Batman has Robin, peanut butter has jelly and Bill Winke has Scott Prucha. For the thousands upon thousands of MidwestWhitetail.Com viewers out there who’ve been watching MidwestWhitetail.Com at work home for the last few years, you’ve come to know and tolerate love Scott Prucha. Not only does Scott live to hunt big deer and enjoy the outdoors, he also likes long walks in his Frigid Forage plots, perusing craigslist personals good food, and head-bobbing to Jimmy Ryser’s tunes. We caught up with this outdoor freak to learn a little bit more about his facial hair, midwest whitetails Bar-S Hotdogs, and riding Harleys.
Personal
OF – How long have you had that goatee? It looks flawless.
Scott Prucha – I have had the goatee for over 15 years, during that time I have only shaved the mustache portion off once on a motorcycle trip to Montana. I always think about a buddy shaving his goatee off before we went elk hunting in New Mexico; he commented “I didn’t realize how many double chins I had”. I have been afraid to shave mine off ever since.
OF – What do you do for a living?
SP – I am a Manager at Henry Schein Dental, a Fortune 500 company. This December will mark my 25th year with the company. The company has grown to become the world’s largest dental supplier. The past 25 years have been quite a ride in which I have had many different responsibilities. I have been very fortunate to work for such a great company.
OF – What kind of car do you drive?
SP – It depends what day it is I guess. I have a 2007 Chevy 2500 Silverado diesel, a 1997 Jeep Wrangler, and two old Chevy pickups, a 1970 and a 1972. I would have to say I am happiest driving the 4wd 1970 Chevy pickup, it’s a cool old truck.
OF – Does any of your family hunt or fish?
SP – I grew up in a family that hunted and fished. Dad, Mom and two brothers all hunt. My son has a good buck under his belt. He doesn’t hunt too much anymore but I have four young nephews who are all going to be hunting machines. Family gatherings always seem to end up in hunting discussions.
OF – What kind of music do you listen to?
SP – I listen to mostly country on the radio but I am also a huge Springsteen fan. My son Will recently turned me on to a singer/songwriter from Texas named Hayes Carll. I can’t stop listening to him right now. Oh yeah, there is a guy from Indiana named Jim Ryser I like too!
OF – When are you going to ditch that Winke guy and give American deer hunters what they really want MORE PRUCHA!
SP – It’s pretty clear that’s what America wants; I hear it nearly every day. Bill was smart enough to lock me into an airtight non-compete contract a couple years back. Honestly, I am happy being a part of the main web show and having the opportunity to be on the TV show. I would like to appear on both formats more often holding the rack of a big mature whitetail but that’s up to me!
OF – How did you first meet Bill and how long have you known him?
SP – I met Bill through Larry Kendall the owner of Muddy Outdoors. Larry and I have been friends for a number of years, our farms were very close to each other. Bill ended up buying Larry’s house and farm next to me. We have known each other for about 10 years. He is a good friend who has been very kind to me as well as my family and friends.
OF – In Jim Ryser’s Interview, he mentioned writing a song on the turd tube – what part did you have in that?
SP – I hope you’re not asking if I was in the bathroom, if you are this interview is over. That’s creepy! My part was really nothing more than having Jim stay at my house in Iowa to hunt turkeys and being a good friend with him. He told me that day, “I had a great song idea today while taking a crap in your bathroom. It’s a song about our turkey hunt this weekend and it’s really cool. The funny thing is no one will know where I came up with the idea”. I guess people now know. It is an incredible song called Cold Spring. Jim finished writing and recording the song as soon as he returned home and sent me a copy. I immediately fired up the computer and produced a video for the song using only footage from the weekend. It was fun to put together and is a nice memory. I imagine the video will show up on You Tube sometime in the future.
OF – What is something about you that we the viewers of MW probably don’t know?
SP – My wife and I both own and ride Harleys. We have taken several trips out west on them.
OF – Tell the Outdoor Freaks readers a funny story about Bill Winke.
SP – I have to be careful here. Nothing jumps to mind, Bill is a self proclaimed nerd and when he tries to be funny it’s usually just kind of awkward. He’s lucky he is a smart guy and great deer hunter because he would never make it as a comedian!
Hunting
OF – How many acres do you own?
SP – I own about 180 acres in Iowa and I am still a part owner of a 260 acre family farm in Wisconsin (I am trying to sell my portion of that). Our home and land in Iowa is my happy place, I have always wanted to be able to walk out my backdoor and hunt big deer. I feel very blessed I can do that.
OF – Favorite animal to hunt?
SP – I love to hunt whitetails but there is something about hunting elk with a bow that is difficult to beat. I love hunting in the mountains out west. When I am lucky enough to hunt elk it’s often with one of my best friends, Kip Fattaleh and my Dad. I have some very special memories of those hunts.
OF – What is your video camera setup, do any photography?
SP – I use a Sony AX2000, varizoom and a 501 head on a Muddy Hunter Arm. Nothing too fancy for me. I also bought an HD GoPro last year that you can get pretty creative with. I do like to mess with photography, there is something rewarding about capturing a cool shot.
OF – What’s the biggest buck you’ve ever shot?
SP – I had quite a year in 2006, in October I shot a 184” mule deer in Colorado then in November I shot a 171” Iowa whitetail out of a treestand. Both are my biggest to date.
OF – What’s the funniest thing you’ve had happen in a deer stand?
SP – It wasn’t too funny at the time but I got sick from a tree stand one night after eating a bunch of Bar-S hot dogs. I think you can still buy them, they cost like 99 cents a pack. The stand is still there and we named it the Puke Stand. I never ate Bar-S hot dogs again.
OF – What type of food plots will you be hunting over this year?
SP – I will be hunting over Frigid Forage brassicas and clover. I actually used the Frigid Forage products years before they ever became involved with Midwest Whitetail. Their products have always worked great for me. I also have some beans to hunt this year too.
OF – Any goals that you’d like to achieve in the outdoors?
SP – My number one hunting goal changed about two weeks ago when my very good friend and hunting partner, Kurt Schroeder, was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin’s cancer. The prognosis is good and Kurt’s a tough guy but he has a fight on his hands. So my current goal is to spend another twenty years or so hunting with him. Prior to two weeks ago I would have said my goal would be to go on an Alaska moose hunt. Maybe someday, do you have any good connections for me?
OF – What is your best tip, when it comes to hunting mature bucks?
SP – I think you have to be a good hunter who hunts where mature deer are. By that I mean the obvious things like, scent control, getting to stands undetected, and being a good shot. However, the biggest key to taking big deer is probably how much time you spend in the tree. If you look at anyone who has had continued success on mature whitetails they put their time in! The more hours you spend on your Muddy stand the better your chances of harvesting a mature buck.
Thanks Scott, we appreciate you taking the time to do this Interview – best of luck this Fall!
My pleasure, good luck to you guys as well!
