Buckmasters TV series enters 15th season

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, July 22, 2003

Buckmasters, the first deer hunting series on network TV and the first hunting series on TNN, launched its 15th season earlier this month. The series runs July 5 through December 28.

Shows, hosted by Buckmasters founder and CEO Jackie Bushman, air at 10:30 a.m. EST Saturday mornings and repeat at the same time Sunday.

Episodes may also be accessed online at buckmasters.com.

Here's the line-up of shows:

€ July 19/20: Montana & North Dakota Bowhunts. Year after year, the river bottoms of eastern Montana prove to be hot spots for bowhunting whitetails. That's where Jackie Bushman meets Buckmasters columnist and famed archer Dale Larson in mid October. Dale and Jackie both take great bucks. Next the show heads to North Dakota where Tom Hartley of Wilderness Outfitters Extreme Adventures hosts another great bowhunt.

€ July 26/27: Mexico Rifle Hunt. Trophy whitetails thrive south of the border in Mexico. This week, Jackie is a guest of Clay Young of Mexico Outfitters Unlimited. Bucks are rutting and Jackie shoots a 130-class 9-pointer. The Buckmasters members in camp also harvest some terrific bucks.

€ Aug. 2/3: New Mexico Muzzleloader & Alabama Shotgun Hunts. Jackie joins Larry Joe and Marty Moore of Arizona-New Mexico Pro Outfitters for an October elk hunt by muzzleloader. There are frequent close encounters with huge rutting bulls throughout the week. One Buckmasters member harvests an incredible bull that measures more than 380 inches.

Later, Jackie heads home to Alabama in January for a shotgun hunt where he reads the scrape activity and sets up accordingly.

€Aug. 9/10: Kansas Muzzleloader & Alabama Rifle Hunts. Jackie is in northwest Kansas for a blackpowder hunt with United States Outfitters. As the bucks can run for miles in this area, wind direction plays a critical role in the success of the hunt. There is also an open sight restriction for muzzleloaders, which tests Jackie's skill when he spots a good 9-point buck.

Then it's on to Alabama where Buckmasters' Elliott Allen and Jimmy Little enjoy a late season rifle hunt and are handsomely rewarded with outstanding bucks.

€ Aug. 16/17: Father-Daughter Rifle Hunts. Jackie's at home in Alabama and takes his daughter, Ann Tyler, whitetail hunting for the first time. She harvests her first buck - it's a memory that they will both forever cherish.

Later, Earl Bentz, founder of Triton Boats, takes his 12-year-old daughter, Camille, rifle hunting in Tennessee. Camille shoots a 13-pointer!

Finally, Jimmy Little films his daughter, Shae, as she takes a great Texas buck.

€ Aug. 23/24: Montana Rifle Hunt. It's that magical time of year … the rut is in full swing and bucks are on the move. In the midst of the action, Wellington's Terry Rohm, Remington's Al Russo and Streamlight's Brad Penney all embark on rifle hunts in eastern Montana.

€ Aug. 30/31: Texas Rifle Hunt. Jackie rifle hunts north central Texas with Don Montgomery of Montgomery Properties Ranch. He and the Buckmasters members in camp enjoy the spoils of great management practices. Jackie takes a tremendous 180-class buck; Gene Day shoots a huge 190-class trophy; and Danielle Greene harvests a monster 200-class buck.

€ Sept. 6/7: Saskatchewan Rifle Hunt & Top Bow Qualifier. Jackie's next stop is Saskatchewan's Thunderchild Outfitters, where he rifle hunts for whitetails.

Later, Buckmasters visits Columbia, S.C., and Birmingham, for the regional qualifiers of the Buckmasters Top Bow Indoor Shooting Series. The top 16 finishers at each event will compete at the world championship later in the year.

€ Sept. 13/14: Idaho Combination Rifle Hunt. The steep and rugged mountains of west central Idaho are home to Boulder Creek Outfitters. Terry Rohm and host Tim Craig hunt for elk, mule deer and whitetails as all species cohabit the area. Terry takes a 6×6 bull elk, a terrific mule deer and an exceptional 10-point whitetail.

€ Sept. 20/21: Alberta & Texas Rifle Hunts. In Buckmasters' first outing this week, Jackie and Ray Hobbs of Daisy Airguns hunt whitetails in Alberta. Later, Ron Petty of Federal Ammunition hunts the Halff Brothers Ranch in Texas and takes a good buck.

€ Sept. 27/28: Quebec Caribou Rifle Hunt. John LaCorte of Nikon Sport Optics grandeur of northern Quebec. Both are successful, to the delight of their gracious host, Sammy Cantafio of Ungava Adventures.

Beginning Oct 4 encore showings of the shows will air.