Fresh Tracks in Idaho??

[Big Fin]

Randy

You don't have to answer this but just curious, does all the work that goes into producing your own TV show, podcast, YouTube, etc., etc., ever make you wish sometimes you could just slow down and hunt and fish like you did before all this. I love the product you provide but when do you find time to sleep and eat?

Yes, I have those days when I wonder what the heck I got myself into; some days much more than others, depending upon how my liver is treating me. All endeavors have those days, whether work or pursuits of passion. I expected those days when I started this. I expect those days even if I am doing nothing, thanks to not having a portal vein system.

I just erased many paragraphs that went into way too much detail. Suffice to say, in spite of some health challenges that seriously complicate my activities, I'm still the luckiest guy I know.

 

[huntid73]

Hopefully someday you can make it, as the public land message and tag availability is as prevalent in ID as anywhere. As similar to Montana, I'd bet many of our OTC units are of the caliber or better than some of those units in NV, CO or UT that take 1-4 points to draw.

It'd be a cool change of pace to see some hunts in WA, maybe Oregon bears, something in BC or a Shira's moose hunt anywhere. Regardless of what content you put out, I'll watch it and enjoy it.

I'll agree with that. There are a few elk hunts here in SE Idaho that have been changed to have a capped number of tags because of the quality of the hunt. Those tags are usually gone the week they go on sale. So we must be doing something right here, we just don't get the recognition for it.

 

[TheJason]

So we must be doing something right here, we just don't get the recognition for it.

And maybe that's not always a bad thing.

 

[huntid73]

That's very true.

 

[Tksd]

Now that our YouTube channel is up and going as robust as it is, expect to see some of that on YouTube. TV wants no part of a lot of that. Additionally, small game and birds get lower viewership than sucker fishing. And, our sponsors want us to feature their western big game products. They have other shows that reach the audience of whitetail junkies, pig hunters, waterfowlers, etc. Our job is to provide western big game.

Randy,
Do you ever find yourself missing out or wishing you were in a duck blind or out walking for pheasants instead of hunting exclusively western big game most of the fall for your tv show?

I tend to think of myself as an avid hunter who hunts what is hot in my area(or what i feel like when things are good) at the time whether it be the first big push of mallards in November or pheasants when my dog is pissed at me for archery hunting too much. I still try to get out west and hunt elk from time to time and would love to be able to make it out every year but I value all of that time in the field and to me there is nothing more satisfying than being able to go out after work and hunt within a half hour of my house.

Just wondering your thoughts on how your tv commitments impact how you would really want to hunt?
Thanks,
TK

 

[Big Fin]

Now that our YouTube channel is up and going as robust as it is, expect to see some of that on YouTube. TV wants no part of a lot of that. Additionally, small game and birds get lower viewership than sucker fishing. And, our sponsors want us to feature their western big game products. They have other shows that reach the audience of whitetail junkies, pig hunters, waterfowlers, etc. Our job is to provide western big game.

Randy,
Do you ever find yourself missing out or wishing you were in a duck blind or out walking for pheasants instead of hunting exclusively western big game most of the fall for your tv show?

I tend to think of myself as an avid hunter who hunts what is hot in my area(or what i feel like when things are good) at the time whether it be the first big push of mallards in November or pheasants when my dog is pissed at me for archery hunting too much. I still try to get out west and hunt elk from time to time and would love to be able to make it out every year but I value all of that time in the field and to me there is nothing more satisfying than being able to go out after work and hunt within a half hour of my house.

Just wondering your thoughts on how your tv commitments impact how you would really want to hunt?
Thanks,
TK

As for the type/species/locations of hunts, filming has some impact, but not much. I would probably do more antelope hunts, but ratings show me that the rest of the hunting world is not as crazy about antelope as I am. I would probably go to Alaska more often to hunt with my family that lives there, but I don''t, as that would not be very reflective of how others could hunt Alaska. I probably would have taken some of the funny I've used for this operation and have hunted Dall Sheep by now. I would probably have continued to hunt some private land I have access to, thanks to some great friendships and the kindness they've shown me in the past.

I would probably hunt more ruffed/blue (not dusky and not sooty) grouse. I think I'm going to do an episode on those, whether people like it or not. I'm gonna stump thump 'em, ground pound 'em, sloosh 'em, Arkansas 'em, and every other term I've ever heard about poleaxing birds on the ground. I get as excited about a grouse as I do a nice buck. When you see the upcoming archery elk episode with Corey Jacobsen, you will see that I have a grouse problem.

Some of the ideas above would not fit with the show concept. Either because they are outside our "accessible lands" or "self-guided" gig, or because they are hunts that don't have a lot of viewership.

All in all, I pretty much hunt the hunts I would want to do, even without any cameras following me.

As for how I would hunt in the field each day and how I would approach the hunting plan, it would be way, way, way different than the daily manner in which a day unfolds. Ask any guys here who have joined us on a hunt. I suspect they shake their head, wondering how we fill very many tags. And the hunting is only a small part of the day. Filming and story creation take more of the time than the hunting.

 

[Lawnboy]

As for how I would hunt in the field each day and how I would approach the hunting plan, it would be way, way, way different than the daily manner in which a day unfolds. Ask any guys here who have joined us on a hunt. I suspect they shake their head, wondering how we fill very many tags. And the hunting is only a small part of the day. Filming and story creation take more of the time than the hunting.

I can attest to this

 

[ida homer]

Yah a non resident shiras moose hunt in Idaho should be an easy tag to get and film... He said while smerking and ducking for cover.

Shiras anywhere is what I meant, hopefully Randy or one of his buddies can pull a shiras tag somewhere. Not a lot of non-guided moose hunts on TV.