Thursday, March 6, 2008 8:55 PM CST
Bowhunting brothers from Illinois shoot with camera, too
By ROD KLOECKNER, Belleville News-Democrat
BREESE (AP) — Ryan and Reed Beckmann were sitting in an airport terminal in Billings, Mont., waiting for their flight back home to Breese.
The brothers were approached by several men who had arrived in Big Sky Country for a hunting trip.
“These guys came up and recognized us and wanted to say ‘hi,”‘ said Ryan Beckmann, recalling an encounter that took place last year. “They had seen us a few times on TV. That’s a weird situation when people you don’t know you come up and say, ‘Hey, I’ve seen you on TV.’
“It’s something that you never really get used to.”
It’s something that been happening more and more frequently to the Beckmann brothers, who are key fixtures on the pro staff at The Wild Outdoors, a production company based in Cameron, Mo., that specializes in filming bow-hunting adventures.
“The Wild Outdoors” is the longest-running hunting show on The Outdoor Channel. In addition to the TV show, The Wild Outdoors also produces full-length hunting videos called the “Obsession Series,” which are marketed by Drury Outdoors, one of the power players in the hunting industry.
Run by Jay and Tammi Gregory, The Wild Outdoors started in 1994 and employs just two full-time staffers.
A chance meeting with Jay Gregory at a trade show seven years ago started a side career for the Beckmann brothers that has made them the envy of weekend hunters everywhere.
They have hunted caribou in northern Quebec, black bear in New Brunswick, Canada, elk in Wyoming and whitetail deer and turkey in five different Midwestern states.
All of it has been captured on film, with either Reed or Ryan as the starring figure.
Ryan, 31, and Reed, 25, grew up in a rural area near Breese known as Frogtown, which basically consists of five houses and several farm animals at the intersection of two blacktop roads.
Their neighbor, Eddie Becker, had a large timber area and lake.
“Ninety percent of our childhood was spent on his farm hunting,” Ryan Beckmann said. “There isn’t much to do around Clinton County but play sports and go hunting and fishing.”
Big fans of TV hunting shows, the Beckmann brothers started to videotape their hunts as they got older. Even as they both got full-time jobs — Ryan is a journeyman electrical lineman while Reed manages North American Outfitters Archery Shop in Highland — the brothers would bring a camera with them on evening and weekend hunts.
In 2000, Reed had to attend an archery trade show for NAO in Nashville, Tenn. Ryan went along for the ride. That’s where they met Jay Gregory at a hotel bar.
During their conversation, Gregory, who was looking to expand his company, asked if they had any footage of their hunts.
“Basically, we were in the right place at the right time,” Reed Beckmann said. “We got to talking and (Jay) asked us if we did any filming. It was weird that we did. We put all of our hunts together and all the footage that we had and sent it in to him. He contacted us two weeks later.”
It didn’t take Gregory long to realize what he had with the boys.
“You can tell pretty quick,” Gregory said. “You usually get a guy who’s either a good hunter or a good cameraman, but very seldom do you get one that’s both. You could just tell from their footage right off the bat that they had a good eye for the camera, and you could tell from their success that they were good hunters.
“The camera part is actually the hardest part. They had a knack for it and picked it up. Along the way, they’ve gotten better and better.”
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