Jason Cleveland
I have been the editor of the GameKeepers television show since its inception. Along the way I’ve watched countless hours of footage of gamekeepers giving land management and wildlife tips.
The watching is the easy part. The task of condensing this footage down into a cohesive package that is both informative and entertaining is where the challenge comes in. One of the main takeaways I get from all the gamekeepers is how important preparation is to success. Whether you’re planting a food plot, planting trees or coming up with a plan to harvest a certain buck on your property, a proper plan is crucial to achieving your goals.
In a past show, we featured Austin Mussellman on his property in Kentucky. Through game camera pictures, Austin was able to track a deer for years and see it grow into a monster. He and his crew worked tirelessly on a game plan to harvest this giant, and ultimately found that a Redneck hay bale blind placed among other hay bales in the middle of a field was worthy of a try. If you watched the show, you know that the plan worked out and Austin was able to harvest the buck.
I can imagine the sense of pride that Austin and his team felt when they were able to put hands on the buck that had consumed so much of their time spanning over several years. As satisfying as it was, Austin’s success didn’t just happen. He had to rely on hard work and a little luck to make this happen.
I have found through my years of editing that preparation is just as important when making TV. When I am initially given a project from a trip with hundreds of video clips, it can be a little daunting. The first thing I do is ask for a rundown or outline of the trip from the videographer. Then the process begins of watching these clips, trimming them, and arranging them in an order that is coherent, entertaining and provides helpful information to the viewer.
As you can imagine, this process can be overwhelming, but like Austin in his pursuit of a giant buck, a proper plan with a little luck mixed in can yield a successful TV show. Even though “my harvest” is not a “world class whitetail,” it is satisfying all the same. Hopefully the shows we produce will continue to provide gamekeepers everywhere with information to help them create successful plans on their own properties - so they can also reap the rewards from their hard work.
If you haven’t had a chance to watch the show, you can do so by tuning in Tuesdays at 11 AM, Wednesday’s at 5 PM and 9 PM (All times EST) on the Pursuit Channel (Dish: 393, DirectTV: 604). Also, the shows are be available on Mossy Oak GO app.
