Americans are turning to hunting during the pandemic — and this couple is showing them how on social media

• Americans are showing increased interest in hunting during the coronavirus pandemic.
• Mississippi couple Henry and Lakeisha Woodard have been hunting together for 12 years, and document their exploits on social media to increase interest in the sport.
• The couple is hoping to share their skills as people look for alternative sources of food.
• Applications for hunting and fishing permits are on the rise in several states, and the FBI reported a new record of 3.7 million firearm background checks in March.

A growing number of Americans are showing an interest in hunting as the coronavirus continues to threaten meat supply chains across the country.

But hunting is nothing new for Henry and Lakeisha Woodard, a Mississippi couple who have been hunting together for 12 years. They said 75% of the meat their family eats comes from animals they catch themselves, including wild turkey and deer.

Their Instagram account, where they document their hunting exploits, has 12,000 followers and counting as more people turn to the sport.

"We were like Noah preaching the flood, but now it's like everyone is trying to come into the ark," Henry Woodard told Business Insider Today. "And people are looking at us like, 'Wow, you know, we should have listened to them, they were right all along. We need these skills to survive.'"

"It's really not all about us," Lakeisha Woodard said. "But what we're doing, we're trying to show people our way of life, and hopefully we may inspire someone."

Read on to learn about their hunting lifestyle and why some Americans are turning to it.

As the coronavirus threatens food supply chains around the country, America is seeing a renewed interest in hunting.

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But for Mississippi residents Henry and Lakeisha Woodard, hunting and growing their own food as been a lifestyle for 12 years running. And now, their skills have become even more vital.

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"It's almost like we've been living and preparing ourselves for a situation like this the whole time," Henry told Business Insider Today. "We're hunters, and this is what we do."

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75% of the meat they eat comes from animals they catch themselves, including wild turkeys and white-tailed deer.

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The pair have been sharing their hunting exploits on social media, including their Instagram account, which has 12,000 followers and counting.

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Lakeisha and Henry get up at 4 a.m. to get to the hunting grounds before daybreak. After strapping on their gear and scouting out a spot, it's a long waiting game.

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But waiting is part of the experience for them. "Getting out here in the woods, it does something for me. It gives me a sense of accomplishment," Henry said.

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Hunting and growing their own food has helped the couple feel safe during the pandemic, amid widespread panic-buying and reports of threatened supply chains.

Shelves reserved for Perdue chicken lie empty at a ShopRite supermarket on April 24, 2020 in Plainview, New York.      Getty Images/Bruce Bennett

"There's a skill set than me and Lakeisha have acquired that just gives us the confidence knowing that regardless of how bad it may get, that we'll be able to survive," Henry said.

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Interest in hunting has spiked in the US since the pandemic broke out. License sales and permit applications for hunting and fishing were higher in several states this spring compared to the same period last year.

Michael Pearce/Wichita Eagle/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

And the FBI reported a new record of 3.7 million firearm background checks in March.

Brian Blanco/Getty Images

Source: Reuters

Lakeisha and Henry have seen more people take notice of their lifestyle. "We were like Noah preaching the flood, but now it's like everyone is trying to come into the ark," Henry said. People are looking at us like, "Wow, you know, we should have listened to them, they were right all along. We need these skills to survive."

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Henry's interest in hunting began at age 12 when his father bought him a BB gun. He introduced the sport to Lakeisha when they first met — she started out filming his hunts, but soon joined in herself.

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"Eventually I started to trade in my camera, filming for him, for a shotgun, going turkey hunting with him. So ever since then, I've really been addicted to the outdoors after that moment," she said.

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Today, they share their lifestyle using social media — through videos showing off their freshly caught game …

Instagram/HALO Chronicles

… and others in which their four kids join them in the field. The couple says hunting has given their children greater self-esteem and confidence.

Henry and Lakeisha Woodard

"We realized that there are situations where we really don't want to be depending on the government or someone else really to take care of us," Henry said. "As long as we're able to be self-sufficient and I can pass these skills down to my kids as well, then it'll just make us a better person and everything will work out."

Henry and_Lakeisha Woodard

Turkey is a common meal at the Woodard house — but probably not the kind you eat on Thanksgiving. On tonight's menu, it's bacon-wrapped turkey and deer skewers.

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"My passion for the outdoors is greater than just taking animals home and being able to bring it to the table," Henry said. "But when it comes to hunting for me and my family, it's brought us closer together, and it means a lot to us."

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