Parker McCollum takes young son Major ranching

Parker McCollum has traveled far from the small boy who begged to tag along on every hunt with his father. Now a country music star raising two sons, he is ready to trade places in those childhood memories. He wants to be the dad taking them out instead of the kid waiting at home.

He is already getting ahead of the curve.

This page includes affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you register or place a bet, FOX News may receive compensation. This story was written by an independent team separate from the main FOX newsroom.

McCollum welcomed his second son with wife Hallie Ray in July. He recently spent several days at their family ranch with his oldest boy, 2-year-old Major.

"I took him along to kind of do some ranch stuff," McCollum told OutKick OutDoors during an exclusive interview. "He can't really help yet. He just stands out there and pulls grass from the ground while I work or whatever."

Major might not be much use around the ranch right now, but McCollum does not mind. He knows exactly how it feels to be that little boy.

"I remember those days so vividly," he said. "My dad would get me out of school early on a Friday to go down to the lease or the ranch, and we would let it rip all weekend. A lot of times it was just him and I."

"To say that I look forward to doing that for him and with him is an understatement," McCollum added.

Hunting has been part of McCollum's life since he can remember. In a 2022 interview with NRA Country, the Texas native recalled going bird hunting with his father when he was around 8 years old, carrying a single-shot .410 shotgun. He also identified his dad as one of his favorite hunting buddies.

But McCollum's love for the outdoors started even before he was old enough to participate. During a 2024 interview with Audacy, McCollum remembered crying when his father and other family members left for hunting trips without him because he was too young to come along. Once he finally got his chance, he was hooked.

That upbringing centered on the outdoors extended beyond hunting season as well. McCollum spent summers working cattle, branding steers, and tending to his grandfather's ranch alongside his cousins. Now he hopes Major and his younger brother, Rocker, will grow up with that same appreciation for nature.

For McCollum, it is about much more than harvesting deer.

With a demanding music career, two young children, and a schedule that often keeps him on the road, McCollum understands how hard it can be to slow down. That is exactly why he believes time outdoors is so important.

"There is nothing I love more than sitting in a tree in East Texas or South Texas or the Midwest," he told OutKick OutDoors. "Even if you don't see a dadgum deer, there's just something about it that's so good for your soul."

McCollum explained that his family's trips to the ranch are not about checking things off a to-do list or packing as much activity into the day as possible.

"Our whole intention was just slowing it down and turning it off and just spending time as a family, and no agenda," he said. "We wake up late and cook breakfast, and hunt in the evenings, and crockpot dinner, and ride around."

It is a deliberate departure from the pace of everyday life, one McCollum says is becoming increasingly difficult to escape. And that is precisely the lesson he hopes his sons will carry into adulthood.

"Don't ever get so busy or worried about other stuff that you forget to do this," McCollum warned.