"The Best of the West", TV show

[Len Backus]

This syndicated TV show is available on some of the outdoor cable channels. Our own member, John Burns is a key member of the production staff. Since I can't view it on either of my TV providers, John volunteered to send DVD copies of several segments to me and Dave and Ian. We have each viewed them by now and are all quite impressed.

I viewed them more than a month ago so I can't remember all the details but I watched segments with hunting for elk, deer, antelope and coyote. In fact the coyote segment had a kill at around 900 or 1000 yards.

This is the only TV hunting show I know of that has a true long range bent to it. The production qualities are quite good, John is a very natural on-screen host and he knows his technical stuff. I would love to see this show thrive and spread to many other cable or satellite sytems. In order for that to happen, John explains that we all need to contact our cable or satellite service providers and ask them to carry the program.

Here is a press release he sent me a while back about his success in obtaining a major new sponsor.

News Release

Sportsman's Warehouse signs on as the presenting sponsor for the acclaimed
television show "The Best of the West".

Burlington, WY - 17 June 2004 - Bridger Trail Video announced today that
Sportsman's Warehouse, the Midvale, UT sporting goods retailer, would become
the presenting sponsor for the television show "The Best of the West".

Founded in 1986 Sportsman's Warehouse is focused on the outdoor enthusiast.
With stores in 12 states and plans to open at least 6 additional stores in
2004 Sportsman's Warehouse is the fastest growing retailer specializing in
hunting, fishing, and outdoor products.

Sportsman's Warehouse offers an extensive selection of hunting, fishing,
camping, optics, clothing and footwear merchandise, including more than
1,000 firearms, 80,000 flies for fishing, over 100 models each of tents,
sleeping bags and back packs, and over 150 different types of binoculars and
spotting scopes. The seemingly endless rows of merchandise make the shopping
experience an event in and of itself.

With many shows vying for sponsorship from Sportsman's Warehouse, marketing
director Ryan Foutz had this to say, "'The Best of the West' was clearly the
ideal show for us to sponsor and I am excited to attach our name to a
hunting show that shares our western hunting values".

"We here at Bridger trail Video are proud Sportsman's Warehouse chose 'The
Best of the West' to help promote their wonderful stores" says Executive
Producer Dale Caldwell." The excellent customer service, high quality, low
prices and extremely knowledgeable staff combine to make Sportsman's
Warehouse the place to get the latest in hunting and fishing gear."

About "The Best of the West"
Bridger Trail Video produces "The Best of the West" out of Burlington, WY.
With an emphasis on fair chase public ground hunting "The Best of the West"
is the leading show on western big game. "The Best of the West" airs 3 times
weekly on The Men's Channel.

Sunday @ 8:00 am MST
Monday @ 7:00 pm MST
Wednesday @ 7:30 pm MST

Bridger Trail Video Contact
John Burns
Advertising Director
307-762-3508
[email protected] www.ThebestoftheWest.net
www.SportsmansWarehouse.com
www.MensChanneltv.com

John Burns
Shooting Host
"The Best of the West"
307-762-3508
[email protected] www.TheBestoftheWest.net

[ 07-13-2004: Message edited by: Len Backus ]

 

[chris matthews]

Len,
You hit the nail on the head.
I have talked to John and he is good people.
His shows are top notch with some excellent long range insruction.
Here's proof he's good people:
I called Bridger to order one of the new tapes "Beyond Belief" and John answered the phone. He said he didn't have the copies back yet but would send me one when they came in. Then he said, just send a check when you get it. Not a lot of companies take that payment policy anymore.
We talked for 30 minutes or so about various things (John, you reading this- ain't heard back from you yet!)
Definitely a show to watch and support!

 

[Len Backus]

Well...I talked to him about your character and he changed his mind about not needing prepayment. I think you better send him a certified check.

[ 07-13-2004: Message edited by: Len Backus ]

 

[Guest]

I'll concur with this.. I have met John personally , albeit informally at the Cody Complex. He offered me a bet.. but I was outta ammo... maybe next time John...

But I like the show and the long range flair, a honest representation is refreshing...

John, we have 9 Antelope tags...

 

[Guest]

Can someone send me a tape of the show...My cable company does not carry the show.

 

[Len Backus]

John Burns is a pretty busy guy these days but I hope he is around and can join our discussion of his show.....

 

[Ian M]

Len forwarded me some cd's or DVD's or whatever the hell those things are. They had several tv shows on them and I enjoyed watching them with some of my shooting partners. Unfortunately at that time we did not have a DVD player in our home so had to go to a buddy's, and his machine sort of got hiccups on a regular basis and we did not get to see the entire shows. Might be a problem with the discs because another buddy reports they are acting up on his machine also. Kids just got us a DVD thing but have no idea how to work it, no biggie since we do not watch tv anyhow.

I have been around the outdoors video crews since they started a long time ago - have seen a lot of behind the scenes stuff that most guys do not know goes on. From what I saw of these shows the guys are doing a good job and sort of going against the grain - some networks are shying away from kill shots and any I have been around do NOT want long shots since they think the critters will be too small. John's shows proved that is not correct, they are interesting and the critters are visible enough to get you into the shooting.

These are the only LR videos I have ever seen, understand that there are others but have not seen anything so not much to compare to. Personally, I prefer the longer stuff to the bullcrap where the guy is sitting playing with himself as the deer walks under his tree and you want to yell out "SHUT UP and SHOOT, you idiot!"

I was amazed at the elk populations where the stuff was being filmed - wonderful to see so many animals and know that there aren't any high fences. The shooting was competent, some of it is amazing. Really enjoyed watching the bullets in flight, that is what we work with in all of our LR shooting.

I don't watch tv, even if I did I don't know if the show would be on a network that is on our cable, maybe on the dishes tho.

Thsoe guys are fortunate to be able to film what they enjoy - can't beat that. I just found out that I have another trip to Alaska to get ready for - guess someone has to do that kind of stuff.

 

[jb1000br]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR> From what I saw of these shows the guys are doing a good job and sort of going against the grain - some networks are shying away from kill shots and any I have been around do NOT want long shots since they think the critters will be too small. John's shows proved that is not correct, they are interesting and the critters are visible enough to get you into the shooting.

These are the only LR videos I have ever seen, understand that there are others but have not seen anything so not much to compare to. Personally, I prefer the longer stuff to the bullcrap where the guy is sitting playing with himself as the deer walks under his tree and you want to yell out "SHUT UP and SHOOT, you idiot!"

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ian -- contact Butch Keen for the "other" videos of this sort -- he pretty much pioneered this video/lr game

JB

 

[Guest]

JB1000BR.....How do I contact Butch for his videos???

 

[baldeagle713]

Ian M:jb1000br knows what he's talkin about.
I have not chimed in in a long time but have been reading a lot.

 

[John Burns]

Thanks Len and Ian for the kind word about the show.

For those that don't know here are the particulars about our show called "The Best of the West"

We are shown 3 times per week on The Men's Channel. If you get Dish Network this is channel 218.

Our times are:

1. Prime Time Slot - Wednesday Evening @ 9:30 PM Eastern Time

Bonus Time Slots for 3rd and 4th Quarters 2004

2. Friday Evening @ 10:00 PM Eastern Time

3. Sunday Morning @ 10:00 AM Eastern Time

If you don't use Dish to get your TV check with you cable supplier. This is not Spike TV.

We are a Wyoming based show that is mainly big game hunting. While we do not specifically try and shoot at long range we do have the capability and have aired shots out to 750 yds.

When we were first producing the shows we got on some mainstream hunting sites and asked opinions as to whether we should air programs with longer than normal shots. The response was about evenly split between positive and negative positions. We decided to go for it and so far out of hundreds of emails from viewers we have less than 5 negative responses. All of those were direct anti-hunting and not specifically long range oriented.

I am really quite surprised because so many guys got on the other sites and said it would promote Joe Blow to try and attempt the same thing with out the proper equipment and techniques. I think that after watching other hunters have a hard time dismissing it as a stunt because we can obviously do it on demand.

I also think Lens site here has made it harder for the uniformed to stay uninformed as to the reality of what is possible, if you are willing to put the time, effort, and resources into extending your limitations.

I have seen one of the Point Blank to Long Range Videos (#3) and we have a quite different approach. We do not specifically set out to shoot an animal at long range it is just the nature of the areas we hunt that shots can come at long range. We are also not shooting from benchrests or other cumbersome setups because the majority of the time we are quite a distance from the nearest truck when it is time to take the shot. I would say this is more hunting than shooting.

I would also say our production values are quite a bit higher but then I am most assuredly biased in my point of view so take that for what it is worth.

It might be of interest to some of the members here that we have just finished our first video release entitled "Beyond Belief". This video is a compilation of hunts from the show that ended in a longer than normal shot. It includes over 30 successful shots on elk, deer, antelope, caribou and coyotes. It has a lot of 400 –600 yd stuff with a few shots further and 2 shots over 1000. (1074 yd elk and 1078 yd coyote)

Some of the members have already ordered copies and I would really like them to post a review, good or bad.

Our website is
www.thebestofthewest.net

if you would like more information.

Ian,

The DVD issue has been a problem and we hope we have figured out now but the discs you have of the show were burned on media that was not compatible with some home players.

Another interesting note is the fact most networks (ESPN in particular) have loosened their stand on kill shots because hunters want to see the conclusion of the hunt and these shows have become a very significant source of revenue for the networks. We gain some ground for a change.

John

 

[baldeagle713]

John Burns:

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>I have seen one of the Point Blank to Long Range Videos (#3) and we have a quite different approach. We do not specifically set out to shoot an animal at long range it is just the nature of the areas we hunt that shots can come at long range. We are also not shooting from benchrests or other cumbersome setups because the majority of the time we are quite a distance from the nearest truck when it is time to take the shot. I would say this is more hunting than shooting <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
You realy should see #1 and #2 of Butch's Vidio's. Seeing only #3 is like walking in on a Movie half way through.
Please take the time. It's worth every minuit.

 

[Len Backus]

So, John, can you give us any pointers on how to draft a letter (or email) to our tv service providers to try to get them to add your show in our own areas?

 

[jb1000br]

the long 1 -- I dont have butches phone num, but search "butch keen" at http://wildcatshooting.com and PM him--he'll get back to you quickly

JB


EDIT--here it is --&gt; From Butch: (570)-753-3039 I only take mail orders. [email protected]

give him a call

[ 07-16-2004: Message edited by: jb1000br ]