How Brittany Jill Turned Her Hunting Obsession Into A Career

Brittany Jill has never been one to take no for an answer. After falling in love with hunting, she set her sights on building a career in the outdoor industry. More than 100 rejections later, she finally got her big break.

From growing the social media accounts of ScentLok to establishing her own outdoor marketing business, Brittany has forged a career around her passion for hunting. She talks to Hook & Barrel about breaking into the industry, unforgettable hunts and the determination that got her to where she is today.

Woman in a teal top and jeans holds a laptop as she walks past a brick building on a small-town street with an American flag.

Who Is Brittany Jill?

Name: Brittany Jill

Age: 35

Home state: Wisconsin

Current Residence:Central Southern Illinois

Socials: Instagram @britt_jill_

Website: walk2west.com

Grew up fishing in Wisconsin, inspired by her family’s hunting traditions, and later discovered her own passion for hunting turkey, deer, ducks and other game.

Brittany is a passionate, self-made hunter: After her first turkey hunt sparked an obsession, she pursued hunting independently, putting in long hours in the field and developing a deep love for the outdoors.

After more than 100 job rejections, Brittany built her own opportunities in outdoor marketing, growing ScentLok’s social media following from 16,000 to 66,000 in a year. After losing her job in 2022, she launched her own marketing firm.

Above all else, Brittany is a wife and mother who loves spending time outdoors with her boys.

How Brittany Got Into Hunting

Hook & Barrel: Tell us about growing up in Wisconsin.

Brittany Jill: My dad, grandpa and uncles all went deer hunting, but it was more the guys’ thing to do, so I didn’t go with them. But I grew up fishing; I absolutely loved fishing. There were ponds at the cemetery near where I lived, so in my head going to the cemetery meant going fishing.

H&B: What was your next step after high school?

BJ: I went to University of Wisconsin Whitewater to study exercise science. For my internship, I worked in cardiac rehab, and when I graduated, I worked in that field while also working in a cardio kickboxing gym. It was during this time that my boyfriend at the time introduced me to hunting. He took me turkey hunting. I shot my first turkey, and I was obsessed. I started borrowing my ex’s old bow and practicing, and then I went for my first deer hunt. In that first year, I saw four deer the whole season, and I thought that’s what it was like. I calculated it, we sat for over 100 hours and saw four deer!

H&B: So, from that first deer hunt, how did you get where you are now?

BJ: When my boyfriend and I broke up, he took his bow and gun back, but I knew I still wanted to hunt. I told one of my clients at the gym what had happened, and the next time she came in, she brought her husband’s old bow. She told me, “He wants you to go get a deer.” I had never shot a deer, but I realized I needed to use the bow. I went to deer camp with a friend, and I shot my first doe—I was so excited and ecstatic! At the gym, I had the top sales in the nation for Black Friday. I decided that whatever I got for that bonus, I was going to pay off my student loans and buy a shotgun. I paid off my loans and had $2,000 left. I walked into a Cabela’s and got my Browning A5.

I met a friend and started hunting with him. We hunted five days a week. I would drive an hour south every single day at three in the morning, hunt until about 10 and drive back to work in the gym for eight hours. I loved it that much. I realized that I was hunting because I wanted to and not because a guy wanted me to. I became obsessed. Some days I would walk into the gym as it was opening still in full camo and face paint.

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Brittany Jill with her husband, two sons and a monster whitetail

Brittany Jill’s Launch Into Outdoors Marketing

H&B: How did you get into the marketing world?

BJ: I remember telling some members at the gym that I wanted to do social media. I knew I didn’t want to be stuck in an office or gym, and I wanted to be able to go hunting and still work and make money. I literally walked through the aisles at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s and wrote down all the brands that I used, and I called their marketing departments. I got turned down over 100 times and was told that they did their marketing in-house. So, I decided if the companies wouldn’t let me do their social media, I’d grow my own.

Angler kneels on a snowy frozen lake holding a northern pike, beside a yellow Labrador in a vest.

I was on an elk hunt and reached out to ScentLok, the camouflage company. They hadn’t posted in a while and said they’d give me a shot, and they sent me some camo. I grew their page from 16,000 to 66,000 followers in a year in 2018. It was a great resumé builder. Then I was in deer camp and met a guy who worked for GSM Outdoors, which at the time had seven brands under its umbrella. I told him to give me his smallest brand so I could prove what I could do. I did it for three months, and he asked if I would take on all seven brands. I did, and they started bringing on more brands, and I went full time with them.

In 2022, GSM did a workforce reduction, and I lost my job. I had a six-month-old baby, and we had our insurance through the company. My husband encouraged me, and I just woke up the next day and started my Britt Jill Marketing business (now Walk 2 West) growing brand and product recognition for individuals and companies in the outdoor space.

Angler stands in shallow, muddy river water holding a large flathead catfish.

MORE HOOK & BARREL TROPHY ROOM Q&AS:

On The Hunt

H&B: What is your most memorable hunt, and what do you most like to hunt?

BJ: When we moved to Illinois, I didn’t know many people, and I knew if I wanted to go duck hunting alone, I needed a dog. I got a yellow lab and had him trained. One of my most memorable moments was my first hunt with him. I shot my very first drake wood duck, and he went and retrieved it. I just started sobbing. I called my husband and he thought something was wrong. I was just screaming, “We did it! We shot our first duck together!”

Another one was my 2017 buck. I hunted so hard that year and was hosting the Deer & Deer Hunting’s show called Destination Whitetail, so everything was filmed, so I can relive that one often. As for what I like to hunt, I love it all. I love hunting turkey, duck, pheasant, deer, elk…

Smiling hunter in camo holds the antlers of a whitetail buck in an autumn hardwood forest.

H&B: Do you have a hunting bucket list?

BJ: An archery elk is number one! I have a hunt planned in New Mexico for next year, and I’m hoping the third time is the charm. Archery caribou is also on the list. And I’d love to hunt the Yukon in Alaska.

H&B: Do you have a favorite bow or gun that you hunt with?

BJ: My bow is the Mathews Lift X. For dove and duck, I use my Browning A5 or the Browning Maxus.

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Hunter in camo kneels in a green field behind a wild turkey with its tail fanned.

Hunter kneels in the woods behind a big-game animal with a large rack of antlers.

Angler holds up a largemouth bass at a lakeside.

Angler in camo holds a lake trout on a snowy frozen lake.

Angler stands in murky water holding a large catfish.

Angler holds a northern pike on a lake at sunset.

Bowhunter in camo looks through binoculars in autumn woods, with a compound bow in hand.

H&B: Do you have a one-that-got-away story?

BJ: I was on my second over-the-counter archery elk hunt and spotted the biggest bull I’d ever seen on top of a mountain. I hiked up and got to about 200 yards from him, then belly crawled all the way to 35 yards until I got behind a downed tree. I drew back, let my arrow fly and it deflected off a tree limb. I was so bummed, but I learned a hard lesson that day, and it’s one I’ll definitely never forget!.