Thad & Brian's Introduction

Brian and Thad's interest in the Outdoors! Their attitude toward using primitive gun & bow reflects their deep concern for fair chase and great respect for all fish and animals. They have been in many newspaper articles, magazines and television plus doing seminars, lectures and demonstrations on their subject of expertise!

Thad, Brian and Rina Beckum live in Southeast Georgia on Ebenezer Creek, a tributary of the Savannah River and an Old Growth Swamp with 1000 year old cypress & tupelo in the area! We live here to be close to the woods and water which we love.

Thad's History

Thad's interest in hunting and fishing was greatly influenced by a look at his own family's history of long ago! He grew up hunting just as every other young boy in Georgia but was never really happy with modern weapons! From the time he picked up his first arrowhead, his interest in primitive hunting and skills was realized.

Eventually evolving into making and hunting with complete primitive archery Thad's grandfather built Cherokee D-Bows which greatly influenced Thad to pursue the primitive skills like, bow making using hickory and osage. Arrows from river cane, flint arrowheads and sinew bow strings! All this came to Thad naturally since a part of his family was DNA tested Native American! This added to Thad's interest for more primitive knowledge mainly in the area of hunting weapons.

Thad started hunting small game and whitetail deer with stone age bow & arrow in the 1990's. He has successfully taken many whitetail deer with primitive bow & arrow! Bows made from natural materials, even the points on his arrows being made of stone (flint/obsidian, chert). Thad has taken the only record book Pope & Young whitetail deer in Georgia on record using his hand-made bows & arrows.

He made the first video ever made, showing whitetail deer taken with complete hand-made primitive archery gear! This shows Thad's interest in primitive culture, Native Americans, hunting and the attitude of fair chase!

Thad has fished all his life for all species of fish! His favorite method is in the use of the Fly-rod! He pursues the warm-water species of his region such as bluegill, shell cracker, speckled perch or crappy and largemouth bass and (red breast sunfish). Since living on the coast gives Thad saltwater fly-fishing opportunities such as speckled trout, spanish mackerel, spot tail bass (red fish) etc. Back home Thad says that to be honest nothing is more fun than to catch bluegills on the bed in our black-water swamps on a 3-weight or 5-weight Fly-rod! The action is fast and exciting and oz. for pound a blue-gill in the pound range is a serious opponent.

Thad Beckum earned his certification for scuba diving in 1969 at the age of 12 years in Georgia and has spent many, many hours watching fish in salt & freshwater which gave him a knowledge of fish not found on dry land.

He made deep south Fly-fishing to eliminate some of the dogma associated with warm-water Fly-Fishing and plans on a whole series of video on fresh-water and salt-water Fly-Fishing down South.