About Us

A Team of experienced pilots who are passionate about hunting and customer service.

Our Staff

Brandi Rector
Sky Hunt Guide

Marine Corps veteran with 2 deployments as an aerial gunner and helicopter mechanic on the CH53-E with thousands of maintenance hours and mishap free flights. After getting out of the Marines I realized how much I missed flying and being in the air (but wanted to be at the controls this time). I went to college and earned my Bachelors of Science in Aeronautics with a focus in Aviation Management while doing all of my helicopter pilot training to become a Certified Flight Instrument Instructor. I also got my Airframe and Powerplant mechanic license during that time. I then went on to complete the Federal Law Enforcement training with Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations. I am trained and qualified on multiple weapon systems to include: AR15, Remington 870, M4, HK 45, and M9. After losing my dad to cancer from Agent Orange (Vietnam) in 2019, I hit rock bottom, gave up everything and moved to Texas with Mike where I was employed with Skyhunter. A month into the 2020 season the owner offered to sell us the company and we took a leap of faith. We have met some of the most amazing people and made lifelong friends. We want to be able to help veterans and first responders, to let them know we are all family and they are appreciated. I look forward to the coming years, who we will get to meet, and who we will be able to help.

Mica Payne
Night Thermal Hunt Guide

Micah Payne is born and bred in Northeast Texas. He has been hunting these woods for over 20 years. He has hunted everything from water fallow to predators. He enjoys helping local farmers get rid of this invasive species called feral Hogs.
Micah Quote “Every Hunt is different. From the wild direction to the terrain. Experience is key to finding these animals.”
Micah Payne, Night Thermal Hunting Guide for SkyHunter Outfitters

Mike Sanford
Sky Hunt Guide

Retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant that operated with a Top Secret SCI clearance, chosen to serve as the Division Chief for the Executive Flight Detachment (Marine One). Conducted domestic and global operations in Afghanistan, Australia, Iraq, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand. Supported 306 trips and over 5,000 mishap free flight hours to include multiple trips to the Presidential retreat at Camp David and the G20 Summit in Cabo San Lucas. Recipient of multiple awards for outstanding performance and professionalism in the United States Marine Corps. Career is supported by operational experience and various Department of Defense (DoD) training and certifications.

Allison Leinen

I took my first flight in a helicopter when I was just twelve years old, and I was hooked from there on. I have spent my life growing up in northern Idaho riding horses with my mom, and working on cars with my dad. I have always been quite an adrenaline seeker so the idea of flying just came natural to me. After many years of hard work running two businesses and going to flight school I finally made it into the professional world of Aviation. It hasn’t been an easy road, but there is nothing more rewarding to me ythan learning new jobs, and traveling the countryside doing so. I have a wide range of experience from Florida beach tours to bush flying in Canada, and I have flown ten different airframes so far. I feel that my passion is definitely in the utility side of things. Most recently I have been a second in command pilot in a UH-60 Blackhawk for power line construction and fighting fires in the Northwest. I love the technical out of the box style of flying and I can’t wait to get out there on the next adventure and chase some hogs!

Our Helicopters

Both of our Bell Model 206L-3 Long Ranger III helicopters are a substantially more powerful version of the Long Ranger II with the Allison 250 up-rated by 215 shp to 650 shp and 100 lb increase in takeoff weight. It also has an improved Noda-Matic rotor head which results in lower noise and vibration levels. Performance stats include 1320 fpm rate of climb and 110 kts max and economy cruise speed.
Micah Payne, Night Thermal Hunting Guide for SkyHunter Outfitters
Thor 4 thermal night scopes, provided with a suppressed rifle for guided night hunts.

Our Thermal Scopes

Using heat instead of light, our Thor 4 thermal night scopes (effective to 500 yards) mounted to custom built AR-15 suppressed rifles, armed with unlimited rounds of custom made 300 blackout ammunition, are able to clearly represent animals against the brushy terrain at night, and silently take them down allowing for more subsequent shots. On the night of the hunt, our staff will meet with you after dinner for a safety briefing and set expectations. For safety reasons, we head out to the field in working groups of 3-4 shooters at a time. After hogs are located, we will use our vehicles to get to the general area of the hogs before continuing our approach on foot. If the wind is in our face and you stay quiet, we frequently get within 20-30 yards, in complete stealth before firing the first shot. This is not hunting from ground blinds or tree stands and shooting at baited hogs or captive animals. This hunt involves spotting and stalking packs of feral hogs roaming unkempt terrain in the pitch-black darkness with a thermal. Be prepared to walk in rough, uneven conditions and stay out 3 to 4 hours. And, our hunts include unlimited ammo!

Frequently Asked Questions

For your convenience, we have compiled a list of our most frequently asked questions collected regarding our hunts. If you have any specific questions, please don’t hesitate to call:

Wild hogs are considered an invasive species by Federal and state governments, and have been found to be too difficult for to manage even when using game wardens and helicopters. In 2021, there were an estimated 2.6 million hogs in Texas and an annual growth rate of 20% due to litter size, and short gestational periods. For this reason, the state of Texas has turned to the state’s many hunters for help, and businesses such as SkyHunter Outfitters have taken up the challenge to both help the state control this invasive species, and give hunters the unique experience of participating in the population control from the unusual platform of a helicopter. Helicopters are useful in that they give an arial view of a field, they are maneuverable, and hogs inherently run from them.

State of Texas Resolution on hog hunting and allowing Sky Hunters to hunt wild hogs.

2023 Hunts Available

Oklahoma:  Choctaw, Bryan, Atoka, Pushmataha, & McCurtain County

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