- Ted Nugent–one of the great musicians and hunting advocates of our time.
We’ve all been there. Maybe it’s our fifth day in a row of waking up at 3:30am to go hunting. We’re tired, we’re beat, and we have to drag ourselves out of bed. And despite how much we love hunting, we’re tempted to just throw in the towel and say, “screw it, I’m going back to bed.” But, at the end of the day, we’re crazy and even though we’re sleep deprived and sore, we put on our pot of coffee and will ourselves into out truck and drive to our favorite hunting grounds or boat launch.
Sometimes though, even though we willed our way into going hunting, our heart may not be completely in it. It’s times like these we need a little pick-me-up. So I’ve put together a list of my top ten songs to listen to on the drive out there to re-light my fire and get me amped to be back in the wild.
10) Backwoods Boy–Josh Turner Just a good ol’ song about 11 inch tines and the simple pleasures that hunters are lucky enough to experience every day. The deep, smooth voice of Turner singing about the backwoods just seems right to me, as well.
Need help remembering who you are? Need a song to help put everything into perspective? Country Boy by Aaron Lewis fits that bill for me. Lewis, the lead singer of the band Staind sings this awesome acoustic song about being true to your roots and realizing that being a country boy and hunting aint that bad, afterall. And who can’t agree with the following line from the song? “My idea of heaven is chasing whitetail bucks.” Yeah, that’s what I thought.
There’s no real need for words with this iconic song by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Just follow the advice that Momma told you when you were young. There’s no shame in being a simple man and enjoying the simple things in life–hunting included.
A good country song about hunting and “loving this land and passing it on.” These are words we should all live by when hunting and spending time in the outdoors. Take someone new with you into the field and pass on this tradition that we love.
6) The Band Hunters–Walt Gabbard
Maybe not the best set of vocals on this list, but its message and riff definitely make up for it. This song is an example of everything that duck hunters are: gritty, honest, true to tradition, and dedicated. If you’re a duck hunter, you owe it to yourself to listen to this song. For me, this song really hits close to home: “there’s really no explanation why we are the way we are. All I can say is this is what I love.” Amen to that, Walt. Amen.
Doesn’t inherently have anything to do with hunting, but there’s no better cure when you’re tired and groggy than blasting some Queen at 4:30 in the morning as you drive down that old dirt road. And besides, when you draw your bow on that heavy 12 pointer at 30 yards, you better be thinking that you “want it all.”
4) For Those About to Rock–AC/DC
I literally could have picked almost any AC/DC song to include on this list. If throwing in a cd of AC/DC doesn’t get your blood pumping in the morning, you might now not have a pulse. And I like to think of hunting as my “rocking” out. When I leave the boat launch in the morning for a duck hunt, I like to think of myself as “rocking at dawn on the front line” as AC/DC would say. So here’s to you my fellow hunters: I salute you!
Hank Williams Jr's Country Boy can survive is one of the most iconic songs on my Top Hunting Songs list.
3) A Country Boy Can Survive–Hank Williams Jr
Like Simple Man, this song needs no explaining. If you can skin a buck or run a trot line (or even if you know what those things are) this song should resonate with you. And there’s nothing like starting your day by listening to ol’ Hank Jr tell it the way it is. This song is a classic that I always listen to on the way to the hunt.
2) Echo Theme Song–Theron Woods
This song is personally my favorite hunting song of all time. Hands down. The riff is perfect for a duck hunting song, the lyrics are awesome, and Theron’s voice is a perfect match to the song. But to me, it’s the lyrics that make it so good. Everything that is duck hunting is encompassed into this song. “True to tradition like the ones who came before me,” what a great tribute to those who introduced us to such an amazing sport. When I’m missing duck season, I constantly find myself returning to this video. Watch it, you won’t be disappointed.
And there you have it, folks. My number one hunting song is none other than Fred Bear by Uncle Teddy. It was a close call between this and Theron Wood’s, but ultimately, the Nug came out on top. This song captures the essence and spirituality of the hunt while paying respect to one of the great fathers of hunting traditions. No matter how I’m feeling on my way to the hunt, the song aways comes up on my playlist.
And that concludes my top ten hunting songs of all time. I hope you enjoyed the list. If you have any other favorites, comment below and let me know. I want to hear what you think; I’m always in the mood to listen to new hunting songs!
Mitch Larson
Mitch Larson Outdoors 