| FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016

8A | FYI OUTDOORS
MATT SCHUCKMAN
Sports Editor | mschuckman@whig.com

Beauty is
always there
to behold

T
he dust kicked up
by a car speeding
down the gravel road
overtook everything.
Realizing this just as
I made the turn off the asphalt, I
decided to pull to the side of the
road and wait.
There was too much being lost
in the billowing smoke to plow
through and potentially miss it.
Besides, when youre on a
country road, a breeze blowing
in through the open window of
your truck and the sun setting
behind you, theres no reason to
be in a hurry.
Im so glad I wasnt. Ed Spoonmore, one of the creators of Dead On Outdoors, sizes up a shot during the fall archery deer season in Adams County. Spoonmore, Kolby Fox, Brody

Taking dead aim

These arent Sunday drives for
me. They are an any day drive.
My wife calls them little adven-
tures, especially when I have my
dog, Buster, with me, but I take
to the backroads looking for
inspiration and clarity.
Sometimes I find it.
Sometimes I dont.
What I always find is the
beauty of the outdoors.
After the dust settled on this
particular night, such beauty
was at every turn. About 100
yards down the gravel road,
which ran parallel to a Missis-
sippi River drainage ditch, fish
kept rippling the water in their
pursuit of bugs for an evening
snack.
It was like they planned their
attack, too. Every few seconds,
anywhere from 5 to 10 feet
apart, fish would break the wa-
ters surface. One after the other,
they kept popping up
I was left looking for the next
one and disappointed when no
more jumped. So when I spotted
the next set of ripples, there was
a rush of adrenalin, but it didnt
stop me in my tracks.
Only a blue heron could.
As I made my way along,
watching cardinals dart past
and a hawk make circles above,
looking for a field mouse I pre-
sumed, I came to a bend in the
road. At this point, I had seen
one turtle sitting on a log and
nothing else.
So I wasnt expecting any-
thing else.
Yet, as the road curved away
from the water and headed back
toward the highway, I glanced to
my left. Standing on fallen tree,
just a few yards from the bank, a
blue heron stood.
It took a moment to register
that such a beautiful bird would
be perched so close. When I
realized it, I hit the brakes and
began slowly backing up.
I wanted a better view, but I
didnt want to scare it off either.
So I parked the truck, jumped
out without slamming the door
shut and slowly walked a few
yards back to the spot I had seen
the heron.
I was without a camera, but I
did have my iPhone. So as I got
closer, I fumbled with the phone
to punch in the passcode and
click on the camera icon.
Everything was set. I had
a good close view of the bird
closest I had ever been to a
heron and my phone ready to
snap a picture. The only thing I
lacked was the ability to make
the bird stay put.
It took off before I could take
the picture. I watched the heron
sail the length of the ditch and
make an arching swoop in the
direction of the river.
It faded into the dusk, while I
got back in my truck and headed
home. I kept looking in my rear
view mirror for a glimpse of the
bird. I never saw one.
All that was left behind me
was a glistening sunset silhou-
etting the trees.
That was good enough.
That was beautiful, too.
Davis and Nick Grant hope to turn their passion for hunting and fishing and their technological know-how into a potential television show. | Submitted photo
Group of local outdoorsmen hope to turn passion, technological
savvy into video pursuit that could be television worthy
By MATT SCHUCKMAN
Senior Writer | 217-221-3366
mschuckman@whig.com | @SchuckWHIG
QUINCY After listening
to the creators of Dead On Out-
doors discuss the inspiration for
their organization, Brody Davis
finally decided to interject.
He wanted to make one thing
perfectly clear.
Its not solely about hunt-
ing, Davis said. Outdoors cov-
ers everything fishing, hunt-
ing, whatever. Anything to do
with the outdoors is what were
about.
For Davis, thats abundantly
important.
The rural Adams County resi-
dent is an angler by nature and a
hunter by choice, and he doesnt
want to see the organization
limit its scope. Besides, fishing
trips caught on camera can be
just as entertaining as a turkey
or deer hunt, especially if Davis
is involved.
As long youre the one who is
in front of the camera on a fish-
ing trip, Ill watch it, Kolby Fox
looked at Davis and said.
The goal is for all four of the
Dead On Outdoors organizers to
have a turn in front and behind
the camera.
Armed with knowledge of
video editing and graphic de-
sign and blessed to have their
own property to hunt, Fox and
Ed Spoonmore conjured up the
idea of starting their own hunt-
ing video outfit. Conversations
turned into creative brainstorm-
ing sessions and eventually into
filming their first hunts together.
We like to hunt and what bet-
ter way to have fun, Spoonmore
said. You get it on film and get
to watch it again.
And they have. Over and over
and over again.
How many times have we
watched that turkey hunt?
Spoonmore said.
Its not done just to relive the
moment. The purpose of watch-
ing the video countless times is
to pinpoint ways to become bet-
ter hunters and better videogra-
phers.
Thats the only way they will
If we get big, we get big. If we dont, we can look back and say,
Hey, we did this. We had fun. Look at what we did. Whatever it
becomes is how were approaching it.
Kolby Fox takes aim at a deer from a treestand during last falls Illinois
archery season. Fox and Ed Spoonmore developed the idea for Dead On
Outdoors, an organization of local hunters who are looking to put their hunts
on film. | Submitted photo
ever get on TV, which is one of
their goals.
If we get big, we get big, Fox
said. If we dont, we can look
back and say, Hey, we did this.
We had fun. Look at what we
did. Whatever it becomes is how
were approaching it.
If it gets that big and we get
on TV, were going to run with it.
If we get to where we are guid-
ing, were going to run with it.
Creating their own organiza-
tion is a solid start.
The ultimate goal would be
to get on TV. That would be phe-
nomenal, Spoonmore said. We
all watch (hunting TV shows)
and want to do it.
Thats where the inspiration
came from.
Ive been thinking about it for
a while, Fox said. I was like,
Heck with it, might as well try.
I had the camera and thought Id
film myself and figure out who to
edit them myself.
Luckily, Spoonmore had a
background in computer graphic
design and the capabilities to
edit.
It was the perfect marriage of
know-how and passion.
It kind of took off from there,
Spoonmore said.
The addition of Davis and Nick
Grant has enhanced their oppor-
tunities and reach, specifically
Kolby Fox, co-founder of Dead On Outdoors
Want to learn more about
Dead On Outdoors? Check out the
organizations page on Facebook for
pictures, sponsors and hunting and
fishing talk.
because Grant lives and hunts
in Northeast Missouri and has
a passion for waterfowl hunting.
Thats allowed Dead On Out-
doors to satisfy another audi-
ence.
So has the fact all four are avid
archers.
The group has participated in
sanctioned 3-D shoots across
the state throughout the sum-
mer sporting attire featuring the
logo they developed. Each place
theyve been, theyve been met
with quizzical looks because of
the unknown nature of their
group.
A lot of people will ask, Is that
a bow shop? Grant said.
Once they explain their pur-
pose and goal, the response be-
comes positive.
There are all kinds of people
out there doing it, Spoonmore
said. Ive had people talk about
what theyve done, and Ive had
people then try to sell me cam-
eras. There are so many people
out there who have an interest in
seeing the hunts happen.
Collectively, the Dead On Out-
doors braintrust understands its
a niche market and it will take
time to build a video library and
a solid reputation. That already
seems to be happening.
RTD Turkey Calls, a company
based in Grafton, Ill., has al-
ready come aboard as a spon-
sor, and talks with other outdoor
manufacturers are ongoing. Its a
small start with big goals, but the
organizers of Dead On Outdoors
are committed to the process.
The only way to go is up,
Spoonmore said.