Our Story
Built on the back forty.
Michael & Austin — Founders, Back40 Sporting Company
Back40 is built on a simple idea: the next generation of hunters deserves experiences, lodges, and gear created by people who still wake up before dawn just to hear the birds.
What began as a single quarter section of forgotten prairie has grown into three flagship sporting estates across North America — seven thousand privately owned acres of managed ground supporting waterfowl, big game, upland, and trophy water programs at a standard we refuse to compromise.
Michael and Austin were raised with shotguns in hand, mud on their boots, and a shared language made of dog work, flight patterns, and the smell of powder on a cold morning. Their passion ran deep and without apology: hunting, firearms, wild places, and the rituals that surround them.
But passion alone wasn't enough. They wanted to do something with it. Something bigger.
That hunger led to Back40 — a world-class hunting experience designed around tradition, luxury, and the kind of moments that stay with a person long after the hunt ends. Lodges where the coffee is hot, the beds are warm, and the guides remember your name. Estates where the birds are wild, the cover is managed, and every detail honors the sport.
The Standard
We keep our groups small, our guides senior, our dogs finished, and our lodges quiet. Two private chefs, one videographer, and one photographer keep every experience as memorable as the hunt itself. And we treat every guest like they've been coming here for twenty years — because eventually, most of them have.
When the gear they reached for didn't match the experiences they were creating, they built the brands themselves.
Two Brands
Built by Obsession.
Together, these brands are more than product lines. They are the physical expression of a single belief: that the next generation of hunters deserves gear, lodges, and experiences built by people who still wake up before dawn just to hear the birds.
Michael and Austin didn't build Back40 to exit. They built it because they couldn't find what they were looking for — and because the only way to get it was to make it themselves.