Joe Serafini from TopShot
My name is Joseph Serafini, I am a 27 year old native of Illinois grown and raised an hour south of Chicago. The most important thing in my life is the happiness and health of my family. I am fortunate to tell you that I have two wonderful parents a sister and a seven year old nephew, who is the greatest little guy. I come from a family that greatly enjoys the outdoors. Shooting has always been a big part of my life. My father started me shooting at a very young age, when I was 5 years old, I shot my first squirrel with a .22 caliber Rim fire rifle. Then, when I was 8 years old, I took a 240pound wild boar with a compound bow.
As I grew older, my ability and interest in shooting improved. I have participated with state, regional, national, and world events with great success. My father and I have organized shooting events and hunting clinics with numerous organizations including National Wild Turkey Federation, Whitetails Unlimited and the Boy Scouts of America. I shot for Browning Archery prior to joining the Marine Corps. and served on several pro staffs for shooting and hunting companies.
As a Marine I was Company High Shooter in boot camp, and shot in the Division Matches at Camp Pendleton. I qualified expert with both the M-16 and the berretta 9mm pistol. In addition, I am honored to say that I have served my country with two tours in Iraq. The first tour I was with the 15th M.E.U. in a Combat Engineer Platoon for the invasion of Iraq. My second tour was in 2007 at a small base on the Syrian border as a Utilities Sergeant in an Engineer Company. Between my shooting, hunting, competition, and my military service, I have experience with pistols, rifles, shotguns, machine guns, slug guns, muzzle loaders, archery and c-4 explosives. When I shoot, I shoot to win. But I’m also willing to share my knowledge with others to help them learn to improve their skills and to promote the sport. Over the years the above listed activities have kept my family very close, giving me a chance to meet some really great people. I want to do my part to help pass on this tradition for others to enjoy as well. One of my future goals is to open a sporting goods store and become a shooting instructor. In my opinion, this would allow me to incorporate a talent of mine, while helping others.
I am a very outgoing person, who loves to have a good time and enjoy every minute of life. I’ve have been told that I always seem to make things fun and interesting. Given the chance to be on season 2 of Top Shot I will do my part to attract new viewers and hold their interest.
Donnie Lori Smith
Lightfield Pro-Staffer D.L. Smith pictured with a very nice buck taken with Lightfield Lites.
Donnie Lori Smith is no newcomer to the world of hunting and fishing. Growing up in rural Michigan she was lucky enough to have a trout stream literally in her back yard where she fished almost every day. Her love of the outdoors and shooting sports was solidified during her years of competitive target shooting. She competed in the junior Olympic system as well as NRA junior programs and Michigan and Northern Indiana League Shooting. She earned numerous awards filling her trophy case with more than a dozen regional and state awards. It was only natural that she would transfer her skills on the target range to the field pursuing big game. After taking her first black bear in 1991 she was hooked.
Donnie Lori brought her unique experiences in the field and her extensive background in the field of writing to the small screen on PBS where she wrote, edited, and demonstrated her techniques for preparing wild game on Raghorn News Outdoors Television. She also appears regularly on Angling the Great Lakes and Lightfield Wild Adventures both of which are aired on the Sportsman’s Channel. Donnie is a regular contributor in the Indiana Outdoor News, the largest outdoor related newspaper in the state of Indiana.
When she isn’t in the field she believes in keeping an active cross training schedule that includes competitive road racing and adventure racing as well as finishing her certification in personal training. Founding Curves in Camo-TM, an organization encouraging other women to pursue adventures in the outdoors while remaining active out of the field is her newest venture. In addition to the all of her accomplishments in the outdoors she is a former Mrs. Indiana, was a national title holder representing the United States, and founded and directed the Kankakee Valley scholarship program for young women.
Donnie Lori recently has developed a love of water fowling which she plans on exploring further with the help of an energetic gun dog.
Mark Smith
Lightfield Pro-Staffer Mark Smith pictured with a Wyoming Buffalo taken down
with one shot from his DSG loaded with Lightfield IDS 3″
Brian E. Smith
Lightfield Pro-Staffer and Director of Sales & Marketing Brian Smith went to Texas to harvest this Dall Sheep … 20ga EXP 3″ Mag …
Brian wears many hats within the outdoor industry. He is a Co-Founder/CEO of Raghorn, Inc. 1994, Parent company to: Indiana Outdoor News Magazine & Adventure Media Productions. National television series for which Brian is Executive Producer include Wild Adventures, Angling the Great Lakes, Raghorn Adventures, Lightfield Wild Adventures and Ice Men. His productions have earned him 24 nominations including 11 national awards for “Best in Craft”, “Best Writing”, “Most Informative”, “Best Combination Television Series” “Best Hunting TV Series”, “Best Fishing TV Series”, Best “New” TV Series (Ice Men) & “Best of The Best” overall outdoor media of 2009 . Adventure Media Productions also completes field production services for Bass Pro and NWTF. In 2002 Smith received the “IWF Outdoor Communicator Of The Year” award for his hard work with publishing Indiana Outdoor News magazine . Brian has traveled the world extensively pursuing his craft including a three month production trip to Africa in 2004. Brian currently serves as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Lightfield Ammunition Corporation. He is married to Shannon and together they enjoy 4 beautiful daughters.
Stacy Young
Lightfield Pro-Staffer, Stacy Young with a nice spring gobbler. Stacey is from Southern Indiana
My name is Stacy Young. A lot of people know me as SassyStacy. I am an avid hunter and outdoorswoman. Along with hunting, I am also on the Pro staff of Hercamoshop and Indiana Outdoor News. I travel all over the US hunting and hope to make it all around the world someday.
I am the secretary of the NWTF committee in Vanderburg county, Indiana. I work with the Women in the Outdoors and the Jakes day events to get more women and children involved in the Outdoors. I am also the Secretary for the Delta Waterfowl chapter lf Vanderburgh county. I also draw pictures for the NWTF, Ducks Unlimited, and Delta Waterfowl so they can auction them off at their banquets. I have been an accomplished artist for many years. I specialize in portraits.
In addition to Shotgunning for waterfowl and Sluggun Hunting Deer, archery is a passion of mine. I am a sponsored competition archery shooter. I am currently shooting in the open class, but working my way up to pro. I have a couple years ahead of me, but I will get there. I finished 8th in the national triple crown in 2011 and 5th in the world archery tourney in 2011.
I write for the Indiana Outdoor News and love it! I get to write about my hunting experiences, competition shoots, and whatever else I come across that could teach someone about the wonderful outdoor world!
I currently work for a pharmaceutical research company, testing investigational medications on human subjects. It is a very interesting job which I love very much.
Pat Kalmerton: Born Slug Shooter
Lightfield Pro Staff member Pat Kalmerton grew up in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, learning to hunt and fish under
the tutelage of father Ray Kalmerton, a lifelong outdoorsman and Wisconsin DNR officer of 30 years.
Pat quickly developed a reputation as an expert hunter and angler who belied his young age. He also internalized the lessons in conservation biology and sportsmen’s ethics that his father stressed as necessary to become a “complete outdoorsman.”
Now, at the age of 32, Patrick is a figure in his community and a strong voice in state and national issues that affect sportsmen. A U.S. Coast Guard licensed charter captain and fishing guide, Pat operates Wolf Pack Charters, overseeing a staff of eight who guide clients from around the globe on Lake Michigan, its tributaries and inland waters. In the fishing off-season—which Pat will tell you “there isn’t one”—Pat and his crew log countless hours offering premium deer and waterfowl trips.
Starting with Canadian geese in August, through mid-season waterfowl and into big game, Pat hunts every chance he gets—as a guide and recreationally. At the core of Pat’s hunting is a strong shotgunning and slug shooting tradition.
“I started shooting at the range at age 7 and at 12 started hunting deer,” says Kalmerton. “Due to restrictions in this part of eastern Wisconsin, slug shooting was the only option, so that’s what I grew up doing. We didn’t have rifled barrels. But I learned how to use them effectively. Of course, now we can throw more lead out at greater distances and precision thanks in large to technological improvements in modern firearm design and best-in-class ammunition like Lightfield.”
Although he loves spilling blood and the subsequent table fare, Pat’s core mission is to educate clients, seminar participants and kids clinic attendees, teaching them the same shotgunning and slug shooting techniques for accuracy his father taught him.
“My goal has always been to show other hunters that the right slug gun and slug shells can compete with rifles all day long. Plus, it’s just a heck of a lot of fun!”
More About Pat
Pat has appeared on nationally-syndicated fishing and hunting television shows including “MidWest Outdoors”, “Angling The Great Lakes”, “Outdoor Junkies” , “Backroads With Ron and Raven”, “Due North”, “Discover Wisconsin” , “Hook And Hunt With Jim Crowley” and others. His hunting and fishing knowledge has also been featured in North American Fisherman magazine, In-Fisherman, Badger Sportsman, Crappies Now, MidWest Outdoors, Wisconsin Outdoors, Heartland Outdoors, and others. Pat Kalmerton is also a Frabill and St. Croix Rods pro staff member.
Brent T. Wheat
Lightfield Pro Staffer Brent T. Wheat on location, working targets at a private military training center in Utah’s snowy Wasatch Range
Lightfield Pro Staff member Brent T. Wheat wears many hats: veteran law enforcement officer, writer, photographer, musician, shooting instructor, expert outdoorsman, avid hunter.
As a career police officer of nearly 30 years, Brent has leveraged his law enforcement experiences and outdoor passions into a lifetime of exciting adventures both in the hunting fields and dark city streets.
Whether training alongside elite military units, serving as a 15-year SWAT sniper, guarding a former president or diving for accident victims under ice, Brent’s range of real-world experience is extensive. With certifications and training ranging from underwater homicide investigation to Forensic Interviewing Techniques to improvised weapons, Brent has a broad range of skill sets and interests.
As a natural extension of his love for firearms, Brent maintains an active freelance media career. Having been published in everything from Trailer Boating Magazine to the Turkey Call, his media credentials are impressive. Currently, he appears as a monthly “Street Smarts” columnist in SWAT Magazine and shooting editor for Driftwood Outdoors and Indiana Outdoor News. He also serves as editor for several websites and has previously appeared in his own weekly segment on SWAT Magazine TV on the Outdoor Channel and produced his own local outdoor radio show. Additionally, for 18 years he wrote a popular and award-winning weekly newspaper outdoor column syndicated through Indiana.
When not working, writing or shooting, the Indiana-based Pro Staffer enjoys performing music with several local groups, backpacking, kayaking, fishing, cigars, bourbon and gardening. His orchid collection is impeccable and growing!