The Hunter, The Ritual, and the Dark Roast That Fuels It All
This feature is part of our ongoing “Coffee in the Wild” series — real stories from real people who take Headcount Coffee with them into the parts of life that matter most.
Some people grow into hunting slowly. Others get thrown into it at twelve years old, bored out of their minds, staring into the quiet. That’s how Eric’s journey began, long before he knew it would become the thread that tied together family, friendship, the outdoors, and the ritual he now swears by: early mornings, deep woods, and a full pot of dark roast.
When asked what he remembers most about that first hunt, he laughs. “I was twelve years old, and I remember I was very bored.” But boredom turned into bonding, because it was his father who taught him not just how to hunt, but the lesson he still carries today: “You are the most dangerous thing in the woods.”
For years, hunting faded from his life. Eventually his father couldn’t hunt anymore, and the passion slipped away with him. It took a best friend, and a wife who was unexpectedly just as excited as he was, to bring it back.
“It didn’t become a lifelong passion until my wife took it up,” Eric says. “My best friend Jordan Norris invited me to his lease. My wife came with me, and the next thing you know, we were members.”
The Ritual: Coffee First, Always
Every hunter has a ritual. Eric’s begins exactly the same way every time.
“I wake up and hit the coffee right off the bat.”
Then it’s bathroom, shower, gear, and out the door — a system built from repetition, instinct, and the kind of discipline only the woods can teach you. His earliest hunt wake-up? A ridiculous 1:30 AM.
“Pre-hunt excitement,” he admits. “I made coffee at about 3 AM and drank a full pot. I had to use the bathroom quite frequently during that hunt.”
And at camp? He keeps it classic — a traditional drip pot. No gadgets. No pour-over theatrics. Just a comforting pot of coffee that tastes like every morning hunt that came before it.
The Hunt He’ll Still Tell at 80
Every hunter has one story they carry for life. For Eric, it’s not a ten-point buck or a near miss. It’s his wife, specifically, her “duck waddle.”
“We were still-hunting on a log and had deer flanking around us,” he recalls. “I told her, ‘They’re going to get behind us.’”
She looked at him, said “You’re right,” stood up, and started squat-walking across the woods like a determined ninja. It worked. She took home a doe that day, and a story that is going to outlive both of them.
Myths, Lessons, and the Unspoken Rules of the Woods
On myths that make him crazy:
“That deer don’t move in rain.”
On lessons the wilderness teaches better than any classroom:
“Respect it. Don’t abuse it. Enjoy it.”
And the must-have item besides his weapon and his coffee?
“A flashlight or headlamp. You need it walking up to the deer stand early in the morning.”
Then there’s the most “hunter” thing he’s said while holding a cup of coffee:
“Probably which way the wind will blow.”
Lightning Round with Eric
- Favorite animal to hunt: Deer
- Morning or evening hunt: Morning
- Bucket list hunt: Elk in Colorado, Wyoming, or Montana
- Roast preference: Definitely dark roast
- Biggest hunting pet peeve: Someone disturbing your hunt
- Sip style: Slow sip
- Coffee style: Black — “I’m not ruining good coffee with cream and sugar.”
- Tree stand or ground blind: Tree stand
- What’s louder? Little Debbie wrappers. “Nobody likes Little Debbie wrappers.”
Why This Story Matters
Hunting stories are never just about hunting. They’re about family. About mentors. About the quiet between trees. About coffee that warms your hands and wakes you up before the sun even thinks about rising.
Eric didn’t know hunting would come back into his life — or that his wife would be the reason it did. But every hunt since then has been a reminder: the outdoors doesn’t just build skills. It builds bonds.
And for him, every one of those mornings starts the same way:
with a pot of dark roast and the promise of a day that can only happen outside.
Try the Dark Roast That Fuels Mornings Like Eric’s
If you’re a hunter, a hiker, a rancher, or someone whose day starts before dawn, try the roast Eric swears by:
🔥 Shop Our Dark Roast Collection
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