Hello, my name is Jason Bruce and I’m the Founder and Organizer of the Indiana Predator Challenge. If you’re interested in entering or supporting the IPC events you’ll be working with me personally; therefore I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself and my goals for this competition.

I began hunting, fishing and trapping at a very young age with my dad and brothers in Southern Indiana. Following a strong family tradition; I spent each fall hiking the rolling hills chasing trophy whitetails. As I became more proficient at harvesting deer I modified my hunting styles to keep it challenging. Switching weapons from guns to bows then raising the trophy class of animal I would pursuit all kept a fair amount of complexity in my deer hunting hobby.

In January of 1998 I found myself in the sporting goods department of a Southern Indiana Wal*Mart looking for something to do in the off-season. I stumbled onto a predator call, one of the two they had to choose from. $4.95 and 20 minutes later I became a predator caller. The first winter of calling produced only a few coyotes to the call but it increased my interest in this sport. The next season was incredible as we managed to kill dozens of coyotes with a set of closed reeds and old deer rifles. After that seasons I was hooked for life, there was no need to insert extra challenges into coyote hunting… the CHALLENGE is what changed my hunting career forever.

Over the years, as I became more proficient at manipulating coyotes I started hunting them all over the Hoosier state. Calling 55 of Indiana’s 92 counties taught me a lot about coyotes, the state of Indiana and more importantly the other Hoosier Hunters that are chasing these wary K-9’s. I was amazed to see new callers popping up around the state and the demand for predator hunting equipment, media and knowledge was going through the roof. As my partners and I looked at the world of predator calling here in the Midwest we noticed it was very different from that of the Southwest. We had no magazine articles, locally filmed movies, guiding services, online discussion forums or calling contest like the guys did in other regions where calling had been popular for decades. In 2004, the Indiana Predator Challenge set out to change that!

With a scoring system derived from a West Texas contest, registration information mimicked from an Arizona gathering and liability waivers structured from an old hunting lease I started inviting folks from across the country to join us for a hunt in Southern Indiana. The Indiana Predator Challenge has come a long ways since then! With newly developed rule packages that drive a level playing field, a rifle contest that are fun but efficient and a schedule that focuses on putting fur in the shed the IPC is running like a well oiled machine. Since the Inaugural hunt; kill numbers have increased alongside attendance levels, volunteer participation and the value of prizes.

As the organizer of this non-profit event I focus primarily on making our hunters safe and successful when they get here. My secondary interest is making sure everyone in the Midwest knows there is a first class calling competition here in Indiana. With our rule packages, local hunters, teams of volunteers, websites and ads in numerous publications I believe we are constantly improving the event on all levels. My daily tasks also include items like budgeting, scheduling and working on promotional opportunities for our hunt and supporters.

We have several teams that have been active in the Challenge events since 2004 and I constantly ask these guys for input on the changes we’ve made and those we’re considering. While a concept or strategy may benefit the prizes, organization or publicity of the event it MUST maintain the same friendly atmosphere and image of integrity IPC contestants have grown accustomed too in years past or it won’t be implemented. Any potential supporter of the IPC events should understand this guiding principle, just take a look at the testimonials page of this website and you’ll see why we’re so proud of the fun, safe and hospitable atmosphere we provide.

The IPC continually faces new hurdles with increased growth and popularity but dedicated hunters, faithful volunteers and generous supporters continue to pull through and make each event better than the last. It is my goal to lead the combined efforts of all these great people and make sure our event is recognized as the best of it’s kind for years to come. If you feel you can help us improve the Indiana Predator Challenge as a hunter, volunteer or supporter please feel free to contact me. We try to keep the www.IndianaPredatorChallenge.com website stocked full of important information but if you can’t find what you are looking for I can certainly help you out through email or telephone conversations. Thanks for your time and interest in the Indiana Predator Challenge!