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.
In 2009 or 2010, I drew a tag for my first elk hunt. Cody had hunted elk before, but he hadn’t taken an elk. He’d been running the camera when other hunters took elk. We were hunting in the prairie lands of Saskatchewan. To be honest, neither one of us really knew what we were doing. We weren’t even sure we knew how to use an elk call. Cody had an electronic caller. He turned it on and asked me, “How does that sound?” “I don’t know how it sounds, or how it’s supposed to sound,” I told Cody. Suddenly this big bull elk started running straight toward us, and our camera was 10 feet behind us. Cody and I didn’t know what to do. Needless to say, we didn’t take that bull, but we hunted elk for 2 more weeks.
We went into an area. Cody bugled, and a bull bugled back. The bull came toward us. Both Cody and I were charged up with adrenaline. Once the bull got close, I took the shot. Then, I turned around to look at Cody. Cody was just standing there. He had left the camera in the grass behind him. He didn’t even record the hunt. When we saw the bull go down, Cody came to me, picked me up and hugged me. We were both so excited we started crying. Cody swung me around and around in the air. When he put me down, we both were jumping and screaming. We were caught up in the moment. Cody wasn’t worried about the audio, the video, the camera or the TV show. He was just excited that I had taken this really nice elk.
That hunt was supposed to be one of our biggest episodes of the year for the TV show, but I believe that sometimes the hunt is more important and exciting than getting a show. I really believe that the title of our show “Live 2 Hunt” totally involves what that hunt meant. The show you didn’t see was much more exciting, rewarding and memorable than the hunts many of you have seen on our TV show, and I really think that’s okay. Like many of you, hunting is Cody’s and my passion.
The bull elk scored about 290 Boone & Crockett points. Although he wasn’t a trophy bull, having that bull come straight to us and screaming out a bugle right in our faces made that bull one of the most memorable bulls I’ll ever take. I'm sure Cody feels the same way. We were hunting on farmland. We talked to the landowner, and he allowed us to drive right up to the elk. We field dressed that elk, and loaded him in the truck, took him back to camp and skinned and processed him.
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.
Day 3: Kelsy Robbins Becomes an Outdoor TV Co-Host
Tomorrow: Kelsy Robbins Tries to Do It All
