Cardinal Smokehouse owner Bobby Worthington has quite a resume.
In addition to his restaurateur title, he is considered one of the premier archers in the country, in tournaments and in the field. Worthington is also considered one of the most knowledgeable outdoor writers in North America. For good measure, he is an accomplished photographer and has won many awards for his photos.
It’s probably no wonder Worthington developed such an affinity for the outdoors, and later in documenting and educating others on how to become as uccessful bowhunter. His father, the late Arlis Clay Worthington, made Bobby a hickory recurve bow and put it in his hands around age 10.
“I remember a man who loved his sons very much,” Worthington writes in the dedication for his second book (see more on that below). “This was the man who instilled in me a love for the outdoors. My father was always ready and willing to take me hunting every time I wanted to go. For the many, many hunts I had with him, I will always be thankful. I would gladly give all I have and know to go on one more hunt with him. In this thought lies the most profound lesson in this work. If you don’t learn anything else from this book — learn this.”
The younger Worthington started shooting in archery tournaments just after receiving the bow from his father, launching one of the most successful tournament careers imaginable. He was never beaten on the state or national sectional level, and holds the Tennessee indoor all-time high score for his class. After claiming a list of championships that are too numerous to recount here, he retired from tourney competition and now devotes all his energy to bowhunting whitetail deer.
Through the years, Worthington has arrowed five bucks large enough to be featured in the premier Whitetail magazine in North American. Worthington has killed more deer than any other hunter whether using a firearm or a bow. Three of these were taken in Tennessee.
Worthington has taken most of his trophies (all of the above-mentioned) on public land. He never hunts with a guide or outfitter, and has never been on a private lease. Taking these large trophies under these circumstances has led many people in the outdoor industry to consider him one of the best bowhunters not only in Tennessee, the United States and North America, but the world.
Spreading the word
Just over a decade ago, Worthington turned his attention to spreading the word about whitetail bowhunting, both in print and in public speaking. He wrote his first article for North American Whitetail in 2000 about the large buck he had taken in Illinois, and followed that up with a “how-to” series on his craft. He now regularly writes for that magazine, Peterson’s Bowhunting and several other outdoor publications, and has been a contributor of individual chapters for books.
In subsequent years, Worthington penned “Bowhunting Trophy Whitetails, An Advanced Approach to Taking Mature Bucks,” a full-color hardback book. A second (self-published) book, “Quest for Phantoms of the Forest,” is in the editing stage and due out soon. It will be available for order through his website: www.bobbyworthington.com.
He is an advisor for several major archery companies, and has become a regular seminar speaker on trophy bowhunting. Worthington is also sponsored by several companies and is on the staff of both archery and camouflage companies.
Worthington is a sixth-generation resident of Bledsoe County. He graduated from Bledsoe County High School and attended Freed-Hardeman College. For more information on the restaurant and his hunting, you can visit his hunting website listed above and www.cardinalsmokehouserestaurant.com.
