January 20, 2015
By Christian Berg
Photo by Russ Harrington.
After a stellar 15-year musical career highlighted by a dozen No. 1 singles and more than 30 million albums sold, Rascal Flatts frontman Gary LeVox offers no pretense about superstardom and makes no apologies for staying true to a rural identity forged during a blue-collar upbringing in the farm country of Central Ohio.
"A lot of people in my position are musicians who became hunters. I was a hunter who just happened to become a musician," he said. "This was my life way before I even knew music. My brother and I grew up raising beagles at 8 or 9 years old. Running rabbits was our big thing. So, it has been my life. Music is truly what I do, and hunting and the outdoors is truly who I am."
We were recently afforded an opportunity to spend some time with LeVox at Fast Cars and Freedom Farms, his 2,000-acre hunting retreat deep in the hills of Tennessee, for exclusive, behind-the-scenes access of his hunting property and to talk what it means to live country.
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A red dirt road leads to the main gate at Fast Cars and Freedom Farms, Gary LeVox's 2,000-acre hunting retreat. Nestled deep in the Tennessee hills outside Nashville, the remote property allows LeVox to pursue his passion for bowhunting and managing whitetail deer.
Photos by Russ Harrington.
This is one of several streams that flows through the farm, which offers a mix of high-quality whitetail habitat that includes mature hardwood ridges, thick bedding areas and food plots offering crops such as corn, soybeans and turnips.
Photos by Russ Harrington.
The recently completed main lodge at Fast Cars and Freedom Farms is a haven for Gary LeVox and a place where he can share quality time with his family and hunting buddies from around the country. LeVox said he spends much of his time at the lodge when Rascal Flatts is not on the road performing.
Photos by Russ Harrington.
This interior shot from the great room inside the main lodge show off the central stone fireplace, natural wood cathedral ceiling and some of the many trophy mounts Gary LeVox has collected on his hunting trips.
Photos by Russ Harrington.
This interior shot from the main lodge features a chandelier made of antlers, a Mossy Oak camouflage sectional sofa and some of Gary LeVox's favorite whitetail deer mounts.
Photos by Russ Harrington.
The front deck of the main lodge at Fast Cars and Freedom Farms offers a panoramic view of two food plots, a pine bedding area and the surrounding Tennessee hills. Whitetail deer can often be seen feeding within sight of the lodge.
Photos by Russ Harrington.
Gary LeVox, foreground, and Chris Paradise, vice president of sales and licensing at Mossy Oak, during an archery practice session at the farm. LeVox maintains a large shooting range with multiple 3-D targets to keep his bowhunting skills sharp.
Photos by Russ Harrington.
Mossy Oak's Chris Paradise, left, and Gary LeVox chilling out on the front porch of the original farmhouse at Fast Cars and Freedom Farms. Although LeVox recently completed a brand new, log cabin-style lodge on the property, he still utilizes the farmhouse — built in the early 1900s — as a secondary bunkhouse and rustic hunting camp.
Photos by Russ Harrington.
The kitchen inside the old farmhouse is well stocked with cooking implements and a shelf full of spices designed to aid in the preparation of wild game.
Photos by Russ Harrington.
Gary LeVox in the living room of the original farmhouse at Fast Cars and Freedom Farms, flanked by more of his trophy mounts and Ohio State football memorabilia.
Photos by Russ Harrington.
Rascal Flatts frontman Gary LeVox, left, and Chris Paradise, vice president of sales and licensing at Mossy Oak, are Ohio natives who share a common passion for bowhunting and Ohio State Buckeyes football. At Fast Cars and Freedom Farms, LeVox gets to and from his many deer stands in a Bad Boy Buggy customized with Ohio State logos and the school's signature scarlet and gray color scheme.
Photos by Russ Harrington.
When he isn't hunting at Fast Cars and Freedom Farms, Gary LeVox spends time maintaining food plots and other deer habitat on the 2,000-acre property. The equipment barn at the farm contains a variety of tractors, all-terrain vehicles and farm implements used to manage the property.
Photos by Russ Harrington.
Pick up the March issue of Petersen's Bowhunting for the Christian Berg's full article with Gary LeVox on his blue-collar roots, bowhunting dreams and living the country lifestyle.
