One afternoon in 2021. I (Thomas) and 2 (Kevin & Patrick) of my 3 brothers were chomping at the bit to get on the road for our annual Illinois shotgun season. It was my brothers and I in my 05 Ford Freestyle (RIP Francine). We had about a 3 hour drive ahead of us, for gun season that year. We never owned our own land, had a lease, or access to good private land. Every fall we would try our luck in the Illinois gun lotteries at various public land sites. As boys do on the drive down, we were talking about absolutely nothing productive and joking the whole time. We were talking about all kinds of topics, and being all kinds of goofy. Somehow the term Merk started getting thrown around a lot . If you listened to 2000’s rap music you have heard it before. That Friday morning hunt cam, and went, and no one saw a thing. My brother Patrick and I were going to sit a corn field for the afternoon. We walked in with our climbers and he climbed a tree in one corner of the field, and I the other about 400 or so yards away from each other. As the afternoon turned to evening about 20 minutes before dusk in the field closer to me but between my brother and I, a nice doe stepped out. We hadn’t seen any movement all day it was record breaking heat that gun season. My brother and I were exchanging texts talking about the doe waiting on a buck. She was about 250 yards from him and 175 yards from me walking towards me browsing on the cut corn. 15 minutes passed no buck came and she walked about 50 yards closer to me. I texted my brother I was going to take her. Steading my barrel on the ole Mossberg 500 on a tree branch I squeezed off a round. It hit her and she dropped! Before I could even fist pump in excitement. I heard a thundering exclamation from my brother Patrick. MerkJob! MerkJob! Patrick had yelled it across the field, and I was cracking up laughing. From then on MerkJob stuck. If we have a harvest now a days a simple MerkJob text goes out to the group it no longer buck down or deer down. I decided to launch it into a hunting lifestyle brand in 2026. So next time you have a harvest in the field yell out MerkJob, I can assure you its very satisfying.

Note: Take a look at the Trash Stash and the sweat pouring from the drag!