Maddy Wasmer is a lifelong bowhunter, outdoor photographer and videographer shaped by the mountains of West Virginia. In this Q&A, she discusses learning to hunt with her father and grandfather, building a career behind the camera and encouraging more women and young people to find their place outdoors.
Updated September 2026: After this interview was published, Wasmer appeared as Maddy Jones on Netflix’s Outlast: The Jungle. She and Nikki Hru, the final two members of Team Alpha, won the competition and its $1 million prize. Her answers below reveal the upbringing, experience and outdoor skills she brought to the series.
Maddy Wasmer At a Glance
Also known as: Maddy Jones
Known for: Winning Netflix’s Outlast: The Jungle with Nikki Hru
From: Kingwood, West Virginia
Profession: Outdoor photographer and videographer
Outdoor interests: Bowhunting, whitetail and mule deer hunting, fly fishing and archery
Instagram:@maddy.hunts
Maddy Wasmer on Hunting, Photography and the Outdoors
Wasmer’s success on Outlast: The Jungle had foundations extending well beyond reality television. She grew up hunting and fishing with her father and grandfather, began bowhunting as a teenager and later built a career documenting outdoor pursuits through photography and film. This interview captures the experience behind the competitor viewers met as Maddy Jones.
Growing Up Outdoors in West Virginia
Hook & Barrel (H&B): Tell me about growing up in West Virginia and how you got interested in the outdoors.
Maddy Wasmer (MW): I grew up in the mountains of West Virginia, where hunting and fishing are part of everyday life. My dad and grandpa were avid bowhunters and outdoorsmen, and I was like the son my dad never had.
I would sit with my Pap in a deer blind and hunt with him. He would bring his old camcorder and record all my hunting adventures.
Those early days taught me patience, respect for the land and the importance of providing for yourself. I feel like the outdoors raised me and gave me the values that I carry with me into everything I do today.
H&B: What did your involvement in the outdoors look like as you grew up?
(MW): Throughout my teenage years, I was never in the party crowd. I considered myself well-liked, but I did not have a lot of friends who shared my same passions.
I was more interested in being in the woods than being at parties. I’d go fly fishing on the weekends, or it would be hunting season, and I’d be out checking my tcrail cameras.
I always yearned for someone to share my passion with.
Memorable Hunts and the One That Got Away
Building a Career Behind the Camera
H&B: What did you do after graduating from high school, and how did you get into photography?
(MW): I have a four-year degree from West Virginia University in environmental and energy resource management. I had no idea what I wanted to do in life, but I knew that I didn’t want to be stuck behind a desk all day.
I always had a love for photography, but I didn’t have any professional training. I got started because my grandfather did it. When he would go on elk hunts in Colorado, he would film and take pictures of everything.
After he passed, I got his old camcorder, but it was a little outdated. I upgraded my equipment and kept the tradition going of filming my hunts and the wildlife I would see along the way.
I really found my passion in photography. It’s the best of both worlds. I live my passions in the outdoors and share it with others through the lens of my camera.
And I met my husband, who is also a photographer. He had his own photography studio and had 10 years of professional training and experience. I learned so much from him. I’ve built a career as a photographer and videographer in the outdoor industry.
It allows me to share my deep respect for the land with other people. We also do photography for family and friends and weddings, but 90 percent of what we do is focused on the outdoor industry.
Why Bowhunting Became Her Passion
H&B: What is your favorite thing to hunt and your favorite place to hunt?
(MW): I found my passion in bowhunting because it demands a different kind of patience. It forces you to slow down, and it’s so intimate. Every detail matters—the wind, the scent, everything.
It is the ultimate test of patience and skill. I grew up hunting whitetails in the mountains of West Virginia, but I love going out West and chasing mule deer. It’s more active—you’re glassing, it’s spot and stalk. I thrive in that environment of excitement.
Memorable Hunts and the One That Got Away
H&B: Do you have a best one-that-got-away story?
(MW): I had a shot opportunity on a 200-inch mule deer. It was a specific deer I’d been hunting, and he was like hunting a ghost. I’d put a spot and stalk on him several times, and I couldn’t break the 80-yard barrier.
My goal is to always make an ethical and clean shot, and I couldn’t make it happen. The hunt ended, and the closest I got was watching him walk away. It would be great to have harvested that animal, but I also have mad respect for an animal of that caliber.
H&B: What has been your most memorable hunt, and what’s a bucket-list trip you still want to take?
(MW): My most memorable hunt was when I killed my first buck with my grandpa there. I was eight years old when I shot my first deer, and I was 13 when I shot my first buck with my bow. My grandpa was so proud of me.
I really want to go to Alaska or Canada and do a moose hunt. I’ve hunted whitetails, mule deer and elk. We’ve been to Hawaii to hunt Axis deer, and I’ve been to Alaska to hunt caribou, but I really want to hunt moose.
I just did an Arizona mule deer hunt, and I tagged out on a really nice buck. I drew a tag, but my husband did not. We’re always a package deal, so he filmed me while I hunted in Arizona.
Bringing More Women and Young People Into Archery
H&B: You have a young stepdaughter. Is it important to you to introduce her to the outdoors and be a role model for her and other girls/women to be in the outdoors?
(MW): Being a stepmom changed my outlook on a lot of things. Until you have kids, you walk through life selfishly. But when you have those little eyes on you, it changes the way you look at things. I’m especially passionate about getting more women and youth involved in hunting and archery
I want them to see me with my bow so that when they pick up a bow for the first time, they’ll think if she can do it, I can do it, too.
Representation matters. If they see me or someone else who looks like them doing it, they believe they belong there too. I want to be a good example.
Fly Fishing, Family and Life Beyond Hunting
H&B: You also fish—tell me about your fishing favorites.
(MW):Fly fishing for trout is my bowhunting—I love it! Whenever we go on hunts out West, I always bring my fly rod with me. Fishing is my chill time. There’s not as much pressure. Fishing is my relief, my stress reliever.
H&B: Describe your dream hunting trip—who would be with you and where would you go?
(MW): I have a really close relationship with my nieces and nephews. And I feel a responsibility to pass down the memories and experiences that I had with my dad and grandpa to the next generation.
It’s my dream that when they’re old enough to shoot a bow, I want to be there with the camcorder filming them when they shoot their first buck.
I want to be the one to instill that love in them. The day I get to watch them do what I love will be the ultimate hunt.
H&B: What do you do when you’re not hunting or doing photography?
(MW): I love playing guitar. I love to sit on my porch and play guitar. My stepdaughter likes to sing, so I love to learn songs that she can sing. That’s our special time.
