Ted Nugent — the Motor City Madman — is much more than a rock-and-roll legend who has sold more than 30 million records. He’s been a hard-core bowhunter since his youth, hunting with Fred Bear at an early age and admittedly scheduling his work and business life over the years so he could maximize time afield. Today, Ted hunts 90-plus days straight in the fall, can you imagine?

We’ve been colleagues and friends for decades — we used to be on the same pro staffs for a couple of hunting industry companies — I’ve hunted with Ted, most recently in October 2021 on his Michigan farm, and we’ve had many discussions about bowhunting, and life. We still exchange the occasional text about all sorts of fun topics.

Ted is brash, bold, and not afraid to speak his mind. He still has the star power to attract national attention to help support those causes in which is fervently believes.

I was first drawn to Ted’s wild ways on stage and his unparalleled skill with an electric guitar, but later, after I’d gotten to know him a little bit, it was his wit, an intellect most never see, his unparalleled work ethic, and his take-no-prisoners style when it came to defending many of the core values that I hold dear that still hold my admiration.

Uncle Ted Talks

Millennials and Gen X, Y and A dudes may not know much about Uncle Ted; they should Google him. But here, in brief, are a few of his opinions on some of modern bowhunting’s most important topics.

High-Poundage Compound Bows: “I’ve always advocated and diligently promoted lighter draw weight bows for obvious reasons — increased pleasure to shoot more often, better accuracy, better overall control and form, especially under bowhunting field conditions, and just overall painless fun. Did you know that the famous Ann Hoyt killed all big game in North America with a 35-pound recurve shooting 600-grain cedar arrows at around 175 fps? Do you know that Mrs. Nugent kills all but dangerous game with a 35-pound Mathews and slow, 400-grain Gold Tip arrows? I kill everything with my 45- to 50-pound Mathews, a 400-grain, 30-inch Gold Tip arrow, and various broadheads.”

Crossbows: “In 2021 I wrote one of my NugeBlogs entitled ‘Crossbows Are Cool, But Not For Me.’ In it, I said I have killed many a big game critter with crossbows over many years, and each hunt was certainly fun. And I understand the fascination and exploding interest in the amazing advanced crossbow technology, and salute, support and congratulate all hunters, no matter their personal choice in weapon. But I, for one, am addicted to the pure archery excitement and thrill that comes from the supreme challenge of getting to full draw at spinetingling close range to the wary beasts I hunt. Surely, if you want to hunt with a crossbow, have at it and enjoy it to the limit. But, if you want to maintain the thrill that is unique to vertical archery, get yourself a lightweight, comfortable, fun-to-shoot bow that is effortless to shoot, load up a strong, razor-sharp two-blade solid broadhead, and bowhunt to your heart’s content!”

Politics, Gun Control and Hunting: “A few years ago in hunting camps, I started asking people how many of them voted. When a bunch of them said they did not, I came unglued. I mean, you’ve got to be f’ing kidding me! You’re going to sit here and squawk about more gun restrictions that enhance evildoers and disarm victims, but you don’t vote for people who would stand with us? So I and some friends started Hunter Nation and Hunt The Vote in 2020, which we believe led to about 400,000 more people who believe as we do to get to the polls and vote for our rights, and our lifestyle. Of course we’d all rather be hunting than engaged in political battles, but today, they go hand-in-hand. Hunters must become engaged or we’ll lose our way of life.”

Animal Rightists: “What is a more toxic alternative religion than the animal rights scam? It’s a scam that somehow they need to save Bambi like wildlife is a cartoon character. So I’ve been in this culture, where I battle against those liars and those scammers all my life because hunting, fishing, and trapping is pure reverence for these renewable resources that feed us.”

Final Thoughts

In one of Ted’s most famous interviews years ago, he was asked, “What do you think is the last thought in the head of a deer before you shoot him? Is it, Are you my friend?, or Are you the one who killed my brother?, or Why do you do this thing of killing just for sport?”

Ted’s reply? “Deer aren't capable of that level of thinking. All they care about is, What am I going to eat next, who am I going to screw next, and if there is trouble can I run fast enough to get away? As such, deer are a lot like congressional democrats.” End of interview.

That’s just one example of why I admire Theodore Anthony “Ted” Nugent. Most celebrities are barricaded behind walls of public relations handlers, but not Ted. He refuses to apologize for who he is and what he believes. No dummy, Ted is a media pro. In public he’s always “on,” he knows how he looks, he knows how his rock star image can be manipulated, and he’s very good at doing so. But get him in a small environment away from the crowds and cameras, and you can have thoughtful conversation that will make you think deeply about life. He’s also a huge supporter of our military and law enforcement communities.

Rock on, Uncle Ted. America needs more patriots like you.