterfowl personalities across the U.S.
“We’re getting ready to film season 14 of The Fowl Life and we’ve had a lot of success with it, which led us to start the podcasts,” Belding explained to The Times on Wednesday.
His podcasting adventures began with This Life Isn’t For Everyone podcast, in which Chad interviews the diverse characters he meets during his travels —from country singer Rodney Atkins to six-time world barbecue champion Tuffy Stone, who will compete at The Jack this weekend. (To listen to his Tuffy Stone interview, click here.)
“This life ain’t for everybody means exactly what it says,” Belding tell us. “It doesn’t mean my life’s been difficult. It just means were all different. You’re a newspaper editor and that might not be for me and I’m a duck hunter and that might not be for you but we can all appreciate each other’s story.”
Jack Daniel’s became a title sponsor of the podcast in 2019, which led him to secure permission to document this year’s event in Lynchburg.
“They’ve opened up a lot of doors and given us some great content from over the past year from tours of sawmill and the cooperage to interviews with Lexie Amacher and Chris Fletcher,” Belding says. “We’re really honored and humbled to be a part of the Jack family. They’ve been a big part of the growth and the success of the podcast so far.”
Part of Belding’s beat this weekend will be filming Tuffy Stone and his team, Cool Smoke, as they attempt to win The Jack for the fourth time. The duo will meet for the first time this weekend.
“I’ve been in the Pitmaster neighborhood for awhile. When we started talking about us coming to Lynchburg to document, the Jack Daniel marketing team introduced us,” says Belding. “I feel like when the right people meet they become fast friends.”
If you’d like to check out The Fowl Life’s television show, click here, or to check out The Fowl Life podcast follow this link. You can also check out the This Life Ain’t For Everyone podcast at this link. •
{The Lynchburg Times is the only independently owned and operated newspaper in Lynchburg. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}
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