Hunters Take Aim
Feb 6, 2011 - Comments (0)
Feb 05, 2011 (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]
To visit original story go to: http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2011/02/05/5292037.htm
To see more of The Leader-Telegram or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to Leader Telegram. Copyright (c) 2011, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com.
Outdoor Tails & Trails
Jan 9, 2011 - Comments (0)
BY Dave Beck - of The Shopper/Free Press - January 9, 2011
Have you ever sat around on a Saturday morning watching a deer hunting show and thought, “I could do that”? Now you can and it’s easier than you think. “Battle Of The Bow” (BOTB) is just the show for you and it’s based right here in Ellsworth, Wisconsin. The premise is a simple one: find a partner and submit both a written and video application. Ten lucky teams are selected to film their fall archery hunts. The hunts are then edited and aired on the Sportsman Chanel and viewers vote on the best team. In short, this is “Dancing with the Stars” for deer hunters.
This is the second season of BOTB. The first season had twenty interested teams. The success of the show inspired almost 200 would be TV archers to apply for the ten coveted spots this year. Interest in season three is even greater still and the number of applicants could easily double from this year’s total.
I recently visited with Elliot Jenson who makes up half of the Brickner Oil team. Elliot’s cousin, Cody Holden, is his teammate. Both are from Ellsworth. They are both pursuing secondary education degrees and they have been bow hunting together since they were old enough to hunt so pairing up together was a no brainer. They share a passion for deer hunting and the dream to harvest a big buck on film. The format of the show is to basically air the hunts chronologically as they unfold. For example, Elliot and Cody’s archery season actually starts out with Elliot harvesting a black bear with Cody running the camera.
I asked Elliot how they decided who was who would film and who would be the hunter and he replied, “We took turns”. He went on to explain that their hunts were filled with highs and lows. On one particular hunt Elliot missed a nice eight point buck after his arrow grazed a limb. To make matters worse, Cody witnessed the encounter while looking through the camera lens but forgot to turn the camera on. As frustrating as the hunt was, the hunters also experienced the other end of the hunting spectrum as well. With Elliot manning the camera and Cody being the shooter, the two managed to harvest a huge ten pointer that scored 165 gross Pope and Young inches. This time the camera was on and the entire hunt was captured on film and can be seen on the show. After each hunt airs on TV, they can also be viewed online.
Elliot and Cody’s hunts, as well as the other nine teams can be seen on the Sportsman Channel on Tuesday nights at 7:00 P.M. The shows are rebroadcasted four times throughout the week leading up to new episodes every Tuesday. The thirteen week show started on December 28 and it will run through March 22, 2011, which is the show finale. During that episode the winners of the second season of BOTB will be crowned. To find more information on BOTB, go to www.battleofthebow.com, or to see previous shows or to vote for your favorite team. You can also text your vote to 22333. To vote for Elliott and Cody text team6.
Wired To Hunt.com
Dec 28, 2010 - Comments (0)
WiredToHunt.com - December 28, 2010
When it comes to making it in the outdoor industry, nothing comes easy, but it’s a dream that can come true with plenty of hard work. As always, here on Wired To Hunt we love to brag about the next generation of hunters going big in the outdoors and today, Wired To Hunt fan and Battle of the Bow teammember, Nick Johnson’s story is a perfect example of that. In the past two years Nick has pursued his dreams of chasing deer and filming/editing these journeys as a member of the Battle of the Bow team and today Nick is sharing his story with us. On a side note, the second season of Battle of the Bow premiers tonight at 8 PM EST on The Sportsman Channel! Be sure to check it out.
W2H: Nick, when did you know you wanted to be involved in the outdoor industry and what is your goal or dream for this journey?
Nick: My family has always been a hunting family, and I started hunting at a very young age. As a teen, I really enjoyed watching hunting videos and in high school I had an old video camera that I used to film deer during the summer with my friends. From there, I started to film hunts and it basically took on the snowball effect. I started filming with my friend, Wade, hoping to get on TV some day when out of the blue Battle of the Bow came along. At the time I really wasn’t happy with the job I was in and realized what an opportunity Battle of the Bow was, so I decided to quit my job and go to school for digital video and media production. It’s been great spending my time learning something that I actually want to do with my life, rather than wasting my time doing something I don’t enjoy just to collect a paycheck.
W2H: Tell us about Battle of the Bow and how you got into it?
Nick: Battle of the Bow is a reality series that was started by some guys in the neighboring town from my hometown. I met Joey Brunner (the creator and executive producer) at a birthday party and he talked about his idea of having an online/DVD bowhunting contest called Battle of the Bow. Since I was already filming my bowhunts, I thought it would be really fun. As the word got out about Battle of the Bow, it was transformed from an online/DVD production into a TV show on Sportsman Channel in the blink of an eye. No one involved really expected it and before we knew it, we were filming for a tv show. I was very fortunate to be able to be a part of Season One which aired last winter.
W2H: What should we expect to see from the new season of Battle of the Bow?
Nick: Season 2 of the Battle of the Bow will be a great one. We’ve got 9 new teams this year in addition to last year’s champs, Michael Brunner and Jordan Zimmer. This year, the teams come from all over the state of Wisconsin and there are also teams that will be featured on the show from Michigan, Montana, Illinois and Minnesota. This fall was great as far as kills go, and this season will be very action packed. There were a lot of really nice bucks killed this year, in addition to two black bears and a few turkeys killed on film. The show was also filmed on nicer cameras than season one, so the footage should look a lot better. The show premieres Tuesday, Dec 28th at 7 pm CST on Sportsman Channel.
W2H: What would be your advice for other young guys out there trying to get a foot in the door of the hunting/outdoor industry?
Nick: The best advice I can give to anyone is to just simply get out there and do it. If you like filming, then get out in the woods and film! If you are into post production and editing, then polish your skills editing. I edited my first hunting video on Pinnacle Studio and uploaded it to YouTube. Putting that video together really lit a fire under me. Every day I get better at filming and editing, and I do so by practicing. I’ve been really lucky to meet the guys at Battle of the Bow and I can attribute where I am at right now to my drive to do this for a living. Networking also helps, it pays to know people!
W2H: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Nick: With the skills I’ve obtained from my schooling and the experience I’ve had so far with Battle of the Bow, I fully expect to be producing and filming for my own hunting show in the next few years. I realize it will be a lot of work, but it is what I want to do for a living so I know if I set my sights on it, I can accomplish my goal. Ultimately, I want to be able to spend as much of my time in the outdoors and be able to share my experiences with the world. I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true. Nothing would make me happier then producing high quality films for people to enjoy for many years to come.
For more info visit www.BattleoftheBow.com or follow Battle of the Bow on facebook.
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