Daryl Ratajczak
Growing up in the snowy reaches of Buffalo, NY, Daryl is one of those lucky few people that knew from an early age exactly what he wanted to do with his life. As a young boy, Daryl’s father worked tirelessly in a cereal factory, yet every vacation he received he would take his kids camping, hunting, or fishing. It was then that Daryl realized he wanted to spend his life reliving those wonderful days in the outdoors. Before long, Daryl received his Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Management from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and soon began his life-long passion of living and working in the great outdoors.
His first wildlife job after receiving his degree landed him outside of Great Smoky Mountains National Park where he managed a small non-profit organization called the Appalachian Bear Center. It was there that Daryl discovered his passion for working with North America’s mega-fauna (that’s simply a fancy word for large terrestrial animals). From there, Daryl’s career took off. He secured a Wildlife Manager position with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and within a few years he was promoted to the Big Game Program Coordinator for the state and was subsequently put in charge of managing the state’s black bear, white-tailed deer, elk, and wild hog programs. It didn’t end there.
Daryl was soon promoted to Chief of Wildlife and Forestry for the state of Tennessee, having achieved the highest wildlife position in the state in just under ten years. After serving as Chief for five years, he eventually realized that position removed him from the field and freely talking about his passions, so Daryl decided to get back to what he loves doing most, but this time, in an area he had long since dreamed of working… the American West!
