College Hunting
Mark Rehbein
Dr. Clark
Media Writing
25 January 2009
Synopsis:
One problem that constantly plagues the sport of hunting is the lack of interest in younger generations. Millions of people around the world hunt, but many worry about the future. Just like any other sport, once public interest is lost, the sport begins to die out. The newest generation of hunters is coming of age, and there needs to be a form of outdoor media that meets their interest. This show would profile two college hunters going after all types of game.
This show is intended to emphasize a few important parts of hunting that are sometimes lost in the modern versions of the sport. To start off, learning and respecting nature is something that is vitally important. If you learn to love and appreciate the world you’re in, you will take better care of it. The next emphasis would be how much fun hunting really is. While it might not be for everybody, hunting develops a passion inside someone that is unlike almost anything I have ever experienced. If we could get more young people passionate about hunting, then the sport would be sure to grow by leaps and bounds. Emphasizing top-notch video production would also make the show more interesting to a wide audience. Using big names to take the hosts hunting will not only familiarize people with the best at each type of hunting, but it will also provide an opportunity for good specific advice and how-to perfect your hunting. Finally, this show would emphasize the many life lessons learned from hunting. Things like overcoming harsh conditions, patience, planning, focus, and understanding nature can help people in many ways outside of hunting.
For each thing we would like to emphasize, there is a specific way to make it happen. People tend to respect nature once they see the full power and beauty in it. To show this, I would shoot with High Definition cameras and use the best sound technology available. This will bring as much nature as possible to the viewer without them actually being there. Also, including segments with recipes and proper care of dead game will insure that viewers won’t waste meat, which is a vital aspect of respecting nature. To show how much fun hunting is, hosts could give testimonials on how each hunt made them feel and the rush that came from it. They would also travel to the best places to hunt for each type of game. This, along with expert guides, will show people that you can get great results when you hunt, if you know your game and scout out the best locations. Also, getting great results is what makes hunting fun. Finally we could emphasize the values that hunting teaches by simply showing what goes on behind the scenes of a good hunt. These values are so obvious in how hunters prepare and execute a hunt, that simply showing what goes on will be broadcasting these ideas.
‘College Hunting’ will feature all types of game from locations all over the globe. Animals like; duck, deer, elk, goose, turkey, moose, bear, antelope, along with many other types. Filming a variety of species is interesting because you can learn about both the species, and the unique environment that they live in. A typical show could feature a specific hunt, like my duck hunt, and show the many aspects that make it both unique and fun. Things like watching a highly trained dog or enjoying time in nature are vital parts of what makes hunting fun. Experts for each type of hunt will be used since they will not only know the area well, but they will know the animals and how they function. Experts would also give good specific tips for hunting a certain species in a certain area, and that makes the show more appealing to a big audience. This is because more experienced hunters will want to hear the opinions of experts and not be given advice from the hosts who, in some cases, could be younger. College aged hosts would be used because they still can appeal to the younger crowd while not loosing respect from the older audience for being too naive. The hosts being college aged will also help to show that the newest generation of young hunters is here to stay.
In conclusion, I think this show would do very well since it appeals to a wide variety of hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, it emphasizes the next generation of hunters who are building the sport, and shows how much fun hunting all types of animals really is. From a money standpoint, it is a good investment, because advertisers would be investing in the future. Being able to directly target the freshest group of hunters would prove to be very economically successful. Finally, the show would work because it teaches more than just hunting. It teaches great life skills that would be helpful for people in the workforce or at school.
Treatment: “Outer Banks Excursion”
The sky is black and filled with stars, and all that can be heard is the roar of an outboard motor. You look around and can’t see 10 feet from the side of the small Carolina Skiff, but the guide still keeps it at full throttle. He stops the boat, and dressed in full camo, gets off onto a small dock to unlock a gate on the water. We proceed through the gate in the boat and reach a small spot where there are 3 ATVs (all terrain vehicles) waiting on us. A black lab jumps up onto the back of one, and all the guys, loaded with guns and gear, hop on and roar off into the pitch black. We cross over small concrete bridges that are so small, if you go one inch the wrong way you’ll be in the coastal swamp. We keep going for 10 minutes and the lead ATV stops. We hop out and begin to unload gear onto small plastic floats that are full of hundreds of duck decoys. We walk off of the dock into waist deep water and feel the chill of the January water on the outside of our waders.
We start walking through the swamp pulling our gear behind us, and we see the sun start to break the horizon in the east. We get our first glimpse of the low-lying, coastal marsh swamp. All you can see is an endless horizon of sunken grasses, and all you can hear the sound of the ocean. We finally get to a small duck blind and see the steam coming from our breath, as we toss out hundreds of decoys in the under the light of head mounted flashlights. After completing this task, we hop into the blind and our young, black, Labrador, Remus, crouches on a small grass island behind us. The daybreak is silent except for the movement of some of the robotic decoys.
All of a sudden, from out of the darkness and supreme quiet, comes a flock of Green-winged Teal about 20 strong. The quiet morning is soon filled with the chatter and squeals of the birds moving. To answer the birds, our guide starts on a high-pitched teal call, while another hunter replicates the mumbling of ducks feeding on the water. The flock circles the blind about 300 yards out and our guide informs us that we’ve reached shooting time for the day. The ducks suddenly take a turn in our direction and all that is heard is the sound of the safety of three shotguns being turned off. The ducks continue to come closer and closer as the three hunters wait for the two words they have been dreaming about all winter. CUT EM!
Three simultaneous blasts are heard, and three ducks drop into the water at high speed. The gun muzzles track the flock as they scatter at the break in silence and safety. More shots are heard, and a few more ducks fall to the water, as the silence returns just as quickly as it left. The old guide looks over at the grinning hunters, who are now smiling from ear to ear. They then reload quickly once someone notices another flock working on the horizon.
The flock breaks in half, and two trailing ducks notice the massive decoy spread from about 600 yards out. The pair of ducks responds to the calling by the hunters, and return the chatter the click of shells being loaded is heard. The pair goes wide right, and begins to circle the blind and decoy spread as a deep southern accent grunts, “don’t move a muscle.” The birds flare their wings and turn toward the spread. Three clicks are heard and are soon followed by two blasts as the ducks fly into the kill zone. When the ducks are hit by the steel shot, time seems to move in slow motion against the bright orange morning background. The pellets blast through the ducks, and they crumble against the wall of metal that hits them. They fall into the water and a dog whistle is heard.
All of a sudden, a flash of black is seen, and there is break in the surface of the water, as the dog, Remus, runs after the downed birds. He comes back with a beautiful and rare Blue-Winged Teal and drops it at the guide’s feet. He blows the whistle again and Remus bounds off into the water after the other downed birds. The sun continues to rise, as the dog works about 50 yards from the blind. He puts his nose to the water and sniffs out the different oils that the ducks leave in the swamp water. His lean body bounds all around the swamp, and his black tail races back and forth as he plays his glorified game of fetch.
As the sun rises higher, more birds are seen in the distance, followed by a few far off gunshots. After each shot, the various groups of birds switch directions, and look for safe water. We use the lull to stand up, stretch, and share a few caffeine drinks to keep awake. Huge smiles are seen on everyone’s faces, and the bond between old and young hunters is made in one of the most perfect duck habitats in North America. More boxes of shotgun shells are opened, Remus brings in some of the fallen game, and we get ready again to take on the flights of ducks that are lined up on the horizon.
With the limit of ducks getting closer, the guide tells us to try to pick off some of the most elusive and fast ducks there are, Pintails. Just as the words leave his mouth, the hunter next to me spots one flying way off. The squeal and quack of duck calls tear into, the now, bright morning air. The Pintail responds, and makes a wide sweeping turn to the right of the blind. He flies out in front of the blind at about 80 yards, and then turns to fly behind us. We shade our eyes and hold all movement, as he drops down to the water to turn for the decoys. He moves fast and low toward my side of the blind. I click off the safety and crouch low. I hear the infamous, two-word kill order and pop up to shoot. I track the bird for a split second, and fire off the first shot. It misses, and sprays the water under the bird. He takes notice and goes vertical. I respond with two more shots that clip his wings. He shudders in flight and levels out at about 50 yards away. Suddenly, the Pintail starts arching toward the water, and glides for 150 yards until he finally splashes down like a crashing plane.
**Remus pops up, and starts running in the direction of the bird. However, this is no basic retrieve since this bird crashed down about 200 yards away from where he was first shot. Remus goes 50 yards when the first whistle is heard from the guide. Remus stops dead in his tracks, sits down, and looks for directions from the guide. The guide shoots a fist up into the air, and yells, “left” while pointing to the downed bird. Remus, who is now 150 yards from the kill, moves in a zigzag pattern towards the bird, while sniffing the water for scent. He wanders a little too far left, and is met with an impatient whistle. He stops and looks, just like before, and is told to look right. He goes about 20 yards, picks up the scent, and brings the duck in all the way from 200 yards.
The action stays strong for the rest of the morning, and the air begins to warm up as the blind begins to fill with spent shotgun shells. The sun continues its way up, and soon shines brightly on the water. There is a growing pile of ducks behind the blind, and the day’s limit for waterfowl is soon met.
We slosh through the marsh and collect all of the decoys, spent shells, and gear. We then begin the long walk back to the dock where the ATVs are parked. Sunlight fills the whole marsh, and a warm breeze blows across our faces. Remus, worn out from all the hard work, walks around us and receives plenty of ear scratches for his amazing work in the field. As we get to the ATVs, we look to the right to see a small section of water that is loaded with thousands of small ducks called Widgeons. The gear gets packed away and everyone hops on an ATV to make the drive back to the boat.
In the morning sunlight, you can really see the vastness and beauty of the swamp. The hum of ATVs scares the Widgeon and they all take flight at once. Their wings pressing against the clear, blue, Carolina sky seem like they would be better suited to be on the cover of National Geographic instead of in the middle of one of the east coast’s biggest private hunting clubs. Sun shines on the narrow, muddy trail, as the ATVs throw dirt all over. After reaching the boat, we load up and leave, locking the gate on the way out.
As the boat came into sight of the house, we begin to see the massive, beach-cottage looking structure. There are 4 or 5 dogs running around, while 2 other boats unload hunters coming back from the morning hunt. The location is the Neu PamBa duck club in New Bern, North Carolina, and is in the Outer Banks on the coastal part of the state. Here, people work nearly year-round to ensure that this private land is the best duck habitat that it can be. The men, who are members of the club, consist of some of the most serious duck hunters in the world, and kill more ducks in a season than most people kill in their lifetimes. They are experts at duck hunting, and what they know about ducks and hunting them could fill a library of books.
We all go into the house, take off our gear, and sit down to a massive southern-style breakfast of grits, biscuits, eggs, bacon, and beer. Stories of the morning hunt and of great shots fill the unusually warm January morning, and we know that we have just been subjected to something most people will never experience.
Extra Materials: