In order to make a good living at "hunting" there's a lot more to it than just having a show. The people who are truly successful and are supporting themselves without another job are doing TV, show appearances, selling apparel, licensing their name on gear, etc etc. Think Ralph & Vicki, Lee & Tiffany, Waddell, etc. I can't think of many people who have a good lifestyle with JUST a TV show. Most of those folks still have fulltime jobs or some other form of income that allows them to do what they do. That being said, I wouldn't give up my day job to persue that life. It's a lot more stressful than most people think, and if you look at the amount of people that have come and gone over the years there are very few who truly "make it". I love hunting and filming, but not enough to do it every single day for months on end.
Take it from a guy that has a fulltime job as a matter of fact two full time jobs. This is hobby that very few make a living at and quite honestly many are independantly wealthy. If you want to get your feet wet look for some solid shows that is looking for field staff or pro-staff. No, i am not talking about getting a bow and a set of camo and calling yourself one or the other. But rather get involved soup to nuts in developing and attracting sponsors, going to trade shows etc. The easy part is to set in a tree and film (Sorta). The tough part is to make a TV show successful and keep the bills paid so you can continue your success and always keeping in mind you do it for the love of the sport.
Not for me. I'm perfectly content with what I do now. I own and operate a golf course here in NY. I'm all but shutdown at the end of October (maybe a little earlier). Which happens to coincide with the opening of bow season here. After the books are closed and I put the key to the place, I have ALL hunting season to be in the woods. I rarely miss a single hunt the entire season. So I guess I get the best of both worlds. I make pretty good money doing something I love to do and I am fortunate to have all the time off I want to do the thing I love to do the most.....hunt
Any time I spend enough time doing something that it almost turns into another job, it seems to take the fun out of it, which was the entire reason I was doing it in the first place. Besides, I carry enough crap with me into the woods as it is.
There seem to be 2 trains of thought, 1 is that if you take something you love and make it a job, you will hate it. The other is that if you do something you love as your job, it will never feel like work. I don't care for my job/career now as it stands. But it pays the bills. It's very difficult for me to imagine doing something i actually liked as my job. I suppose I don't know enough about the behind the scenes stuff to make a knowledgable decision. Travelling around the country hunting critters I'd likely never otherwise get to go after does sound pretty glamourous. But I'm sure a lot of time, effort & travel is inolved. But if that is your sole purpose...then is it really that bad. If I were ever to go along with a show, I would like it modeled after Fred Eichler's shows. Easton bowhunting & predator nation. They are 2 really good shows, that besides all the video sutff, I like where & what his hunts are after.
I'm not going to speak for Jeff in reference to the original question, but I am pretty certain that Fence Post Media IS his baby too. I know he and some others have been working their tails off for quite a few years now to make all of this happen. They had a solid plan and implemented it. The reason the show is gaining in popularity is because of that plan and the fact that the quality of the production is next to none. He didn't like what he was seeing on TV so he decided to do something about that and now you see his vision...family first, everything antlered second
I also wouldn't do it full-time, but I would LOVE the opportunity to do it in my spare time. Imagine all of the traveling you would get to do! All the different landscapes you'd get to see and hunt! Just thinking about it makes me want to storm into Mossyoak and ask them for a job! Haha! :D
I would not be interested. I'm afraid for me it would take the fun out. If the Fun was gone I'd find something else to do. Everybody is different though. Dan
I can't stand watching 99% of these shows let alone want to quit my kick ass job to film my hunting! No thanks!
I would like the filming/hunting but NOT seminars, trade shows, and whatever else I would have to do for the sponsors. I don't have the personality to be a "star". A side note: I much prefer the older videos that were made when hunting videos first started to become somewhat popular. Don't care much for the new ones and definitely do not like the tv shows...........simply has become too much of a show.
I wouldn't do it full time...it's just no realistic for me right now. I have been mostly self-filming this year and it is unbelievably difficult to get everything to come together during the hunt...and that is just scratching the surface of the work involved. I also have thoroughly enjoyed learning to use the video equipment and editing footage. I love hunting and I love working hard, the problem for me has been to find a hunting partner that is capable, dedicated, and with whom I am compatible with personality wise. (not that I have ever had a personality conflict with a hunting partner, but I could see where this could be an issue for some people) I have hunted and filmed with my brother this year but he lacks the work ethic and dedication it would realistically take to be apart of a pro staff. I know he wants to do it very badly, but I just don't see it happening. I have a tremendous job with the federal govt, but I am always looking for new challenges and would love to work in the private sector doing something I love and possible being self-employed. I have managed to get transfered to Des Moines, IA so that has been a big step. I am originally from the midwest and have hunted here my whole life. Finally, I have positioned myself where I have the time, money, and resources to pursue a goal like this. In short, I guess my answer to this question would be that I would love to find a hunting partner that had similar goals and for us to get a part time gig with a pro staff here in Iowa. That I would definetely do. Any experienced bowhunters in Iowa looking for a solid partner? (hunting partner...just to clarify)
