Ammo Makers: Korey Friehl, Federal, Builds a Career by Tracking What's in Front of Him

For Korey Friehl, the duck that once accompanied the Federal logo and adorned the entrance to the brand’s headquarters was much more than a sign on a building. It was a beacon guiding him to what would become a decades-long career with Federal Ammunition.

Long before he started clocking into shifts at Federal, Korey knew the brand. He grew up hunting pheasant, deer and gophers, and Federal was what he loaded since the first pull of his trigger.

Korey’s career was initially set in a different direction. He began in law enforcement before shifting gears and enrolling at Anoka Technical College to study golf course grounds management. Like most students, he needed a job.

That’s when he saw that familiar symbol from his childhood: the Federal duck, outside the building.

“When I saw that duck sign, I pulled right in,” Korey said. “I told them I’d do whatever – clean bathrooms, anything. I wanted to work here so bad.”

He followed the instructions to a temp agency, and by January 1999, he was hired full-time. Decades later, he’s still with Federal. And he still considers it a dream job.

“Twenty-seven years at one job,” he said. “I think that’s kind of neat. I’m glad this place is here, and I’m glad I’ve stuck it out.”

But if you’re looking for Korey during one of his shifts, you won’t find him at a desk or stationed behind a machine. You’ll find him, well, everywhere.

As a material handler, Korey’s job is to keep the plant running smoothly by delivering the essentials (gunpowder and primers) to the loaders and primer insert machines. He checks inventory every morning, then loads his truck and heads out across the facility, supplying nearly 30 loaders and 30 primer inserts during his shift. Today, each shift has one material handler, a solo role that requires a deep understanding of how the plant operates.

“There are days when every loader is running something different,” Korey said. “Sometimes it’s a little of a lot of different kinds of powder.”

It’s a numbers-heavy, physically demanding job, and one that has grown significantly since Korey started. When he began, his powder list was about 30 items. Today, it’s more than 100. New offerings – Creedmoor, PRC, Black Cloud, Backcountry to name a few – have crossed his route, allowing him to see the evolution of products firsthand. 

What hasn’t changed is why Korey likes the job: the movement, the independence, the people. 

“I’m always moving, which is how I like to work,” he said. “Every day I see everyone and get to visit with them.”

His rounds don’t stop with people – he has a few less conventional stops, too.

Korey often dodges the breakrooms and instead uses his break to check on “his” geese.

Canada geese nest around the centerfire plant each spring, and while most employees complain about the flock’s hissing and flapping, Korey leans in – keeping tabs on all the known nesting sites.

“I know where most nest sites are,” he said. “I know when they lay eggs, and when they’re going to hatch. I’ve got it all on a calendar.”

For Korey, watching the geese and other wildlife on the property is a daily reminder that nature is always at work, even right outside the plant doors.

“Mother Nature is cool,” he said. “It’s a little perk of the job that keeps me happy.”

As you might imagine, Korey’s life outside of work revolves heavily around being outdoors. He builds fishing rods, tends a carefully planned yard full of perennials, admires the crisp stripes from his perfectly mowed lawn and spends time researching topics such as how to attract more hummingbirds. He hunts whitetail, bear, turkey and pheasant. He fishes year round, cooks what he harvests and enjoys making jerky, burgers and snack sticks.

And, while he’s too humble to brag, it’s hard to hide the honors behind winning both Federal’s internal Big Buck Contest and Big Bear Contest. While he took the latter with a 352-pound bear from a Dalbo, Minn., hunt, he said nothing compares to his favorite outing: the first hunt with his daughter, Katie. She was 11 years old when she asked about turkey hunting.

“I hadn’t ever turkey hunted,” Korey said. “But I borrowed decoys from a coworker, figured out some calling and we just went.”

After a quarter-mile trek through an ankle-deep muddy field, the two enjoyed seven short minutes of their first hunt together before a big tom came strutting in.

“She shot her first turkey that day,” he said.

Not long after, Korey’s daughter harvested her first deer. Today, she’s 26, living in Mankato, where she hunts and fishes on her own, proudly carrying on the outdoor traditions they share.

Korey also takes neighborhood kids, friends’ kids and disabled hunters from Capable Partners hunting whenever he can, often helping them tag their first turkey. But one of his best ways of being a steward to outdoorspeople is lending a hand after the hunts that require a search after the shot.

Korey has loved tracking since he started bow hunting at age 12, sharing that the feeling of walking up on the animal is one of his favorite parts of the hunt. For years his friends would call on him for help in tracking their deer. When Minnesota legalized tracking dogs just a few years ago, Korey was in a perfect spot in life to add his ultimate sidekick. 

Enter Archie, his German wirehaired pointer and well-traveled companion. 

“He comes everywhere with me,” Korey said. “He can hunt duck, geese, pheasant or grouse, or he can keep your feet warm all day on the couch. He’s a really good, very versatile dog.”

But perhaps his best quality: his tracking capabilities.

Archie started training to track deer at just two months old. Korey joined the dog tracking network and got deep into what deer tracking involves, attending seminars and doing training year-round with Archie. At just 10 months old, Archie started tracking, and Korey launched Ugly Dog Deer Tracking, a deer tracking service for Anoka and surrounding counties. Since the two synced up, they’ve successfully recovered 176 deer.

“That’s 176 high-fives in the woods.” Korey said, adding that about 40 percent of tracking efforts end in recovery. The others end in hard conversations.

“It’s not all fun,” Korey said. “The non-recoveries leave you wondering. Those stick with you.”

It has been six years of training, seminars and long nights. Korey hopes to continue tracking for a few more years, but when Archie is done, Korey will be too.  

“It’s Archie’s thing,” Korey said. “This might be his full purpose – and mine right now. But I want to go back to relaxing and enjoying bow hunting again.”

So that’s what’s next for someone who has never stayed still for long. For Korey, it has always been about following what’s in front of him and trusting where it leads. And in many ways, that path started the moment something simple caught his eye. 

The Federal duck no longer hangs outside the plant, but that iconic image already made its impact. It pointed Korey toward a career rooted in what he loves and a path he now follows into the woods, helping others recover what they thought was lost.