My name is Bob Nichols, and I’ve been fishing for as long as I can remember, starting with my dad and my grandfather. Hunting has been part of my life since I was probably eight years old. I was the kid taking hunting books out of the school library and bringing home hunting magazines. While other kids were getting toys for Christmas, I was getting fishing lures.

I shot my first deer when I was 14, and ever since then, I’ve been obsessed. Over the years, I’ve hunted Saskatchewan, Canada, the mountains of Vermont, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. I had a camp in the Adirondacks for over 15 years, and along the way I’ve met a lot of hunting personalities and made a lifetime of memories in the outdoors.

I’m all about getting kids interested in the outdoors and passing that passion on to the next generation. In 2006, I had heart surgery, and for a while I thought my life was over. But I was given a second chance at life, and ever since then, you’ll usually find me in the woods, on a lake, or fishing in a stream somewhere. It’s my passion. It’s what I live for.

I’ve donated a lot of venison to help feed people in need. I’ve been making mock scrapes since I was probably 13 years old, and I’ve been calling in turkeys since I was 14. I hunt with every implement—crossbow, rifle, ball, and muzzleloader. There’s nothing better than sitting down to a meal you harvested yourself and being able to feed your family.

I’ve always been more about what’s around the next corner and what’s over the next ridge. Where I come from, people know me as the Iceman in the Adirondacks. When I was younger, I didn’t care if it was 20 below, freezing rain, or anything else—nothing stopped me. For me, it’s the thrill. I love chasing wild game.