Finding Connection Beyond the Inbox

The outdoors creates deep connections — especially for hunters.

Public Relations Counsel Will Folsom knows this firsthand. From chasing upland birds with his dog, Pepper, to navigating snow-covered ridges in pursuit of elk, he’s experienced a connection to something bigger — the land, animals, people and stories worth sharing. 

In this Outdoor Passion Profile, Will reflects on how time in the field informs his work for brands — grounded in the same pursuits as those chasing bucks, flushing birds and dreaming of bucket-list adventures. 

Swanson Russell: How did you get started hunting, and what's kept you coming back? 

Will Folsom: My dad introduced me to hunting when I was young. He let me start tagging along on his trips when I was about eight. Sometimes with his buddies and their sons, sometimes just the two of us. He was always packing a vintage shotgun (an obsession I’ve also inherited) while I followed with a little toy shotgun. When I turned 16, my dad bought me a Nebraska lifetime permit to hunt and fish, just like his dad did for him — and to this day, it’s the most impactful gift I’ve ever received. 

Those memories keep me coming back to the outdoors. I’ve spent most of my life in the city, and I don’t want to get to the end of my life regretting not going on more adventures. So, whether it’s climbing mountains, camping, fly fishing or spending a day chasing birds around the prairie, I love it all. 

SR: Tell us about what you do at Swanson Russell and how it connects with outdoor rec.  

WF: I’m a Public Relations Counsel at Swanson Russell. I’m the go-between for brands and the media in the hunt/shoot industry. I share brand stories with journalists and content creators so they can weave them into their own work. That might include pitching story ideas, writing and sending press releases or hosting media events. When you find the right media outlet or creator with the right audience, you can leverage that credibility to share your story and products in a more nuanced way over time. Every client and industry is a little different. In outdoor recreation, the focus is on getting product content directly to writers. Or better yet, getting products into their hands for more thorough testing and evaluation. 

SR: Tell us more about your passion for hunting. 

WF: I consider myself a bird hunter first and foremost. I’m not an expert by any means, but that’s what I grew up with, and culturally it’s a big part of hunting here in Nebraska. I can hunt pheasants almost statewide, bobwhite quail in the southeastern part of the state and sharp-tailed grouse and prairie chickens in the Sandhills and panhandle. It’s extra fun because I love hunting with my springer spaniel, Pepper. 

When I was in middle school, my dad and I got into deer hunting, starting with shooting does on a farm belonging to some shirt-tail relatives. Since then, I’ve gotten deeper into whitetails and big game hunting out west for elk, mule deer and antelope. Each year, I apply for tags or preference points in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. When I save up enough vacation days, money and brownie points with my wife, I try to go on an adventure out west. 

SR: What aspects of hunting resonate most with you? 

WF: I think the camaraderie is one of the biggest thing. It’s something I grew up with, and I have core hunting memories with my dad, my uncle and other relatives and family friends. As I got a little older, I started making my own hunting buddies, and that camaraderie evolved. There’s nothing quite like the bonds you form in a duck blind or drinking beers around a tailgate, admiring a pile of birds or a big buck. I’ve made faster friends in the field than anywhere else in life. 

But most aspects of hunting resonate with me. I love the challenge, spending time outside, cooking with wild game and, of course, the wildlife conservation benefits of hunting.

SR: Do you have a favorite hunting memory? 

SR: Is there a hunting experience where you felt especially connected to history or community? 

WF: I love collecting and hunting with old guns, especially ones with family history. One special memory is from several years ago when I shot my biggest ever whitetail buck. It was my first season hunting at my in-laws' farm, and I was carrying my late grandfather's pre-64 Winchester Model 70 Featherweight chambered in .30-06. It was getting late, and I was thinking about quitting for the morning. Suddenly, a doe jumped over the fence into the cut cornfield in front of me. Not ten seconds later, a shooter buck jumped over the fence tailing her. It was one of those situations where you don't have time to judge how big the buck is, you just know you need to squeeze the trigger. I made a good shot at about 250 yards; he dropped, and later, as I walked up on him, his antlers just seemed to grow, and my heart was beating out of my chest. I have a euro mount of that buck hanging on the wall in my study. And now it’s my own piece of family history. I feel like my grandpa was with me in spirit that day and was proud to see his old rifle being put to good use. Someday, I hope to pass that rifle down to my own kids.  

SR: Is there a lesson the outdoors has taught you that now influences your approach to PR? 

WF: I’ve learned to stay hungry and curious. Even though I grew up with hunting and shooting, there are other aspects that I started learning about because I had clients in those spaces. I was never an ammunition handloader until I started working for a bullet company and a reloading equipment company. Before I knew it, I was diving headfirst into cartridges and experimenting with different powders and bullets, trying to eke out the most velocity and precision I could out of my rifle. I try to bring that same curiosity and passion for learning into all areas of my career and life. 

SR: Is there a particular hunt on your bucket list? 

WF: I really want to shoot a mature bull elk. Each year, I also put in for Nebraska’s big horn sheep lottery. My hunting buddies and I have a pact that if any of us ever draw that tag, we’re all driving out to the Pine Ridge together to try to watch one of us shoot a big ol' ram. 

SR: After all these seasons in the field and working in the industry, what still surprises you most? 

WF: Definitely the level of passion that hunters and shooters bring to the sport and to the industry as professionals. It becomes a part of your identity. Even in the off-season when we’re not hunting, we’re applying for tags, trying to stay in shape, scouting, training dogs, shooting our rifles, bows and shotguns, handloading ammo, researching new gear and so on. Even if it wasn’t part of my job, I would still daydream about hunting and shooting every single day.