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OUTDOORS
Tennessee Uncharted: The Hunt
Story by Rebecca Whalen Photograph by Bryan Allen
2:30 a.m. Middle T e n n e s s e e . And Erick Baker, host of the
Tennessee-focused outdoor show, Tennessee Uncharted—produced by Knoxville companies Design- sensory and PopFizz in partner- ship with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA)—gears up for an early morning hunt. However, unlike his many hunts as a kid, this is a first for the Tennes- see musician.
Fast forward a few hours and Baker sits in a turkey blind in
the woods during the Tennes-
see Governor’s One-Shot Turkey Hunt, the production team in locations near and far creatively finding ways to capture the mo- ment without scaring the wildlife. Three or four turkeys dance by, talking to one another in robust gobbles. “My breath was getting caught with excitement and ten- sion,” says Baker of the morning excursion. “Thankfully, all the things I learned in Season 1 (about hunting) came into play. My one shot was a good shot.”
Hunting is a Tennessee tradi- tion, which is why the Uncharted team has worked diligently to ensure the sport is represented throughout the series. Baker has explored the trainer-hunting dog
relationship. He’s poured through quailhuntinghistory,visited TWRA deer check stations, and tried his hand at duck hunting.
Hunting in Season 2 comes from a fresh perspective. “We’re starting to pull that education in, pay homage to some of the tradi- tional hunts in the state, but also talk about some unique hunts that you don’t often hear about, such as raccoon hunting,” says Taylor Wal- ters, an Uncharted producer. Baker finds many of the skills forged in Season 1 are more relevant as he embarks a little more indepen- dently on hunts in Season 2.
Don King, information and education chief at the TWRA,
says the show not only introduces viewers to types of hunts, but dials in on hunter education programs and TWRA land management tools that play critical roles in regulating wildlife populations and keeping the sport thriving
in Tennessee. “Hunting is a very valuable management tool,” he says. “Taking healthy animals and being able to use that (meat) in a positive way—whether you share it with a friend or you take it home and use that for your family—is a good thing all the way around.”
Rebecca Whalen is a senior writer for Cityview.
Tennessee Uncharted airs Saturdays at 7 p.m.
on PBS.
60 CITYVIEWMAG.COM JULY AUGUST 2015