Every year we have an episode that epitomizes what this show is about and why we love doing this. This year, the Alaska black bear hunt is one of those.
We get to Petersburg and 75% of our camera gear is missing. The camera guys are without sleeping bags and other necessities. We go to the local hardware store and pay ransom for the items that will get us through, and decide to go and film the hunt with what we have.
The new series has had more challenges than we ever had with OYOA. Not sure why, but that is just how it is working out. I would love a season with no glitches, where everything goes as planned and the critters have read the script.
But, overcoming those challenges, whether production-type challenges or hunting challenges, is part of what it takes to produce the show. There is an entirely different level of complication when your gear doesn't show up in remote Alaska, compared to when it happens in some place like an Iowa whitetail hunt. You don't call and have something Fed Ex'd. You don't have the comfort of sleeping in a nice lodge and thus eliminating lost camping gear from the equation. You suck it up and go do it, knowing it could get very uncomfortable and frustrating.
Here is a link to the story of how the hunt unfolded. When the bear dropped, I was so excited. I looked at the camera and remarked, "Looks like Melon Head has cashed in his chips." Not the kind of comments I put on the show, but it has stuck with me, given both the camera guys laughed so hard at my off-the-cuff comment. I didn't think it was that funny, but maybe it was one of those "had to be there" kind of moments. Thus, this bear got his name; "Melon Head."
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=254916
Of all the episodes we have filmed, this is one where the production guys deserve more credit than they will get. Their professional reputations are at risk, both at their HQ and when the show airs, whenever they go out and they film for us. They knew it was going to be a major pain to get this done. They knew the odds of a production train wreck were much higher than the odds of coming back with a great hunt captured in a story that could be told well on film. Some guys would have refused to do it, worried that the compromise caused by lack of equipment would reflect poorly on their work and thus, their professional talent.
Brad and Matt were just the opposite. They saw the challenge it represented and were excited to try make it work. We have never done an episode with such a sparse set of gear. Some parts will reflect that - audio is marginal at times, no great scenics, timelapses shot with our one GoPro rather than the big camera, many standard shots not included as we were short on batteries and had to save the juice for the actual hunt.
I have seen this one and it is remarkable how well it came together. We were lucky to get some great weather and to have a bear that would die to be on TV (full pun intended). Mostly it can be attributed to the way Brad and Matt approached this task. That effort and demeanor on their part raised my respect for them even further. As is usually the case, I had the easy part.
It airs Thursday night at 6pm and 9pm (Mountain Times) on Sportsman Channel.
Thanks guys. You have made this a remarkable episode. An episode that will really screw up the drawing odds for next year.
We get to Petersburg and 75% of our camera gear is missing. The camera guys are without sleeping bags and other necessities. We go to the local hardware store and pay ransom for the items that will get us through, and decide to go and film the hunt with what we have.
The new series has had more challenges than we ever had with OYOA. Not sure why, but that is just how it is working out. I would love a season with no glitches, where everything goes as planned and the critters have read the script.
But, overcoming those challenges, whether production-type challenges or hunting challenges, is part of what it takes to produce the show. There is an entirely different level of complication when your gear doesn't show up in remote Alaska, compared to when it happens in some place like an Iowa whitetail hunt. You don't call and have something Fed Ex'd. You don't have the comfort of sleeping in a nice lodge and thus eliminating lost camping gear from the equation. You suck it up and go do it, knowing it could get very uncomfortable and frustrating.
Here is a link to the story of how the hunt unfolded. When the bear dropped, I was so excited. I looked at the camera and remarked, "Looks like Melon Head has cashed in his chips." Not the kind of comments I put on the show, but it has stuck with me, given both the camera guys laughed so hard at my off-the-cuff comment. I didn't think it was that funny, but maybe it was one of those "had to be there" kind of moments. Thus, this bear got his name; "Melon Head."
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=254916
Of all the episodes we have filmed, this is one where the production guys deserve more credit than they will get. Their professional reputations are at risk, both at their HQ and when the show airs, whenever they go out and they film for us. They knew it was going to be a major pain to get this done. They knew the odds of a production train wreck were much higher than the odds of coming back with a great hunt captured in a story that could be told well on film. Some guys would have refused to do it, worried that the compromise caused by lack of equipment would reflect poorly on their work and thus, their professional talent.
Brad and Matt were just the opposite. They saw the challenge it represented and were excited to try make it work. We have never done an episode with such a sparse set of gear. Some parts will reflect that - audio is marginal at times, no great scenics, timelapses shot with our one GoPro rather than the big camera, many standard shots not included as we were short on batteries and had to save the juice for the actual hunt.
I have seen this one and it is remarkable how well it came together. We were lucky to get some great weather and to have a bear that would die to be on TV (full pun intended). Mostly it can be attributed to the way Brad and Matt approached this task. That effort and demeanor on their part raised my respect for them even further. As is usually the case, I had the easy part.
It airs Thursday night at 6pm and 9pm (Mountain Times) on Sportsman Channel.
Thanks guys. You have made this a remarkable episode. An episode that will really screw up the drawing odds for next year.
