Wade Bourne

Wade Bourne (1947—2016) —  A native of Clarksville, Tenn., Wade Bourne was a senior writer for Bassmaster Magazine for more than 40 years before his passing in 2016. He was a talented communicator across several media platforms, including print, television, radio and photography.

Bourne was founder and host of the award-winning “Wired2Fish/Hunt Radio,” a syndicated fishing/hunting radio show that aired year-round throughout the U.S. on 280 stations. For the 16 consecutive years prior to that, he had hosted “In-Fisherman Radio” (north, south and west editions), the largest syndicated outdoor radio show in North America.

Bourne was a prolific writer, contributing more than 3,000 articles to many of the nation’s top outdoor magazines.

His long and successful career in outdoor journalism spanned both fishing and hunting. In addition to his position with Bassmaster, Bourne was editor-at-large for Ducks Unlimited Magazine.

He was the author of six books: Fishing Fundamentals, Fishing Made Easy, Fishing Basics, Ducks Unlimited Guide to Decoys and Proven Methods for Using Them, Ducks Unlimited Guide to Hunting Dabblers, Ultimate Turkey Hunting. Bourne hosted or co-hosted “Ducks Unlimited TV” for more than a decade. His other TV credits included “Advantage Outdoors TV” on The Nashville Network (TNN) and “Southern Outdoors TV” on ESPN2.

Bourne earned a BA degree in English from the University of Tennessee. He served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force after college before beginning his career in outdoors communications. In 2003, he was inducted into the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame. In 2005 he was inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame. He received the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in October 2014. And in 2016, he received the prestigious Homer Circle Fishing Communicator Award from the Professional Outdoor Media Association and the American Sportfishing Association.

An ardent conservationist, Bourne had a special passion for introducing young people to outdoor sports. He worried that too few children were not being exposed to nature. To help fulfill his goal of introducing more people to nature, leaders in his hometown of Clarksville, Tennessee, began construction of the Wade Bourne Nature City in Rotary Park in Clarksville, shortly after his death. Visitors to the center will be able to enjoy free access to permanent and temporary displays and participate in hands-on activities to learn more about the natural history of the nature park.
In dedicating the center to honor Bourne, Mayor Jim Durrett of Montgomery Country, Tennessee, said, “The Wade L. Bourne Nature Center will offer countless opportunities for our children, as well as our adults, to explore, educate and help sustain the great outdoors. It’s exactly what Wade did his whole life. He explored and stayed very active in conservation efforts, but his greatest gift was educating all of us, especially our children.”