Meet Our Team
Grayson Slagle
Grayson is the CEO & founder of Whitetails & Waterfowl. He was born and raised in Edwardsville, Illinois. Grayson graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and currently attends law school at the University of Southern Illinois. Grayson came from an outdoor background watching his grandpa, dad, uncle, cousins deer hunt and started fishing at a very young age. However, when he was introduced to waterfowl hunting in his early teens he was instantly hooked. He created this brand not only to sell apparel or gain publicity but more to improve the hunting community as a whole. Above all else Grayson values being out in the woods, where times seems to go a little bit slower. In a society that moves so fast it doesn't seem like a bad idea to be in the woods.
Max Ringering
Max Ringering is another member of our team from the beginning in 2018. Max was born in Wood River, Illinois and now resides in Worden, Illinois. Max is a former college baseball player and received a degree in wildlife biology from Missouri State University located in Springfield, Missouri. Max plans to make his journey to serve and become an agent within the DEA. Max has always had a love for whitetail deer hunting to go along with his multiple impressive trophy Illinois whitetails over the years. His reputation proceeds him as his love for hunting continues to only grow.
Chaz Walker
Chaz is a central Illinois native from Winchester, Illinois. A small community where he and his cousin, Grayson Slagle's, families grew up together. Chaz is a current teacher in the Meredosia School District as the head of shop & welding within the high school. He above all loves chasing whitetail deer across central Illinois's famous 'Golden Triangle' of Pike, Adams, & Brown county. He has been lucky enough to harvest several large trophy bucks over many years of experience in hunting whitetails.
Ethan Slagle
Ethan is a central Illinois native, growing up in Winchester Illinois. Growing up deer hunting with his dad and brothers he has a sixth sense when it comes to whitetail hunting in the golden triangle. Into his adulthood he has taken a liking to waterfowl hunting with his cousins, Grayson & Hudson Slagle. His favorite tradition is when the Slagle boys go duck hunting on the Illinois River with his cousins, brothers bringing down those ducks on the early morning hours of Thanksgiving. After that, bringing the harvested birds over to Grandma's house and cook them up for Thanksgiving dinner when the whole family gets to enjoy those coveted ducks.
Noah Smith
Noah is another central Illinois homebody who was born and raised in Winchester, Illinois. He currently works as an operating engineer and when he gets the winters off he has no other priority than to chase feathered fowl and whitetail deer. Hunting whitetails since he could walk he has several successful harvests in the woods of central Illinois. Whether that be in Scott, Greene, or Pike county his various hunts range all over the prairie state. Most recently harvesting his prize buck scoring 181 this past fall during the rut.
Grant Schaefer
Grant Schaefer has always been in love with the outdoors at a young age growing up in Midway, Illinois. Grant loves nothing more than watching a morning sunrise waterfowl hunting with his friends in one of the many blinds right in his backyard. Grant is a former college baseball player at Lewis Clark Community College and obtained his welder's certification in Springfield, Missouri. Currently, he is working full-time as a welder in the southwestern Illinois area. Grant grew up with waterfowl & dove hunting but his true joy he grew up on and still loves to this day is sitting in the deer stand waiting on that trophy whitetail.
Hudson Slagle
Hudson is a 19 year old from Edwardsville, Illinois and similarly to his older brother, Hudson attends the University of Mississippi. Hudson enjoys everything about the outdoors from deer hunting to bass fishing since he became attached to it at the young age of 6 years old by hunting waterfowl with his dad. Hudson is a Southern Illinois native since birth and his favorite part about hunting is being in the blinds with his friends and making memories every time he steps into the woods.
AJ Robertson
AJ was born and raised in the world of outdoor sports whether that be fishing or hunting. Currently, AJ resides in Prairietown, Illinois, and lived in Paducah, Kentucky in his younger years. AJ was a decorated member of the bass fishing team in high school and has participated in several goose-calling contests near the St. Louis metropolitan area. He graduated from SLTC in Georgia in 2020 and is currently employed by True North Electric. AJ is an all-around outdoorsman but his favorite place to be is in the duck blind over his flooded corn field at his property working those ducks.
Drake Westcott
Drake is a man who loves the rush of waterfowl hunting with his friends. He was a top-recruited baseball player throughout high school and began his collegiate career at the University of Louisville. Drake currently plays for his home state at the University of Illinois. Drake became hooked on waterfowl hunting when he first saw those ducks coming in locked up to the spread and it has never gotten old since then.