Madison,
NC --(Steven Rinella
Steven Rinella is an award-winning author and the host of MeatEater on Sportsman Channel (winner of the 2012 Sportsman Choice Award for Best New Series). An avid outdoorsman, writer, and television host, Steven is best known for his ability to translate the hunting lifestyle to a wide variety of audiences.
Rinella has been a frequent contributor to Outside magazine and he is currently listed on that magazine’s masthead as a contributing editor. His features, essays, and reporting have appeared in many other publication, including Field and Stream, Glamour, Men’s Journal, Outside, The New Yorker, the New York Times, Salon.com, O the Oprah Magazine, Petersen’s Hunting, Fly Fisherman, Bowhunter, and the anthologies Best American Travel Writing (2003 and 2010) and Best Food Writing (2005). He has appeared a number of times on National Public Radio’s "All Things Considered," where he discussed his hunting adventures, and has also been interviewed about hunting on such mainstream news outlets as CNN’s American Morning and the Sunday broadcast of Fox and Friends.
His first book, The Scavenger’s Guide to Haute Cuisine (Miramax Books, 2005), was inspired by August Escoffier’s 1903 culinary milestone Le Guide Culinaire. Rinella documents for the reader his year-long unusual quest: to procure all of the necessary ingredients for a forty-five course meal, born entirely of Escoffier’s esoteric wild game recipes. In 2005, Rinella won a lottery permit to hunt for a wild buffalo in the Alaskan wilderness. His second book, American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon (Spiegel and Grau, 2008) is a narrative tale of Rinella’s adventures tracking, killing, and butchering of a buffalo in the context of the natural history of the buffalo throughout the entirety of its existence on North America. Part hunting odyssey, part natural history, American Buffalo vividly describes the adventurous hunt in harmony with heavily researched, nonfiction writing about the history of the buffalo, from its arrival in the New World to its near extirpation and its unlikely salvation.Rinella’s most recent publication, Meat Eater: Adventures from the Life of an American Hunter (Spiegel and Grau, 2012), chronicles his lifelong relationship with nature and hunting through the lens of several hunts, beginning when he was an aspiring mountain man at age ten and ending as a thirty-seven-year-old Brooklyn father who hunts in the remotest corners of North America, feeding his family from the food he hunts. Hunting, he argues, is intimately connected with our humanity; assuming responsibility for acquiring the meat that we eat, rather than entrusting it to proxy executioners, processors, packagers, and distributors, is one of the most respectful and exhilarating things a meat eater can do. A thrilling storyteller with boundless interesting facts and historical information about the land, the natural world, and the history of hunting, Steven paints a loving portrait of a way of life that is part of who we are as humans and as Americans.2012 also saw the premiere of Rinella’s TV program of the same name, MeatEater, which airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on Sportsman Channel. Currently in its third season, MeatEater showcases the hunting lifestyle and makes the case that hunters are obligated to be stewards of the land and protectors of their chosen prey species. Each episode also includes visceral food preparations, merging the outdoor and culinary worlds. Prior to MeatEater, Rinella had served as host of Travel Channel’s 8-part series The Wild Within, which was a 2011 James Beard Award finalist for Best Television Program, On Location.
Pat Reeve
When you talk about someone that has knowledge, skill and has successfully taken over 60 wild whitetails in his career you most likely will hear the name Pat Reeve.Eventually after lots of hard work and determination he landed a full time field producer/pro-staff position with Hunter’s Specialties located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Working at H.S. was definitely a dream job for Pat and for five years he enjoyed filming and learned a lot from pro’s; Eddie Salter, Alex Rutledge, Matt Morrett, Bob Folkrod, Stan Potts, Greg Miller and the rest of the H.S. crew.During his time at H.S., he was lucky enough to film the largest non-typical ever to be harvested on professional video. After working for several years he resigned and decided he wanted to take his skills to a higher level and become more included in the pursuit for whitetail deer.If you were to ask him the downfall to his occupation, he would say being away from his four wonderful children; Olivia, Cole, Carson and Isabel. The upside is that they are all looking forward to getting involved and going hunting with their dad in the future. This year he’s enjoying time afield with girlfriend and successful hunter Nicole Jones. One thing he has learned so far on his journey is that everyday is a new day and life throws you curve balls. Defeat and failure is inevitable but its how you deal with it, which is really what determines success. He can’t wait to get a chance at the next big buck that comes down the trail but says, "Good Hunting and remember to stay "Driven"!
Nicole
Jones
Growing up in small town Southern Illinois, Nicole spent her days in the woods following along side her dad Jim and two older brothers Zach and Jared. She started going with her dad when she was old enough to walk, and then harvesting her first deer at the young age of six years old. There was never a time she can remember that her dad left her at home. It didn’t matter what Nicole was doing, whether she was out hunting for that monster whitetail, fishing, mushroom hunting or creeping through the woods looking for squirrels.Nicole joined forces with Pat Reeve’s Production "Driven TV" in 2007. The two of them make a great team. They do many promotions and Deer classics so if they are ever in your area stop by and see them! Nicole’s favorite part of doing these shows is getting to meet all kinds of new people but the most special are the little ones who love the outdoors. She states, "I love seeing kids faces light up when they come up to the booth for photos and autographs because I can see their passion coming out and that’s why I do what I do!" Over the last 19 years of hunting she has harvested many beautfiul animals including countless Pope and Youngs, one Boone & Crockett, a 12-foot alligator, antelope, and many African Species. When she’s not out hunting, hanging stands or planting food plots she enjoys spending time with friends and family! She wants to thank her dad, mom and 2 brothers for all of their support throughout the past 25 years. Nicole would like to give a very special thank you to her mom Susan. Although she doesn’t hunt, she always made sure Nicole was bundled up for the hunt and had a yummy meal on the table when they got home! Happy Hunting!
Tom Miranda
From humble beginnings as a school boy trapper, Tom Miranda has taken his love of the outdoors and turned it into the career of a lifetime. Running trap lines near his home town of suburban Columbus, Ohio, Tom learned the ways of the wilds catching muskrats, mink and raccoon. Tom learned to love nature in these early years and to respect and cherish it.After high school, when many graduates went off to college, Tom was off to the wilds of Michigan’s upper peninsula to build his own log cabin and launch his professional trapping career. Questioning parents and confused friends maybe didn’t understand, but Tom Miranda knew that his life pursuit was found along the streams and in the wild places.Rambling around the snowy northern woods, Tom learned to catch fox and coyote, beaver and otter as well as bobcats and bears furthering his wilderness education.Several years later, Tom found himself in South Dakota, working as a government trapper and hunter mastering the art of trapping and honing his skills. These bold steps have since led to authoring 5 books, over 60 how to trapping and hunting videos and eventually the chance to host his own adventure television show.An accomplished bowhunter, Miranda has taken over 50 whitetails on video and has taken the all 29 North American Big Game animals with archery tackle, being the first bowhunter to have documented the archery SUPER SLAM® on video. If it’s big game bowhunting, Miranda likely has achieved it including African Elephant, Hippo and Cape Buffalo.As an outdoor television producer, Miranda is known as one of the best. His award winning series have appeared on ESPN for 20 consecutive seasons as well as on numerous other networks. Using creative story telling supported by dramatic footage and creative editing, Tom Miranda’s series continue to sit atop the Nielsen television ratings at each network his series appear. Miranda has produced nearly 1000 individual TV episodes in his long broadcast career and knows the in’s and out’s of the Television market place. Tom’s latest TV venture is "Territories Wild" a fast paced hunting documentary that chronicles Miranda’s adventure bow hunts around the globe.
SPEND TIME WITH RACHEL AHTILA
Rachel Ahtila was born and raised in the western province of British Columbia, Canada, in the heart of the South Okanagan. Like any outdoor enthusiast, her passion for the outdoors began at an early age and has blossomed from there. At twenty-three years old, she has spent the last twelve years growing up at a remote guide outfitters lodge in northern British Columbia. It was here she began her guiding career hunting their featured big game species. This year Rachel makes her debut with the Shockey crew as a rookie guide and camerawoman, and will be featured on ‘Jim Shockey’s The Professionals’ in Season Two.
MEET THE CREW FROM LIZARD LICK TOWING
Ron Shirley — Ron is the President of LLTR and oversees the day to day operations of the repo company as well as heading up the repossession skip tracing department. He is the man that puts the Ron in Ronpos and is in the seat of a truck as a real-life repo man most days and nights . He is also the Pastor Of the Eastern Chapter of Dirt Church and an Evangelist by grace.Amy — Amy is the Vice President as well as the backbone of the repossession company. She is the horsepower that makes the company run ahead of the big dogs and the big dog when someone thinks they can come in and run over the company.Bobby — Repo Man Bobby is the fullback who’s job it is to protect Ronnie no matter the situation and we are put in a lot of situations. He is a reposessor extraordinaire with a dash of Southern style and charm. Though he acts like he failed his IQ test, don’t let him fool ya – Bobby’s quicker mentally than a football bat on a Friday night.
CONCERT BY COLTON JAMES
Friday
Night and Saturday at 3:30
Colton’s country roots run deep, and were developed at a young age. What started as a truck ride to the fishing hole became a lifestyle. In the front seat of his father’s truck, Colton was treated to legends like George Jones, Keith Whitley, George Strait, and Merle Haggard. Both of his grandmothers played piano and organ, and his singing pipes come from his mother. "She has a beautiful voice and always sang with happiness, heart, and sincerity in church," Colton recalls.Over the years, Colton has perfected his songwriting and guitar playing skills resulting in opening for Toby Keith, Mark Chestnut, Chris Cagle, Joe Nichols, the Dixie Chicks, Lonestar, Keith Anderson, and Trick Pony. His most memorable performance was when he opened for Jason Aldean at Little Creek Amphibious Base, because it was here that 16,000 fans heard him play "Brave Men," a powerful tribute to American troops. Colton’s moving lyrics earned him a standing ovation that night. "These men and women do something incredible for us. They deserve being recognized for the sacrifice they make and this is my small way of letting them know how much we appreciate them."