S moke S ignals
march 1, 2014
Ceremonial Hunting information
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Brayden Langley, 15, and his father Bryan created iCallElk, an instructional
elk calling app. The app is for iPhones and iPads and sells on iTunes.
Langley father and son
building a business,
one elk call at a time
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
“It’s not just a passion – It’s a
way of life!” says the tagline for
Umpqua Outdoors, a new Internet-
based business developed by Bryan
Langley, the Tribe’s Higher Educa-
tion manager, and his 15-year-old
son, Brayden.
The Langleys sell apps for Apple
phones and tablets through the
iTunes store. They sell elk calls,
offer elk calling lessons – both
private and through seminars and
webinars – and website design.
Brayden programmed the
Umpqua Outdoors website, www.
umpquaoutdoors.com, the first of
many planned apps, iCallElk, and
designed the banner on the Face-
book page, his first Web and app
language designs.
“I’ve wanted to program for
quite a while, a year or so,” says
Brayden.
The Umpqua Outdoors title comes
in part because Bryan is partly de-
scended from Umpqua Indians.
Bryan, for his part, says he has
been dreaming about the idea for as
long as eight years. When Brayden
learned to program last year, his
father knew it was time to begin.
“I wrote down things we’d do for
an elk calling app,” says Bryan,
“and he ran with it.”
Last summer, Brayden’s journey
into programming began from
scratch. The ultimate result, open-
ing to the public on Sept. 11, came
from the 15-year-old, who learned
the coding not only for the app, but
also for the website design in less
than a year.
A family programming friend
pointed Brayden to Lynda.com, an
online learning company that helps
anyone learn software, design and
business skills. Brayden got some
ideas there on how to start.
“The site taught me how to sub-
mit our app to the app store,” he
says.
The website opened for busi-
ness on Feb. 11. By Feb. 19, cus-
tomers had purchased 36 apps
at $3.99 each. The app for Apple
iPhones, iPads and iTouch is at
the iTunes store at itunes.apple.
com/us/app/icallelk-instructional-
elk/id814067094?mt=8.
The duo has plans for new apps,
including one with elk recipes, a
specialty of Rhonda, Bryan’s wife
and Brayden’s mother. They al-
ready have a name for it: iEatElk.
Bryan is selling elk calls from
Point Blank Hunting owned by
Willy Rogers, a Grand Ronde de-
scendant; Bryan reps for the com-
pany. As a world-leading elk caller,
Bryan teaches the art through the
website.
Credentials for father and son
involvement in the elk-calling world
include their top finishes at the an-
nual Rocky Mountain Elk Calling
competition. In the professional
class, Bryan has competed six times.
In the last four, he placed fourth,
third and first for the last two years.
Brayden has been competing in the
pee-wee division since 2009. He won
the first year and has placed second
in the three years since.
Also, Brayden has been hunting
with his father since he was 9. He
hunts with both bow and arrow and
rifle. He participated in the Tribal
mentor hunting program, and used
to face off against elk and deer on
his father’s tag. Today, he has his
own.
Bryan also has been hunting
since he was a child.
“I grew up in a hunting family
and we relied on hunting to help
provide meals for the table,” Bryan
says. “That still happens today, and
now it is being passed down to yet
another generation.”
The subtitle of the website, “It’s
not just a passion – It’s a way of
life!” comes from family experience,
Bryan says.
“It is a way of life! It is our passion
and it is our way of life. It is what
we love to do!” n
We have started the 2014 ceremonial hunting season. Deer tags
have gone out and they will be good for one month and then rotated
if not filled. We will be having the game meat processed at Willamina
Meat Processing this year. They will take in game seven days a week.
All meat is taken in and hides taken to Natural Resources.
This year, we will be giving out $25 gas vouchers for each harvest.
All hunters who harvest their first animal will receive a knife with the
Tribal logo and the year of the harvest on the blade.
Returning hunters are eligible for a $100 Cabelas gift card to replace
lost or broken hunting gear or update their gear with something new.
These are one per person per year.
We want to reward hunters for all their time and effort in some
way.
We now have the right to hunt the tags with a bow. We are very
excited about this opportunity.
We are still recruiting for new members who have the time to help.
It is an honor to provide meat for our funerals and ceremonies so we
can have traditional meals.
Lastly, we get three bear tags a year, so we really need hunters will-
ing to hunt those tags. We will have a few tanned deer hides available
soon. Applications for those can be picked up at Natural Resources.
Thank you. If you have questions about ceremonial hunting, call
Marline Groshong at 503-474-7000. n
Foundation seeking applications
SALEM – West Valley Hospital Foundation scholarship applications for
students in medically related fields of study became available on Feb. 1
and must be returned by Friday, March 28. Applicants must have a per-
manent residence in Polk County or be a West Valley Hospital employee
or a family member of a West Valley Hospital employee, and must have
applied to a college in their field of study before applying for the scholar-
ship. Visit www.salemhealth.org/scholarships and click on the West Valley
Foundation Scholarship link for more information and to download an
application. Call 503-831-3456 for more information. n
Cover Oregon assister
at Portland office
A Cover Oregon certified application assister will be at the Tribe’s
Portland satellite office, 4445 S.W. Barbur Blvd., from 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. Wednesday, March 5 and 19.
Contact Loretta Meneley at 503-879-1359 or 800-775-0095 for
an appointment to apply for or discuss Cover Oregon. Days will be
increased at the Portland office if necessary to accommodate Tribal
member demand.
Meneley also will be at the St. Patrick’s Day potluck at the Port-
land office from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, March 17. n
Ad created by George Valdez