(The Leader-Telegram - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Jared Supri of Spring Valley drew his bow and fired an arrow at a doe as she approached his tree stand. The arrow hit a shoulder blade and deflected, harmlessly. The deer didn't run away, but stayed close enough for him to get a second shot. He missed, shooting over her back.
Most bow hunters would not go out of their way to tell friends about this unfortunate day of shooting. Supri had it televised to a national audience.
Such are the ups and downs of reality television.
Supri and his father-in-law, Scott Behrens, also of Spring Valley, are one of 10 teams competing in 13 episodes of "Battle of the Bows." The show was filmed last fall, but is being aired this winter. Neither hunter had much previous experience with video cameras.
"It had just as many buttons as a computer. ... We are brand new at this. The camera was almost like a newborn baby. We didn't know what to do with it at first," he said.
Speaking of newborn babies, that was another bit of reality that happened during the 2010 bow hunting season -- Supri's second child, Cooper, was born during the first week of October.
The associated duties of fatherhood involved four days when he wasn't bow hunting. Otherwise he and Behrens got out almost every day -- even if it was only after work for the final 45 minutes of legal hunting time.
He concedes that he probably won't get the father of the year award.
"Definitely not," he said, although his wife Stephanie understood that this was a big deal for him, and for her dad. "Obviously she wanted me around, but she knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of the show." His boss was understanding too. His boss is his hunting partner. Behrens owns American Pest Solutions of Roberts and Supri works in wildlife control. Like most working folks, they put in about 40 hours per week, which also cuts into their hunting time, but that's part of the idea of the reality show -- it involves real people trying to balance jobs and family with their passion for hunting.
The "Battle of the Bows" format seems to be a hit with viewers, said Michelle Scheuermann of the Milwaukee-based Sportsman's Channel, which is airing about 100 outdoors programs this quarter.
"It's getting a lot of buzz in the industry for being unique. ... These are just everyday people on these teams. They're not pro staffers. They're not professional hunters," Scheuermann said. "That's what our viewers like -- seeing the average person. We all have day jobs." The other thing that sets the show apart is that viewers pick the winners, as in "Dancing with the Stars," Scheuermann said.
Supri said he learned about "Battle of the Bows" from watching the first season on the Sportsman's Channel. He knew some of the hunters, who were from western Wisconsin. He and Behrens liked the idea of a program featuring regular folks hunting, and they sent in a video applying for the second season. Over 170 teams submitted videos, and the show's organizers called in 20 teams to audition. A panel comprising the organizers of the show and former contestants selected the 10 teams, which included Team BS.
They are hoping friends and fans will vote early and often for Team BS. Voting every day is allowed until the last episode airs in March. Actually, you can vote twice per day -- once online and once by texting.
All the teams are in Wisconsin, although for the second season -- last fall -- they were distributed throughout the state. Although it is a competition, Supri said they get along well with the other teams.
"We've met every other team and we'll meet again the first week of March. All of us got along really well. All of us have the same passion for archery. As much of a competition as it is, it's just like a big family of friends," he said.
The organizers of the show edit the footage provided by each team and have done a good job of showing the "ups and downs" of hunting, he said.
In the episode where he missed the same doe twice, Supri redeemed himself somewhat by making a good shot on a different doe. Supri said Team BS had a lot of footage of deer, but wouldn't say whether they achieved their goal of getting a big buck. That would be giving away the ending, he said.
Knight can be reached at 830-5835 or [email protected]
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