Editor’s Note: Many times the story behind the story is better than the story itself. What are the people really like that we see on outdoor TV shows? How does an outdoor TV show start? What are the high and low points of bringing outdoor TV shows to your TV sets? What are the lives of the TV hosts like? This week I think you'll enjoy learning more about the people on “Live 2 Hunt with Cody and Kelsy Robbins” TV (www.live2hunt.com) from Kelsy’s point of view. Kelsy Robbins has lived in Delisle, Saskatchewan, Canada, her entire life. She co-hosts their TV show, she’s a Mossy Oak pro, and her favorite pattern is Mossy Oak Break-Up Country. Kelsy says, “That pattern fits in with all the terrain we hunt. Before Country came out, I was 100 percent a fan of Mossy Oak Break-Up.” She’s a mom, a wife, a business partner, a barrel racer and an avid hunter - far more than the person you see on TV.
When Cody and I first started hunting together (see Day 1), I had a boyfriend, and Cody had a girlfriend. Often, we would talk about our date life. Cody would call me at work and at 2 a.m. when he was fighting with his girlfriend. He and I gave advice to each other. That’s part of the reason I put Cody in the friend zone, because we talked about things that friends discussed. Cody and I had been hunting together for a year after I took my big buck, and I had tucked him away in the friend zone. He was my hunting buddy and a good friend, but that was all. Cody flirted with me; however, I never saw it as flirting. I always thought of him as a nice friend. I should have picked up on the fact that Cody wanted our relationship to be more than hunting buddies. We’d be sitting in a blind from before daylight until after dark, and Cody would ask, “Are your feet cold?” I’d answer, “Yes.” Then, he’d say, “Well, take your boots off, and I’ll rub your feet and get them warm for you.” I’d say, “Okay.” Of course, when we got married, the foot rubbing went out the window.
One day we were hunting together, sitting on the side of a hill, and Cody told me he’d been in love with me since the first time we hunted together. “One day I'm going to marry you.” I thought, “Oh, my goodness, this is awkward. We've never even dated. We've only hunted together.” I didn’t know what to think, what to say, or how to react when Cody told me he loved me. This whole episode was going to take me a little while to understand. I said, “What? We’re good friends.” Even though I didn’t know what to say or how to react, Cody and I were such good friends we continued to hunt together. I don’t think we ever went on a date - we just kept hunting together. We both had horses. I was barrel racing, and Cody was team roping. So, when we weren’t hunting, checking trail cameras or baiting deer, we were on the rodeo circuit. We had very little time for dating. Our dates were when we went hunting, scouting or rodeoing together.
Once Cody first started thinking about having his TV show, he’d call me in the wee hours of the morning and ask me to help him think of a name for the TV show. I wasn’t surprised he wanted to have his own TV show. I thought it was a natural progression for his career. He loved working with Jim Shockey; he loved hunting; and he loved shooting video. So, I wasn’t surprised at all when he started talking about having his own show. Cody and I talked about everything in both our lives when we were just friends.
Cody was just starting his TV show, “Live 2 Hunt,” when we decided to be sweethearts instead of hunting buddies. We were really busy trying to put everything together for the TV show. After about 9 months, Cody proposed, but there just never seemed to be time to plan a wedding. So, we were engaged for 3 years before we married. I planned a wedding two different times, and we had to cancel both times. Once there was a trade show we had to attend on the day we planned to get married. The second time we had set a date for our wedding, I drew a tag for a mountain goat hunt. I couldn’t give up that tag and that hunt just to have a wedding. I also knew that Cody had left a good job with a regular paycheck and was now trying to make it on his own. The future was scary. I knew how much work and how much debt starting his own business had been for Cody. So, the thought of marrying him was financially scary.
My dad had a western wear store where I’d worked since I was 13, and then I managed the store for my dad. Actually, I had thought that I would take over my family’s business. I knew how to run a business, and the kind of debt you had to incur to be successful. But when you're in love, things that seem difficult don’t seem as difficult. My mom and dad always had loved Cody since we were small children. When we were just friends and hunting together, Cody would come over to my home for supper. I guess he was part of the family before he was officially part of my family. Once the shows and hunts were over, we did find time to get married.
I first started hunting with Cody when I was 19, and he told me he loved me and wanted to marry me when I was 24. We finally got married in 2012 when I was 29. From the beginning of my relationship with Cody until now has to be the most weird relationship I ever have been in previously. But our relationship has been one of the most fun parts of my life. Part of the reasons is because Cody is one of the most upbeat persons I ever have known. I'm just the opposite. I worry about every little thing, and I get stressed out fairly easily. Cody just sort of balances both of us.
To learn more about hunting, check out John E. Phillips’ new eBook and print book, “Bowhunting Deer: Mossy Oak Pros Know Bucks and Bows.” You also can download a free Kindle app that enables you to read the book on your iPad, computer or Smartphone.
For information on making jerky from your deer to provide a protein-rich snack, you can download a free book from http://johninthewild.com/free-books.
