During the first 2 weeks of March a great deal of my time was spent shooting stock photos to accompany writing assignments or to showcase client’s products.

Good friend, Jeff Hopkins, manages the Safety Education Programs for IL DNR and offered to be my model for some of the shoots. We spent several hours staging hunting-related scenes to illustrate tips, techniques or products in future articles. At various times throughout the day Jeff good naturedly accepted some teasing. “Hey, I do this for a living you know? Did I mention I make my living hunting, taking pictures and writing stories?”

Which brings me to the focus of this article; the number one question we hear across the country, at shows or in hunting camps; “How do I get a job doing what you do?” Actually, my husband Stan gets asked this question more often since he is featured in, or co-hosts, several top-rated television shows on 3 major networks. Yet most folks know we both get to go hunting and “tell stories” for a living (his on TV, mine in print) and that is certainly appealing.

Just before I finished this article I got a call from a friend who owns a video production company. One of their team members just quit. The pressure of worrying about the upcoming spring hunt, getting quality footage on film, dealing with the effects of weather on video equipment, correct sponsor product usage, time away from family, and countless other problems that require getting the perfect footage that doesn’t end up on the editing room floor, was just too much for the guy. He couldn’t take it. The real job was nothing like what he perceived from the scenes presented on TV in his living room.

As with any job there are many behind-the-scenes difficulties. I won’t dwell on those points because I know they won’t dissuade anyone from pursuing these dream jobs. So, how does one carve a career out of the hunting industry? There are many avenues to pursue; all require hard work, skills and talent just like any other profession.

First, you must be good at something other than killing quality animals. Here’s why. I also own a marketing company and represent companies in the hunting industry who are asked repeatedly to sponsor television shows. Newcomers (and some veterans) make a common mistake when presenting their proposal. The entire presentation is geared toward telling me how great they are, what they have killed, and what recognition they have received.

Don’t get me wrong, this is all valuable information. Unfortunately that is where the content of the proposal ends. The entire package is geared more toward why my company should be happy to be associated with them. Yet they leave out the other half of the pitch which really contains the primary feature of interest to my companies; what are you going to do for us? How are you going to put my company’s product in front of more eyeballs than anyone else, and do it better and more innovatively than the other 50 offers we received this week? We are really looking for the next great salesman embedded in that presentation.

If you want to have your own TV show, and need sponsors to help you present it, you should be a good salesman. Not many people know that for many years before moving into the hunting industry, Stan worked as an account manager in sales. He has a strong background in sales. In addition to being a great hunter, those qualities help him excel in the hunting industry. To companies interested in sponsoring individuals, salesmanship is an important skill.

You become a more appealing prospect when you convince a potential sponsor that you can promote their product better than the next guy because you possess salesmanship, credibility, strong ethics and respect for the animals you hunt, in addition to that resume of success in the field.

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Salesmanship is vital in the world of outdoor writing too. In a perfect world we would travel all over the country, on one hunt after another, write about them and collect paychecks. Yet, it doesn’t work that way. Editors receive hundreds of query letters every month. Your query must sell your story idea. Without that salesmanship, you may get more rejection letters than you ever imagined.

In television and print media, visual images are an important part of your project. Without great camerawork, a TV show can be painful to watch. It is also easier to sell a printed story if great photography is included in your query. Even if you are not the best writer, an editor can fix your words. If photography is not included in your query, this makes the editor’s job more difficult. Searching for suitable photos from another source adds to their workload. You have a much better chance of selling your idea if you provide the entire package.

The age old problem of, how do you get a job without experience and how do you get experience without a job, is just as true in the hunting industry as it is anywhere else. As with any profession, networking plays an important role. Although is may appear so, few people become overnight stars. Most likely, those whom you watch on television or read about in magazines and web pages started working their way up many years ago. Good luck and go after your dream job!