By Autumn Bernhard

When Charlie Burchfield thought about retiring, he knew one thing: the timing had to be perfect.

By Autumn Bernhard

When Charlie Burchfield thought about retiring, he knew one thing: the timing had to be perfect.

 “I made sure to retire just before hunting season opened up,” he said. “That year I had all of hunting season to look forward to and doing the things that we do in the outdoor communications business.”

Now, six years later, Burchfield is a full-time outdoor communicator, weekly columnist for The Courier-Express and the Bradford Era and a host of Gateway Outdoors Radio.

“I have been busy but it keeps me young,” he said. “This all has been a wild ride for Charlie!”

Burchfield started his outdoor career in 1978 when an outdoor communicator ‘took a liking to him.’

“I don’t know what he saw in me but whatever it was he encouraged me to occasionally do a guest column,” he said.

Burchfield worked as a production artist in a china company before ending up as a territory manager for Sysco Guest Supply in the hospitality industry.

“All the while I still wrote my outdoor columns,” he said. “My outdoor writing and my professional careers paralleled each other. It was a hectic lifestyle but it was a lot of fun.”

Just prior to 1980, he was asked if he would like to do his column on a regular basis. He went to the newspaper office to talk to the publisher.

After talking to the newspaper’s publisher for a while, he didn’t ask to see Burchfield’s work.

“I thought my heart was going to drop out of my chest,” he said. “When I asked if he wanted to see it he said, ‘Well if it’s okay with you, it’s okay with me that you start your column the same day as before.’ Since then, my column has been published every week.”

Throughout his career, Burchfield has stuck by one rule.

“I look at every column as my last one,” he said. “I could drop over tomorrow or today, but I want to leave something good behind.”

This year has been Burchfield’s best in the business, winning 10 outdoor writing awards so far. He was recently appointed by Gov. Tom Wolf to PA’s – Governor’s Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation

“I am walking on a cloud,” he said. “I have been extremely fortunate. But it is because of all the good people that help me along the way.”

Burchfield made a lot of connections in the industry through watching how some of the “big people” work and go about their business. He also acknowledges the importance of involvement in organizations.

“POMA has been a tremendous asset to me,” he said. “It has provided me with a springboard. I never thought I would be doing some of the things I am now, and if it weren’t for POMA I would still be doing things the old way.”

When Burchfield started in the industry, he was told if he enjoys what he’s doing, story ideas will just come his way.

“That was the truth,” he said. “I’m just like a little kid in the candy store. I look at myself as a survivor but I was also a very fortunate beneficiary because someone took an interest in me. It’s just blossomed from then.”