Written by Justin Park| 02/24/2026
Before he became one of the earliest field representatives for HLRBO, David Marrero was simply a New York hunter and USPS Letter Carrier who loved being in the woods.
Tracking deer movement, studying terrain, and searching for antler sheds were hobbies but not a vocation. That passion led to a role helping landowners and hunters connect on HLRBO in a way that changed how properties were presented online.
Forming HLRBO’s Field Rep Program
Around 2020, Marrero, a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier by day, stepped into what would become a pioneering role as a Field Rep for New York State. At the time, the idea of a field representative walking properties and documenting them for hunters was still new.
Instead of relying solely on listings and descriptions, he saw the potential to give hunters a real look at the land.
“I thought it would be cool if someone actually went out there,” Marrero recalls of those early conversations. “Walk the properties, verify them, get video, drone footage, show hunters what they’re actually looking at before they go.”
That idea quickly gained traction. Soon, Marrero was calling landowners and offering to visit their property—free of charge—to document it. What began as a simple outreach effort evolved into a system that made listings more appealing and informative for prospective hunters.
Many landowners were surprised by the offer.
“They’d say, ‘Wait, you’re saying this is free?’” Marrero laughs. “And I’d tell them, yes—about 30 minutes, I’ll walk your property, take photos and video, and help showcase it.”
Building a New Kind of Field Work
In those early days, Marrero often traveled hours to inspect a single property. But as he gained momentum, he began organizing visits more strategically—calling multiple landowners in the same region to line up several walkthroughs in one trip.
Before long, a single outing could include half a dozen or more properties.
For Marrero, though, it never felt like work.
“I’m out in the woods. Nobody’s bothering me,” he says. “I’m seeing where deer travel, learning the land, and getting information that helps hunters understand the property.”
That information went far beyond photos. Marrero recorded access points, noted terrain features, documented nearby public land, and mapped out potential stand locations. His goal was to provide the kind of insight hunters usually only gain after spending weeks scouting.
Early on, Marrero connected with a landowner who controlled more than 200 properties across western New York. Working with HLRBO, he helped bring those properties into the network and personally walked each one.
It was a massive undertaking that took weeks of travel, long days in the field, and a deep understanding of the land.
But for Marrero, it was exactly the kind of work he loved.
“It felt like a six-hour shift in the morning,” he says. “But it never really felt like a job. I was doing something I enjoy.”
A Shed Hunter’s Edge
During shed season, the property walks can come with an added bonus.
Shed hunting—searching the woods for antlers that deer naturally drop each year—has long been one of Marrero’s favorite offseason pursuits. While documenting properties, he often found himself scanning the ground, looking for those telltale white shapes among leaves and brush.
For Marrero, sheds are more than collectibles. They tell a story.
Finding one can reveal the presence of mature bucks, travel patterns, and the overall health of a deer herd—valuable information for hunters considering a lease.
“It’s just another piece of the puzzle,” he explains. “When you find sheds on a property, it shows the kind of deer that are there.”
That blend of scouting instincts and professional fieldwork has become one of Marrero’s favorite off-season pastimes and he now has a popular shed-focused Instagram account @trueshedhunter and is pushing for landowners to highlight shed hunting opportunities on their HLRBO listings to tap into this growing demographic.
Read Marrero’s advice for new shed hunters in our Guide to How and Why to Start Shed Hunting.
Helping Landowners See the Value
Beyond helping hunters, Marrero’s work has also opened the eyes of many landowners. Some had never considered leasing their property before, often paying taxes on land that generated little or no income.
By walking properties and explaining the process, Marrero showed them how hunting leases could benefit them financially while maintaining their property as a haven for wildlife.
In many cases, the visits turned into informal consultations about habitat, stand placement, and property management. Landowners frequently ask questions about timber cutting, deer movement, and how to make their land more appealing to hunters.
“They’re great people,” Marrero says. “A lot of them just want to understand what’s going on with their land.”
Today, field representatives have become an important part of HLRBO’s growth, helping expand listings and provide detailed information for hunters across the country.
For him, the mission remains simple: connect people with the land while doing what he’s always loved—being out in the woods, learning from it, and sharing that knowledge with others.
And if he happens to find a shed along the way, that’s just part of the adventure.
To get in touch with David or another Field Rep, send an email to info@hlrbo.com.
Justin Park is a Colorado-based writer, editor, and avid hunter with a passion for the outdoors. He contributes to leading publications such as GearJunkie, Popular Mechanics, Powder, and Men's Journal, and serves as Editor of Wild Snow. Park is deeply involved in conservation and recreation advocacy, serving as Chapter Chair of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) in Summit County. He also represents RMEF on a state recreation committee focused on proactively addressing land use conflicts.