by Jody Kerzman | Submitted Photos
Shelby Arman has always been a “daddy’s girl.”
“I’ve always wanted to go everywhere with my dad. We have a bond that just can’t be replaced,” says Shelby.
While Shelby and her dad, John Arman, have always been close, they became even closer when Shelby fell in love with hunting.
“She killed her first turkey when she was five years old,” John recalls proudly.
“I remember getting my first deer when I was in seventh grade,” remembers Shelby. “There was just something that hooked me. Getting to be in the woods and listening to all the sounds and smells and seeing things that a lot of people don’t see. Every time you step out in the woods it’s different and you never know what you may see or what may happen and I love that.”
John is part of “Ultimate Outdoor Adventures TV,” a regionally-based hunting and fishing show that is televised throughout North Dakota, parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Montana. He and business partners Kurt Schirado and Jason Wright just finished their 15th year. This show has given them the opportunity to travel throughout the Midwest and Canada filming their adventures.
“We were doing some online content for the website fishingbuddy.com when we were contacted by a local TV station about some future business,” explains John. “In the conversation someone brought up the idea of us doing a TV show and the rest is history.”
The three men still work their full-time jobs—John and Jason are teachers and Kurt works in the construction supply business. For them, the show isn’t about fame or fortune; it’s a chance to do what they love.
“We got into the industry because we love to hunt and fish,” John says. “It has blossomed. We are one of the longest running and most watched shows in our region.”
The show is a full-time commitment. The “Ultimate Outdoor Adventures” crew is gone every weekend from the end of August through early January. John says it wasn’t always easy leaving the family behind when the kids were young, and is quick to thank his wife, Teri, for keeping things running at home all those years.
“I can remember when my dad would be leaving for Canada and I would stand on the driveway crying as he would be driving away,” says Shelby. “I couldn’t wait to be old enough to join him on his hunts and now that I am it’s something I wouldn’t trade for anything. He has opened my eyes up to a world like no other. I have had the chance to hunt and fish in several states and provinces and meet a lot of great people along the way. I’ve only hunted twice without him and both were unsuccessful. We’ve always been hunting partners and I hope to continue doing this for a long time.”
And all those hunts have been captured on video.
“We film every time we go hunting,” says Shelby. “There is a lot of extra work that is involved in filming a show, and sometimes it’s hard because you just want to go and not mess with the cameras but when a show comes together, it’s the best feeling ever.”
“Filming is something that gets in your blood and whether you are running the camera or hunting there is something about it that drives you to keep doing it. I haven’t shot an animal off camera in 15 years and now that I have my daughter by my side it means even more,” says John.
“I have been lucky and have a dad who has taken the time to teach me how to hunt and fish; he has taught me that it is not about the kill but about the memories and friendships you make along the way,” notes Shelby. “I take hunting very seriously and when you take an animal’s life it gives you a different perspective on your own life. I have always felt that each time I kill an animal a little piece of me also dies. There may be a time in my life I choose not to hunt but until then I will be thankful and appreciate what God has given me and cherish every moment.”
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