“We are thrilled with the level of viewer participation in the voting process, and we couldn’t be happier with this strong line-up of finalists for our 2009 awards” said Sportsman president, Willy Burkhardt. “We encourage everyone to cast their vote in the final round to determine the ultimate winners.”
Today marks the beginning of a fresh new round of voting, so everyone is encouraged to log on to www.votesportsman.com to cast their ballot, regardless of whether they voted in the first round or not. Winners in all categories will be based exclusively on the opinions and the votes of viewers. Voting ends December 14 with finalists announced thereafter.
The finalists for the 2009 Sportsman Choice Awards are as follows.
Best Hunt Show: Arrow Affliction, Heartland Bowhunter, Predator Quest, Shoot Straight with
Best Shoot Show: American Rifleman TV Classics, Guns & Ammo TV, Personal Defense TV, Tactical Arms, Tactical Impact
Best Fish Show: Addictive Fishing, Fly Fisherman, Fly Rod Chronicles with Curtis Fleming, Ice Men, In-Fisherman TV
Best Combo Show: Alan Warren Outdoors, Backstage & Backroads with
Best Show Host(s): Alan Warren with Alan Warren Outdoors, Chris Brackett with Arrow Affliction, Fred Eichler with Predator Nation, Keith Warren with Best of Keith Warren’s Hunting Adventures, Les Johnson with Predator Quest
In addition to these five categories, Sportsman Channel has added four new award categories designed to celebrate the exciting video imagery shown on the channel every day: Best Hunt Clip, Best Shoot Clip Best Fish Clip, and Best New Series.
The nominated clips were required to be one continuous sequence from a single episode that aired in 2009. The nominees for Best Clips are:
Best Hunt Clip: Family Traditions with Haley Heath, Hunting with the Pros, Own The Zone TV, RNT-TV, Whitetail Properties
Best Shoot Clip:
Best Fish Clip: Breaking the Surface, Fishing 411 with Mark Romanack, Fly Rod Chronicles with Curtis Fleming, Hardcore Pursuits, In-Fisherman Ice Fishing Guide
The Best New Series category eligibility will be based upon shows that have never aired on Sportsman Channel prior to 2009.
The winners in all Sportsman Choice Award categories will be crowned in January during the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in
SPORTSMAN CHANNEL: Launched in 2003, Sportsman Channel is the only television and digital company fully devoted to the more than 82 million sportsmen in the United States, delivering entertaining and educational programming focused exclusively on hunting, shooting and fishing activities. Acquired by InterMedia Outdoors Holdings in 2006, Sportsman Channel is now a part of the nation's largest multimedia company targeted exclusively to serving the information and entertainment needs of outdoors enthusiasts. For more information, visit www.thesportsmanchannel.com.
If you’re in your teens right now…you’ve probably never heard of him. If you’re in your 20’s, well…odds are still probably against you ever having seen or heard of the TV show Championship Fishing. Granted, if you are in your 30’s there’s a slim possibility the name Virgil Ward might ring of some familiarity. Yet, if you’re in your 40’s or older chances are then damn good Virgil Ward made an impression on your life…at least to some degree.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. On Sundays when I go to church with my family I often daydream by rewinding my life 35 years to a point when I was a young, antsy child tired of sitting on the hard, oak church pews. Nope, the payoff would be coming home from church…entering the house to the smells of a nice roast cooking for the traditional Sunday meal…and plopping down on the floor to watch Roland Martin and then Virgil Ward introduce me to the many piscatorial wonders of the great outdoors.
At the time it seemed like a fair trade off…I would worship in God’s house for an hour and the reward would be a relaxing afternoon watching TV shows that truly amazed my young mind. I guess you could say that Virgil Ward probably influenced me as an outdoorsman more than any other person I’ve never personally met. And I bet there’s a lot of others who can say that very same thing.
“From the lakes of northern Canada
To the Gulf of Mexico.
Wherever fish are biting
That's where we're going to go.
There's a lot of exciting country
Just waiting to be explored.
So join us now in the great outdoors,
The World of Virgil Ward.”
What an awesome theme song. Even 30 years later I can see the eagles flying and the deer scampering up the hillside (along the lake) as this theme song plays on.
Indeed, Virgil was like the father or uncle so many of us wish we had. Knowledgeable about fishing…but not cocky as if he already knew it all. In my mind Virgil was the quintessential outdoorsman who didn’t seem to flaunt his persona like so many would-be outdoor stars of today seem to do. Nope, instead, Virgil…often accompanied by his Grandson, Greg Ward, would invite you along in the boat as if you were his special guest for the day.
As a young angler and sportsman I never felt intimidated by Virgil. Today so many TV show hosts think they need to dazzle you by sharing their vast knowledge of the outdoors. No, Virgil seemed to be content just being out on a lake and fishing. If I wanted to see the big lunker fish I would tune in to Roland (Martin) and his show…but Virgil just made it feel like being outdoors and enjoying nature was one of the most important things in life to be doing.
And so my Sunday afternoons would go…laying in front of the TV vicariously enjoying the outdoors through this legend and his experiences. Oddly enough, it would be years later when I fully realized the true effect Virgil would have on my life.
Of course, I was not alone in that feeling. Had it not been for Al and Ron Lindner being touched by this inspiration of a man, perhaps the Lindners would never have gotten into television. Yes, Virgil Ward in his quiet, unassuming demeanor touched the lives of so many people around him. Even though I never had the pleasure of actually meeting him I have to believe his persona was as genuine and rare as they come.
Yes, even now when I am fishing up north on a Minnesota lake viewing the glorious sights and sounds of nature in between bites…if you listen close enough you just might catch me humming that Championship Fishing tune.
In 2004, at the age of 93 years, we lost Virgil in body, but not in spirit.
Makes me wonder if there a modern day Virgil Ward out there to inspire today’s would-be sportsmen? I sincerely hope so…but I’m not overly optimistic there can ever be another “Virgil Ward.”
May 25, 1911 to September 13, 2004
2008 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction without Prior Permission.
Remember growing up and watching TV or the movies where the characters would sometimes get devoured by quicksand. Just one false step and the substance would suck the living victim down into an inescapable, perhaps bottomless pit with very little opportunity for self-rescue. It made for good movie plots…and when the victim disappeared from sight and would never be heard from again…about the only evidence of their unfortunate plight was usually a cowboy hat floating on the surface of the mysterious sand.
I can’t help but think that the once popular Jim Zumbo, Outdoor Life’s long-time hunting editor, has stepped into the proverbial “quicksand.” Comments made on his blog post from last Friday have stirred such a raw passion (perhaps call it an obsession) in cyberspace among many gun owners the likes of which have never been seen by this group in the modern age of internet communication. In a nutshell, Zumbo posted on his blog that he saw no legitimate purpose [my words] for the “assault” style rifles in the hunting community. In fact, he went on to refer to them as “terrorist weapons.” In a matter of hours after making this faux pas, Zumbo was the topic of a fire storm of folks looking to hang his storied outdoor writing career and his personal reputation at the stake.
So, you don’t think any of this is serious business, huh? Well, think again. Not only has Outdoor Life removed Zumbo’s blog from their website and issued a statement instead…Remington Arms has also quickly acted to sever all ties to their once high-vis outdoor spokesperson. In a bit of irony, Zumbo was actually with some of Remington’s top brass testing Remington products during a coyote hunt earlier in the day when the infamous blog post was made later that evening. Some insiders believe that sponsors like Cabela’s, Gerber Knives, and others could now drop like dominos thanks to this expanding P.R. nightmare Zumbo has created for himself. Ultimately, I’d be surprised if Zumbo’s television show sponsorships don’t also begin to dry up, too, as companies act to divist themselves from this proven lightening rod of a spokesperson.
Perhaps the best place to begin reading this now infamous blog post is here.
Click here to see that this controversy has even hit the mainstream newspapers and I’m sure more will follow.
For a good sampling of what other bloggers and forum users are saying about Zumbo, click here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
I think we can all agree that what Zumbo said was a really stupid thing. Hell, he even admits that now…“activating his mouth before engaging his brain.” On Sunday during the Gun Talk Radio program with Tom Gresham, Zumbo was a guest and used that nationwide forum to explain himself and offer an apology. In effect, he stated how he had underestimated the popularity of “AR-15 style guns” with sportsmen throughout the country. You can down-load and listen to the entire interview here. I might add several of the callers who followed Zumbo rejected his apology and his reasoning.
I guess here’s the problem I have with Zumbo. Granted, he is a self-professed “hunting writer” and not much of a “gun writer.” I suppose it’s possible to be one exclusive of the other…but that doesn’t quite cut it for me. Look, Zumbo boasts on his personal website that he has hunted deer in every state. Personally, I have always hated that sort of in-your-face opportunity gluttony when many sportsmen who help support the corporate sponsors for this guy feel lucky to hunt in just their own home state. How can a guy with that much hunting experience, lucky enough to travel throughout the country, be so ignorant and unaware of what many common sportsmen perceive as important guns in their hunting collection.
Yup, Zumbo stepped into the equivalent of the bloggers quicksand with his comments posted last Friday night. Stated he was tired after a long day in the field and didn’t give much thought to what he was writing about before hitting the “send” button on his computer. If you ever needed an example of just what a powerful tool the blog can be just look how it has changed Zumbo’s life. When all is said and done, it just might be Zumbo’s big ol’ hat that we find floating on the quicksand as evidence someone recently treaded where perhaps they ought not to have been.
© 2007 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction Allowed Without Prior Permission.
This e-mail showed up in my in-box the other day. It came from a reliable source who passed it along to me, so I know everything is completely legit. Here, take a read:
“My name is Susan Perkins [name changed]; I am in the casting department at ABC Television. Currently we are actively and urgently casting Hunting families for our 3 rd season of Wife Swap. I have decided to do a very intensive Deer, Pheasant and other wildlife hunting outreach. My thought process behind this outreach is as follows; I would like to have a family that hunts together for sportsmanship or food. Hunting is such an incredible family bond; I figured I would find a very close nit family this way. I have attached the press release that our communications department put together to this email in reference to this casting. It is not my intention to solicit any of your member information, I am merely asking that if you know of anyone you would like to refer you can either contact me or have them contact me directly. Perhaps you could create a posting under the general information section of your website or you could distribute a mass email and have people contact me as they wish. Just in case you are not familiar with the show, allow me to give you the basics...
We air every Monday night at 8 pm on ABC. The main requirements for the show are- must be a two parent family with at least one child in the home between 7 and 17 years of age. Wife Swap is a 10 to 11 day taping commitment. Mom will be gone for 7 or 8 days during this time. The process involves filling out an application and making an audition tape. If we think you are a good family for Wife Swap, we will begin to look for a match for you and come to visit your family for an afternoon to make a tape that will be edited and presented to the network. Each family that participates in the program will receive a $20,000 honorarium upon airing of the episode and anyone who refers a family that makes it on to the show will receive a $1,000 finder's reward. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. Thank you so much for your time and please do not hesitate to contact me for any reason. Enjoy your day.”
So there you have it…a prime time TV show casting call, of sorts, seeking a hunting family. I don’t claim to watch much TV so I’m not very familiar with the program in that sense, but the show’s concept involved is fairly self-descriptive. Wife Swap is the kind of television show that likes to put people in unusual situations by virtue of swapping the matriarchs of the household, thus stirring up some excitement for the cameras. Oh boy, one can only imagine where the scenario described above could ultimately lead into given the right swap.
You know, at first I was going to be my usual skeptical self and figure that something negative will likely come from a show like this…at least to the extent of how it reflects on hunting and hunters (or their families). Instead, I am going to withhold my judgment just to see what actually happens. It might actually be quite funny.
No…I did not apply. Actually, my wife took one look at this e-mail and said NO WAY!!! In fact, if after reading this you seriously think your family would be the perfect match for this upcoming episode…well, be my guest. You can apply right online. Just make sure I get credit for the $1,000 “finder’s reward,” okay. 
© 2007 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction Allowed Without Prior Permission.
Perhaps you’ve noticed I haven’t been blogging during the past several days on any sort of a regular basis. Well, to say the least, my life has been a bit hectic over the past ten days or so getting ready for a special event. In fact, my entire fall season has been spent gearing up for the Minnesota Deer Hunting Opener occurring this past Saturday. You see, I had an important guest in camp this year. Not just the usual ol’ bunch of deer hunters…but a face that most Minnesotans at least will likely recognize. In my hunting camp, located on my family farm, was Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty to help kick off the 4th Annual 2006 Minnesota Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener celebration.
During the next several days I will share my experiences planning for and hosting this great sporting event. You may recall, several months back I told you loyal blog readers that I had a secret to share and that it was very exciting. Of course, I would have liked to share the good news with you in advance, but it just doesn’t work that way. Not for an event like this. This is one media event that does not get disclosed until after it happens for security reasons…and then, as you will learn in future posts…it doesn’t always get fully disclosed even then.
In the meantime, please link over to my family web site www.BraatenFarm.com and check out a few of the pictures. I’ll be back to talk more about this once-in-a-lifetime sportsman event very soon—once I get caught back up around here in my office.
© 2006 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction Without Prior Permission.
This week the 30th Anniversary Edition of the In-Fisherman Magazine goes on sale at newsstands around the country…but why is this milestone of any importance to sportsmen? Quite frankly, it was the foresight of brothers Lindner who helped to revolutionize the process and the science behind the way many of us go fishing.
As the fishing industry grew there was also a need to satiate the growing thirst for knowledge that permeated throughout the outdoors world. For deer hunters it was a group in Wisconsin called Stump Sitters who eventually parlayed this deep desire to learn everything about deer into a club, of sorts, to share experiences and blend knowledge. Eventually, this effort evolved into the magazine now called Deer and Deer Hunting. But for fishermen nothing could ring more credible than the wisdom spewed forth in In-Fisherman published by the Lindner Brothers of Bemidji, Minnesota.
You see, the Lindner Brothers were well on their way to making a name for themselves even before they published their first written article. In Northern Minnesota the name Lindner quickly became synonymous with success even way back in the early 70s. In fact, these brothers started dabbling in producing fishing-related TV shows dating way back to 1970. Their uncanny ability to mix fishing fun with hardcore fishing science paved the way for these pioneers of fishing to permanently make a mark in the fishing world.
As fishing lure manufacturers (Lindy Tackle – Lindy Rig, etc.), to publishers of books, magazines, TV, radio, videos, websites…the Linder Brothers really have done it all. And perhaps most notable of all is that after nearly four decades in the industry their reputation and energy is still going strong, where many others have often failed.
Ever since the early days the credo at In-Fisherman was to conduct the research out on the water…and that’s what they did best. The Lindners resisted the temptation of burying their noses into books or research articles and instead opted to do the research themselves…on the water…with fishing reel in hand. On average they would log over 200 days each year using fishing experience as their best teacher to prove or disprove their theories.
Today, as I understand it, the Lindner Brothers no longer own their multimedia enterprise known as In-Fisherman. They sold that a few years back to Primedia, Inc. a large New York-based media giant. Still, many of the same old influences that were present way back in the beginning continue to help make up a part of In-Fisherman yet today.
The Lindners, however, have now embarked on a new venture called Angler’s Edge which has much of the same flavor of their old venture producing quality TV Shows and videos, but now you can also see a more open reference to their Christianity faith.
To many of us the In-Fisherman will always be about a couple of brothers from Chicago who grew fed up with big city life and moved to Northern Minnesota to begin their fishing education empire. Unfortunately, as so often happens when success blossoms, that empire grew so big that the brothers were actually spending more time catering to the business than casting for the fish. Hence, the sale of their business to begin life anew.
As we reflect back on the past 30 years of knowledge printed in In-Fisherman…it’s more a celebration of Al, Ron and Jeff Lindner’s dream of mixing science with a sport that mysteriously was taking place underwater where we could not see the action. What we now take for granted as fishing fact was once cutting edge knowledge some 25 to 30 years ago. Thanks largely to the Lindners; they taught us all how fishing can not only be a fun activity, but also a never-ending learning opportunity.
© 2005 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction Without Prior Permission.
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