Over the years you have enjoyed Bowhunter Magazine on the printed page. But I'm pleased and proud to announce that we now will be bringing our own brand of bowhunting reality to television with Bowhunter Magazine TV.

We will begin videotaping during the 2004 season, and the program will air on The Outdoor Channel (TOC) starting in July of 2005.

Perhaps you might ask: Don't you already have a program on TOC? In recent years we have sponsored Bowhunter Magazine's The American Archer, which is hosted by Tom Nelson and owned and produced by the good folks at Michigan-based Wolf Creek Productions. But Bowhunter Magazine TV will be produced entirely by Bowhunter Magazine, Inc. And it will feature the same quality content you've come to expect from this magazine, featuring the full-time staff, field editors, and contributors you read in each issue of Bowhunter.

Content of the program will mirror the content of Bowhunter. As in the magazine, we will emphasize the knowledge and pursuit of whitetail deer. But, just as we do in the magazine, we also will take you across North America to ensure a variety of bowhunting adventure, from Alaska to Mexico, from California to New England, and for elk, mule deer, bears, antelope, turkeys, moose, and all of the other species we bowhunters commonly pursue.

To assure professional quality, both in videotaping in the field and editing in the studio, we have retained the in-house services of the TV experts at In-Fisherman Television (a partner at Primedia Outdoors), and we also have hired long-time Contributor Larry D. Jones as our full-time TV producer. You're familiar with Larry through his many features and his regular column, "Jones' Hunting Tip," in this magazine. For more than 20 years, Larry also has owned and operated Wilderness Sound Productions, a company that makes calls and produces hunting videos.

Larry and I first videotaped a hunt together in 1987, and the result was Elk Fever, a popular video for many years. Since then Larry has shot and edited more than 20 videos for Wilderness Sound, three for Bowhunter, and numerous promotional videos for outfitters. The latest collaboration for Larry and me took place in October 2002. Larry videotaped me shooting a moose in Idaho, and that footage, aired on The American Archer, won TOC's Golden Moose Award for best big game footage aired in 2003. (See "Bowhunter's Journal," page 32.)

Not only is Larry an ambitious and talented video cameraman and editor, he also is a fair to middlin' bowhunter. Perhaps best known for his elk calling and hunting (see "How to Coyote for Elk," on page 78), he is no less accomplished at calling and treestand hunting for whitetails, and he has hunted many other species across North America and Africa.

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On Bowhunter's Huntin' Action video, he shoots an Alaska moose that measures 224 6/8, making it No. 5 in the Pope and Young record book at the time. And he bagged the SCI world record kudu in South Africa. (That would have been on video, too, except that Larry forgot to push the "record" button. We will talk to him about that before he starts shooting Bowhunter Magazine TV.)

In general, each weekly program will include two main features on hunting specific species. These will be taped in a way to capture the essence of bowhunting. We want you to feel as if you're right there with us, and we want to inspire you to seek your own similar bowhunting adventures. Above all, we want to be real. When you view the action on Bowhunter Magazine TV, we want you to know, "That was the real deal."

Along with these features, we will run regular hunting tips by our contributors and columnists. Like their columns in the magazine, their tips will be revealing and educational to help you become a better and more successful bowhunter.

Maybe we're premature in announcing this program this far in advance, but we want to keep you posted on what we're up to and that you can anticipate more great Bowhunter action in a new venue.

Above all, we want to assure you that nothing on our TV program will differ from what you've come to expect from Bowhunter Magazine. In these pages we have always tried to capture the reality of bowhunting. We've tried to be honest and real. Those are the qualities we will transfer to our television program. For more real bowhunting action from Bowhunter, stay tuned for Bowhunter Magazine TV.