My name is Enzo Cerqua and I live in Southeastern Michigan, approximately 30 miles north of Detroit.  I have been married for eleven years and own three successful businesses, Outdoor Realities, a brick laying company, and a home building company.

Because of my management skills in my businesses, I have been able to spend a lot of time doing what I love to do – hunt and fish.  Spending a lot of time in the woods, allows me to study the animals, a necessity for a successful hunt.  My daily routine includes helping to maintain the properties where I hunt, enabling me to pay close attention to the habits of the animals.  I accomplish this by low-pressure scouting or by using an observation stand from within the woods.  There is a variety of hunting and fishing in Michigan, which in my eyes is second to none.  We have all phases of big game animals:  moose, elk, deer, bear, turkey, wolves and bobcats.  We also have some of our country’s best fishing, which includes:  salmon, steelhead, bass, walleye, perch and muskie.

My hunting and fishing accomplishments include harvesting over 100 big game animals with a collection of them qualifying for the Pope and Young Record Book. In the spring and summer of 2005, I boated over 348 walleyes, approximately 80 muskies and a countless number of perch.  Also, I can’t even begin to count how many steelhead and salmon I have landed fishing in some of our rivers in the Lower Peninsula.  Actually, I enjoy catching steelhead and salmon the most partly due to the beautiful scenery that comes with fishing in a river.

Michigan is not the only location in which I have fished successfully.  Last year I tried saltwater fishing in Florida.  I was very successful in both locating the fish and landing them in the boat.  In fact, some of the charter captains asked me for my waypoints.  Cobia, snook, shark, and Spanish mackerel were included in the variety of the many fish I caught.  Besides enjoying the experience for myself, I took pleasure in helping my young nephews and in-laws experience the thrill by baiting the hooks, coaching them through the fight of the fish and removing their catch from the hook.  Through this trip, I quickly learned to navigate the intracoastal and Gulf of Mexico waterways.

My father introduced me to hunting when I was thirteen years old.  In the beginning, I took the role of a dog.  I would stomp on brush piles for rabbits or walk in CRP fields or thickets for pheasant.  Approximately one year later, my father handed me his sweet 16 gauge, which I used to harvest my first rabbit.  After losing my father to cancer at the age of sixteen, my mother handed me that same gun.  From then on some of my fondest memories of my father were through hunting and fishing.  With those thoughts in mind, I developed a passion for the outdoors. Through trial and error I have exceeded my expectations, as well as those of others

Besides hunting deer throughout Michigan and the Midwest, I have harvested a number of Bruins in northern Michigan and Canada.  I also had the privilege of hunting elk throughout the Rockies.  Personally, however, my pride and joy is turkey hunting.  I feel that there is no bigger thrill than hearing the gobbling of a long-beard and knowing that in a few moments a shot opportunity will be present.

I have built a reputation of being able to predict a specific time and place for a harvest.  I have attained this ability through glassing specific areas and constantly keeping tabs on where the animals have traveled due to the rotation of crops.  I also feel that preparation is essential.  Being able to go unnoticed by the animals that you do not wish to harvest is the most important part of a successful hunt.  These abilities have led to several television appearances on “Michigan Out-of-Doors,” a local television show.  Through Bass Pro Shop, I worked with Pete Maina on a show for the “Next Bite” and also did a second show on trolling for muskies.  I also assisted Walter Parrot, a nine time world champion turkey caller in harvesting his first Michigan turkey that aired on the Outdoor Channel.  Believe me, it is far easier to entice a cameraman into the woods when he knows the odds are high to achieve the necessary footage for a show. 

Helping friends and family harvest trophy animals gives me more pleasure than if I had harvested the animal myself.  Watching them experience the thrill of the hunt gives me a feeling beyond compare.  Because of this, many of the sportsmen who I have assisted have harvested larger animals than I have, of which I am reminded daily.  All jokes aside, anyone who associates with me knows that I am a genuine person.  I have given my time and experience to provide priceless opportunities.  In return, I have received valuable memories of hunting and fishing through quality time spent with friends and family doing what I love most.  The beauty of the outdoors purifies my soul and makes me the man that I am today.