CLARION CO., Pa. (EYT) — A Clarion County man was recently featured on the “Whitetail Cribs” series on YouTube.
“Whitetail Cribs” is a YouTube series by Exodus Trail Cameras. The Exodus Team travels across the nation to share the trophy rooms of some of the most interesting whitetail hunters they can find, highlighting everything from unique racks to riveting hunting stories.
The series premiered an episode on May 20 titled “Small Town PA Farm Full Of Deer and Family Memories,” shot at the home of Jim Reed in Clarion County.
“I was hesitant at first to put myself in the spotlight,” Reed told exploreClarion.com.
Reed, who considers himself more of an introvert, doesn’t usually like to put himself in the spotlight. However, when his nephew introduced him to the show and told him he should try to be on it, he decided to go for it.
“I really wanted to plug Clarion County,” Reed noted.
Reed and his wife, Sue, are both transplants to the Clarion area. Jim grew up in Pittsburgh, and Sue grew up in Johnstown, but they met at Clarion University and decided to make their lives here.
“We have it good up here, and we wanted to kind of wave the flag of Clarion County.”
According to Reed, it was his love of the outdoors that first brought him to Clarion, even though he originally had other plans. After finishing high school, he was accepted to Penn State, while his twin sister planned to come to Clarion University. However, one road trip changed all that.
Reed was spending some time north of Tionesta, and when it was time to travel back to Pittsburgh, he decided to detour through Clarion to see where his sister planned to go to school rather than heading back through his typical route through Oil City.
“When we came across the river, and I saw Main Street and the town and the land around it, I realized I should come here. Had we not made that left turn at Tionesta, I never would have come to Clarion.”
It was a decision that served him well. He and his wife met during his second year at Clarion University and bonded over their shared love of the outdoors. After finishing school, they decided that Clarion was where they wanted to stay.
“We have the best of both worlds here. If we do want to go to a Pirate game, or a Steelers game, or a Penguins game, or a play or something, it’s not that far away, but you can get in and get out and not deal with the day-to-day of the city.”
Reed is currently a successful local businessman, operating Reed Appraisal Services, and has raised two children in Clarion County. He said that he believes Clarion offers a “net positive” over more urban life.
“The opportunities up here are there, it just takes a little more creativity to establish yourself. We couldn’t have asked for a better place to raise our kids and immerse ourselves in an area with such good people.”
According to Reed, that’s part of what he was hoping to portray in his episode of “Whitetail Cribs.”
“We wanted to give Clarion some exposure.”
The show had a surprise in store for him, Reed explained, as the producer, Cameron Derr, was quite familiar with the area, being a Clarion University graduate, as well.
“I found out they’re a really cool upstart company with Clarion University ties, unbeknownst to me.”
Overall, Reed said the experience was interesting, and he was lucky his nephew brought the show to his attention.
