It Started on a Pool Table in Tucson in November 2021

People ask me how I got sponsored. The honest answer is that I had no plan. I didn’t even know who Dennis was when I met him.

Back in November 2021, I was in Tucson, Arizona playing pool with some friends. Dennis was downstairs at the same restaurant after speaking at a conference. We got paired up on the same team, ran the table all night, and didn’t stop until about 3 a.m. People kept coming up to me saying, “Do you know who that is? You need to Google him.” I told them, we’re playing pool right now, that’s irrelevant. At one point I just asked him, “Who are you?” He said, “I’m Dennis. Who are you?” I said, “I’m Kirt.” And we kept playing.

That’s it. That’s the origin story. No pitch deck, no DM, no ask. Four years later he’s flown me to Vegas, we’ve done cocoon oxygen baths, he’s come to San Antonio to eat breakfast and lunch with me at our local Mexican spot, and now we’ve filmed a full podcast episode in the living room.

“In the world of AI where there’s AI this and AI that, there’s nothing better than doing things for real — in person.”

Dennis Yu, on the episode

How I Actually Got the Victory Archery Deal

Here’s the part people don’t want to hear: my Instagram didn’t get me signed. My TikTok didn’t get me signed. I’m not even sure Victory cared that I have 8,500 subscribers on American Country Outdoors. It was human interaction. Straight up.

I met a guy named Chris who works for Victory. I’d see him every year at the same archery competition. He found out I knew another guy — EJ — and I wasn’t using EJ’s name for clout. Chris asked me directly, and I told him the truth: yeah, we shoot together sometimes, we’ve been on hunts at the same location. Chris knew EJ was already on Victory arrows. He looked at me shooting a competitor’s brand and said, “Why are you shooting that? I want you to come shoot this brand.”

Three guys — Chris, EJ, and another friend Jeff — and the pieces fell into the right hands. That’s how one of the biggest brands in archery ended up on my arrows. No application. No media kit. Just relationships that were already there because I actually hunt with these people.

The 5 Million View Short I Never Expected

Dennis brought up the Short. I’ve got one that hit 5 million views, which is wild because I probably made a few hundred videos before one of mine cracked 10 or 20,000.

The funny part is I wasn’t even trying to blow up. I was helping another YouTuber who was pushing for 1,000 subscribers. He was using a product of his, I said, “Hey, let me grab a 30-second clip of that. I’ll post it on my channel and tag you.” That was the one that hit 5 million. I truly believe it’s because I was trying to help someone else. The stars aligned on the video I cared about the least — because it wasn’t about me.

That’s a theme in my content. If you look through my channel, you’ll see I’m rarely a solo hunter. I’m at Total Archery Challenge, I’m filming with my buddy John, I’m on the ground with friends. Because I’ve built inside that community, the community shares it back. Brands see that. Sponsors see that.

The Brands That Already Trust Me

As of today, the sponsors on my back are:

• Victory Archery — arrows (just signed)
• Moultrie Mobile — trail cameras (see my 4-month trail cam field review from Junction and the solar panel + mount unboxing)
• Black Flag Nootropics — focus and energy
• Bow Crew Apparel — (the apparel I actually wear in the stand)

I’ve also put rounds through equipment from Thorn Broadheads, Rage Hypodermic, Tooth of the Arrow, Mystery Ranch, Marsupial Gear, and Trophy Ridge. Every one of those reviews is on my site. None of them are paid placements written by an agency. I shot the product, I used the product, I killed with the product — and then I wrote about it.

What I Told Dennis on the Show

If you’re a young adult who hunts, shoots, fishes, wrenches, cooks, builds — whatever your thing is — and you want sponsors, Dennis asked me on camera what advice I’d give. Here’s what came out of my mouth, unfiltered:

“Just do it. Pull the trigger. Don’t dip your toes. I was worried about not having the nicest equipment. You don’t need it. We’re recording this on an iPhone mounted on a stick sitting on a waffle maker. Just get out there and start.”

The other piece of advice — and this one came from Dennis and I’m stealing it because it’s true: start a podcast and interview the people you admire. You honor them, they share it, and you borrow their audience. Dennis had me list eight names in the archery world I’d love to interview — Dan from Elkshape, John Dudley, Chris Bee, Nate Grace and a few others. Before this episode I’d have told you zero of them would say yes. After talking to Dennis I think all six will. I’ll be testing that theory at Total Archery Challenge in San Antonio in April, and in Idaho this fall when I head up for my elk tag.

Why I Do This

Dennis asked me at the end what question I wish people asked me. It’s this: Why do you love what you do?

I love meat. I love meetings with friends where we actually sit down together. Rifles felt too easy, so I picked up a bow to make it harder on myself — and then I fell in love with archery. The long seasons, the people I’ve met, the gear, the math on feet-per-second and arrow weight and everything that goes into a clean pass-through. When you’ve hiked 13 miles yesterday, 12 today, you’re sleeping on the ground, your back hurts, and you pack 150 pounds of meat back to camp and cut a piece up on a campfire under the stars in Idaho — nothing tastes better than that.

That’s the thing brands can’t fake. That’s the thing AI can’t generate. That’s why I’m out here.

Connect With Me

If you got value out of this, do Dennis and me a favor:

• Subscribe to American Country Outdoors on YouTube
• Follow @kirtbox on Instagram
• Watch the Coach Yu Show for more episodes like this one
• Read the BlitzMetrics companion piece: How Kirt Box Landed a Victory Archery Sponsorship

And if you shoot, hunt, film, or work in the outdoor industry — reach out. It’s really me answering. Not an AI, not a VA. I might take a few days but I always respond, because I actually want to see you win.

— Kirt

I finally tagged a blackbuck at 72 yards on free-range land — and it was one wild ride to get there.

The Early Morning Stalk

Friday morning, John and I had a plan: it was his birthday, and we were going to glass for bucks from the hillside. We weren’t two minutes into our approach when we heard bucks fighting down in the draw — about 200 yards away. We closed the distance to 80 yards and I decided to take a shot.

The light wasn’t ideal. We thought the shot was just a shade too low, catching him right under the belly instead of where I wanted. I’ve been practicing out to 111 yards, so 80 isn’t normally a problem. But sometimes brighter conditions make all the difference when you’re reading the sight pin. We regrouped and kept moving, but the opportunity slipped away.

Finding the Right Buck

We didn’t dwell on the miss. Instead, we kept glassing and found another blackbuck — this one a really solid animal. We set up and John took a shot first. When it didn’t connect, I nocked an arrow. This time, I was ready. The yardage was 72, the conditions were better, and I drew back smooth.

“Sometimes you get a second chance on the same hunt, and you have to make it count.”

The shot felt clean. I knew the moment it left the string that I’d done my part — good form, right aim, committed to the execution. The blackbuck dropped, and we wrapped our tag on a really nice animal.

Putting Meat on the Ground

This hunt proved something I believe in deeply: free-range exotic hunting on raw land rewards patience and hard work. You’re not sitting in a blind waiting for something to walk past. You’re actively hunting — glassing, stalking, reading wind, adjusting. And when your planning and practice come together, you get moments like this.

My axis and blackbuck pursuit from Episode 2 showed how unpredictable free-range hunts can be, and this finale proved that persistence pays off. Whether it’s stalking axis at Baker3 Ranch or chasing exotics on open land, the foundation is the same: know your bow, know your limits, and execute when the moment comes.

That’s the heart of American Country Outdoors — real hunts, real lessons, and meat in the freezer.