Don Erbert never faces the question as to what he’ll do when he retires, because it’ll be the same thing he does for a living: He builds things.
It’s a lucky man whose career matches his passions.
Erbert, 66, is a contractor whose work primarily consists of building fast-food restaurants across the Midwest.
In his spare time, he puts those same talents to creating a personal getaway that serves a dual purpose of highlighting his second love — hunting.
Step inside, and it’s a taxidermist’s dream come true, from bears to birds.
These days, Erbert prefers to limit his hunting forays to birds. “I haven’t killed a deer in nine years,” he said. His favorite sport is bow hunting.
Erbert’s wife, Mary, also has become an avid bow hunter, having achieved a Grand Slam, meaning she’s conquered the four most common subspecies of wild turkey — the Eastern, Rio Grande, Merriam’s and Osceola (Florida) turkeys.
A former board member of the National Wildlife Turkey Federation, Don often hosts fellow bow hunters.
With hunting and woodworking as his favorite things to do, Erbert said southeast Kansas has all he needs to be happy.
“My friends thought I was nuts,” to invest so much time and labor into his place. But for Erbert, it’s a labor of love.
He especially enjoys repurposing wood and other things from old barns and homes. He takes pride in that he builds around trees, rather than hew them down. Most recently he’s favored using local pecan and walnut for projects. His son Jason, who’s an electrician, frequently helps him on projects.
In a tour of the small cabin, the master bedroom has a decidedly outdoor look, that began with forest-themed wallpaper. From there, Erbert “went out back” to bring in a tree.
“Mary liked it so much, I brought in another,” he said. To that, Erbert added a menagerie of stuffed animals and even a couple of hornets’ nests.
A flip of a switch, and rose-colored lights give the effect of a sunset over the forest scene.
On the headboard is perched a bobcat. Above that, an elk.
In the kitchen, a mountain lion sees what’s being served. Around the cabin appear to be dozens of mementos.
“Naw. Most things are gifts from friends when they come to visit,” he said.
Erbert has been in the construction business for 26 years, primarily building and renovating Sonic Drive-Ins.
Asked how he learned the tools of the trade, he replied, “Just by doing and learning. I’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way. There have been some jobs where I didn’t make much of a profit, but I’ve never lost money on them either.”
His expertise has earned him the designation as a preferred builder for Inspire Brands, the company that now owns Sonic Drive-In and Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants.
Erbert’s other son, John, also works in construction for Inspire Brands.
“He’s as busy as I ever was,” Don said.
If he’s lucky, he’ll be just as happy.
