Big Woods Bucks and Phindyr - Simplify Your Guided Hunt!
My First Guided Hunt: The Big Woods with Hal Blood
In 2006 I went on my first guided hunt with Master Maine Guide, Hal Blood. Prior to that hunt I’d read books about tracking big woods whitetails, and in that process I also learned tales about Hal as an expert big woods tracker and woodsman.
He was already a legendary name in the guided hunt business and in outdoor circles throughout the country. I was a bit intimidated by the whole prospect of talking with him and admitting that I wasn’t sure about my skills in the big woods of Northern Maine (or in my native New York for that matter).
It ended up being an amazing hunt with many lessons learned, memories I’ll never forget, and friendships forged for life. But know this, the initial process of booking that trip sight unseen, and getting to know my guide over the phone from my distant native New York was a new experience for me, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I was a little nervous in the booking process prior to actually heading North. It was a lot of money to me at the time, and I was running on sheer hope and trust that it would end up a good experience.
Fast Forward 2026
A couple of months ago, my daughter Gabi, knowing my intense passion for hunting and the outdoors, introduced me to Mr. Azeez Hayne. Azeez is the Founder and CEO of Phindyr, a website dedicated to simplifying the process of booking a guided hunt. When Gabi initially mentioned him to me and what he does, my experience with booking that first guided hunt with Hal came back to mind and I found myself wanting to know more about this website and about Azeez as well.
Azeez, as it turns out, has a very interesting personal story. As the Chief Administrative Officer at URBN, Azeez helps manage a multi-billion dollar portfolio of global consumer brands comprised of Anthropologie, Anthropologie Weddings, Free People, FP Movement, Terrain, Urban Outfitters, Nuuly, Reclectic, and Menus & Venues. With this focus on fashion and related goods and services, why Phindyr? I thought - what an odd addition to a predominantly more urban portfolio. Where did the motivation to build a better outfitter booking site come from?
“What motivated your desire to build Phindyr?” I asked. His answer hooked me. “I grew up a vegetarian. And as I grew older, I began my exploration into possibly changing that. So I decided that if I was going to make the change of delving into my carnivore experiment, I should be willing to go out and get the meat myself.” A man with some conviction…I liked that. We talked some more. He said, “When I started my journey, I went on some guided hunts, and had a wonderful experience. But the booking process was foreign to me and clunky. I thought, we can make this better. And so I started Phindyr.”
Ironically I’m now an integral part of Hal’s outdoor organization, Big Woods Bucks. Being that Big Woods has its roots and foundation in the guiding and outfitter industry, I decided to discuss Phindyr with the BWB Team as a possible partner. Working together to build a way to make picking a hunt and booking it easier for our followers who are seeking their own adventures seemed like a project BWB could get behind. Many of BWB’s followers go on multiple hunts a year, so being a partner with Phindyr simply made sense. The BWB Team agreed that Azeez was someone we could work with, and his mission made imminent sense, and so the partnership was made.
Big Woods Bucks exists to make hunting the big woods and becoming a better woodsman a reality for those desiring a more powerful outdoor experience. Booking a hunt, and all that goes into it, should not be a painful or difficult process in that overall goal. Our partnership to help build and promote Phindyr is just one more way we can make our followers’ outdoor experiences better, and ultimately, more successful.
To book your dream hunt today, go to: www.phindyr.com
