Dan Houg was born in December of 1971 on a Dairy Farm near Glenville, in south central Minnesota. Growing up, Dan did quite a bit of hunting and fishing on the Shellrock River and the property where he lived.  In his teen years, Dan shot trap competitively with his father and two younger brothers and won two national shooting titles in the '80s.  He was also Minnesota State Junior Champion of Champions in 1986 and was named to the Minnesota All-State Team 3 years. Dan is a life member of the Amateur Trapshooting Association.  Dan is also a Pro Staff member of Wild Dakota Outdoor Television.

Dan and his cousin Mark Houg started Cold Snap Outdoors in 2002 to market their invention;  the Cold Snap Blade Protector, for which they hold a US patent.  Within 2 years the Cold Snap Blade Protector made it onto store shelves across the Midwest.  The Cold Snap website, www.coldsnapoutdoors.com, has become the sportsman’s resource for new and unique products. Many of the products have been invented and are manufactured in South Dakota. Their specialty is new and unique products not readily found in other outlets.

Dan is also a Board member for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Dakota where he enjoys volunteering his time to his board duties, fund raising, and wish granting.