Meet Team Journey...

Ron Shirey

Senior Hunting Consultant

Ron Shirey brings 50 plus years of trigger time to the table. He has been an avid hunter all of his life while being raised near the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Being availed to the farms of many friends and family, he followed the traditional Pennsylvania progression of birthday gifts; a .22 for his 5th, a shot gun for 10th , and a 30-06 for the first deer season at his 12th! Those younger days also included many hours of trout fishing the lakes and streams throughout eastern PA.  Ron also acquired other important Boy Scout lessons learned on the track to Eagle Scout while traveling every year with the troop to Canada while fishing for big pike and muskies.

Several years ago through common friends and family hunting partners, Ron landed in a remote Saskatchewan moose camp with Pastor Matt and a very young Tekoah Guedes. They quickly became fast, respectful friends and have hunted together every year near Matt’s former family home in the mountains of Colorado and other western states. Together they have enjoyed highly successful international trips to our Safari  in the Limpopo province of South Africa where many of Ron’s  animals made the Roland Ward record book. They have also hunted with outfitter Glen Dene Station in New Zealand where Ron completed the four animal Grand Slam in almost perfect form. Just one second shot was required to anchor a nice Himalayan Tahr on an amazing heli-hunt with glaciers and Mt Cook in the back-drop.

Jamie Byrd

Senior Hunting Consultant

Jamie was born in the rolling hills of Western Kentucky where hunting and fishing were simply a way of life. He grew up enjoying the outdoors with his family. He learned how to SCUBA dive in addition to the many hours spent hunting with both a bow and a rifle. Jamie was certified as a PADI Scuba Instructor and led many diving trips in the US and the Caribbean. He joined the United States Coast Guard in 2002 and served until 2013. During his time off he would shoot his bow, however, there was not much time nor opportunity to hunt. 

Once Jamie was medically retired in 2015, he, his wife, and their two boys moved to Pennsylvania where he was surrounded by a large community of hunters. In 2019 he was introduced to Matt Guedes who invited him to hunt at Camp Freedom. Jamie was able to harvest an amazing whitetail, and more importantly, make a connection with Matt. After that hunt, Matt and Jamie remained great friends.  Matt would eventually ask Jamie to come join Camp Freedom as the General Manager of Operations.

Since that time, Jamie has had the wonderful opportunity to learn from Matt and become a trusted guide. He is able to lead a team of guides to take disabled veterans, first responders, and gold star families on lifechanging hunts. He is an avid bowhunter and has had the opportunity to travel to several states to hunt and harvest various game.

Jason Zuhlke

Senior Hunting Consultant

Even though Jason Zuhlke was born and raised in the concrete jungles of Orange and Los Angeles counties in California, he found his identity as an outdoorsman through time spent in the mountains of southern Utah as a boy. As he became older, he became actively involved in Scouting and shooting; it was in this context that his love for wildlife, the outdoors, and marksmanship merged to form the foundation of the hunter he is today.

Jason truly believes that things in life, such as hunting and the outdoors, only gain intrinsic meaning and significance when they are shared. To that end, Jason is passionate about sharing his skill set and experience with others to help them achieve their goals. With almost 30 years of experience in the outdoors, a Marine Veteran, firearms instructor, and a current SWAT Sniper, Jason can help clients at any level.

When he’s not outdoors, Jason is an active member of his community, serves in ministry, and participates in a handful of other non-profit boards.  Jason is married to his beautiful wife, Heather, who has blessed him with two children, Jackson and Scarlett.

Frankie Damiano

Hunting Consultant

Since a young age, Frankie has always had a great passion for the outdoors. Growing up in a small town in Pennsylvania, he spent every chance he got hunting and fishing wherever he could. He started off small game hunting at 10 years old with his grandfather and uncle, and immediately fell in love with it. His appreciation for the outdoors wasn’t fully rooted until he shot his first buck at 12 years of age alongside his dad on their first whitetail hunt together. From that day on, hunting held a whole new meaning to him. Now with over 14 years of hunting experience, Frankie continues to make more traditions and memories while hunting whether it is with family, friends, or his dad. While transitioning primarily into bow hunting, Frankie always makes it a priority to go hunting with his dad on the first day of rifle season every year. This tradition has quickly become his favorite of all. Through these memories, Frankie has developed a deep appreciation for every aspect of the great outdoors. From the woods of Pennsylvania to the plains of South Africa, he aspires to share his experiences everywhere he can, and to help others discover their own love for all of God’s creation so they can create their own traditions and memories as well. Over the past few years, Frankie has been able to bring this mission to life by being a part of a guiding team that brings disabled Veterans and First Responders on life changing hunts during the 10-week hunting season on the grounds of Camp Freedom. Outside of hunting, Frankie has also served in the USMC Reserves as a Heavy Equipment Mechanic for 6 years. He started off by receiving the Company High Shooter Award amidst bootcamp graduation, and he continued to stay in the top ranks of his company in the following years on the rifle range. He then went on to assume the rank of Sergeant within his first 4 years of service. In his spare time, Frankie enjoys fishing, exercising, reading, and writing. All hobbies that he shares and enjoys alongside his wife, Hollis.

Baylee Guedes

Hunting Consultant

Baylee has been hunting with her dad since she was a child. She shoots a Bear Archery left handed bow . Baylee has killed many North American and South African animals in her hunting career. Her fist big game animal was a black bear in Canada at age thirteen. Baylee was born in Pennsylvania lived her youth years in Colorado and now has returned to Pennsylvia. She lives with her parents, older brother, and younger sister in a Christian home. Baylee has done the majority of Journey Hunts editing on the pictures and videos and has her own video company named Beg For More Productions. Baylee hopes that the Lord will bless her with many more enjoyable animal harvests.

Stefon Pizzuto

Hunting Consultant

Stefon Pizzuto is a hunter, fisherman, and avid outdoorsman from the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. Growing up in the rural town of Nazareth, home of the Andretti racing family and Martin Guitars, Stefon spent much of his youth exploring the woods with his father, making latest memories through hunting, fishing, and trapping. Stefon’s true passion is found in bow hunting, especially African plains game, where he has successfully harvested five record book animals.
When he is not sitting in a tree stand or stalking his latest quarry, Stefon can be found playing bass guitar in various local and regional acts, as well as serving as worship leader in Journey Hunts owner Matt Guedes’ church, The Journey. Stefon and his wife Dawn still reside in the Lehigh Valley, along with their daughter Zoe.