The cast and crew of Red Arrow TV have spent 10 great years making the show, and host Kip Campbell shares some highlights.
When you reach certain milestones in your profession, especially ones that focus on tenure and longevity, there's usually a lot of "looking back" to be done. But when I spoke with Kip Campbell about the upcoming 10th season of Red Arrow TV on Outdoor Channel (premiering Sunday, July 2 at 8:30pm EST), he had a slightly different take.
"For me, it feels like we're just getting started," Campbell told me over the phone. "We're just starting to get some things in place, like making the show the way we want to make it, getting to places we want to be as far as hunting grounds, and making headway in other places, too."
A decade is a long time, but when you're more focused on the future, that's a big sign that you are on the right path.
"Not to say we haven't done some cool and fun stuff in the past," said Campbell, "but we're just looking to keep pushing to the next level. We started our own firearms company now, sort of a branch off of Diamondback Firearms, and we've got some other things in the works that we're pursuing. I'm looking forward to the next 10 years, man."
Here's the season 10 trailer to get you ready for what's in store:
There are some really good TV shows, and not just in the hunting world, that don't last 10 seasons. That's not to belittle the achievement, but instead it's a fact taken to heart by Campbell.
"I always knew I could be in the game for that long, but I can't believe it went by that fast," Kip said. "That's the biggest thing. It seems like it was last year that me and Kat were living in a little tiny apartment, trying to get 'Red Arrow' all put together, get our videos to the right people, and trying to make some contacts. And here we are, 10 years later, on Outdoor Channel."
We ought to make it known that Red Arrow has moved to a new, more prestigious time slot of Saturday at 10:30 am EST. It's a position Campbell coveted and feels especially proud of.
"We are really excited about the new show time," he mentioned. "Maybe I was kidding myself before, but we've never had a true primetime spot in 10 years."
What can we expect once the season gets rolling? Kip said he finally got his first antelope in Montana, and went on an incredibly memorable elk hunt that will be featured in the new 10th season. He mixed in some big Texas hogs, whitetails in his home state of Virginia, and more than a few shenanigans. "We had some wild and crazy times," he said.
We can only imagine what didn't make the new episodes...
Campbell, as he always is, was extra candid about hunting's societal role, and his role within it. The Red Arrow Facebook page is a place where hunters can feel welcome, and the Instagram and Twitter accounts are must-follows for any outdoorsman. Kip's outspoken, and thinks that's the way things should be.
"I think the hunting industry needs to be one of the more bolder places, where we can step out and say, 'No, we're free to do what we want that's inside the laws of the country we live in. And anything short of that, y'all need to get out of our face. We're not going to apologize about it.'"
Kip has set goals with Red Arrow, and he's accomplished many of them. Some, like a Hawaii hog hunt, have yet to materialize, but it's not a stretch. It'll happen, eventually, because Kip's determined to see it through.
"I got to give all the thanks to God and the good people I've met along the way," Campbell said. "He drug me kicking and screaming through the hardest parts of it, but especially the guys and girls we've met along the way. The relationships we've built. I feel pretty blessed to have met some amazing people over the years."
So, like Campbell said, if anyone's as in to hunting with their bow as he is, and not too high on apologizing for it, they're going to enjoy this new season.
Catch new episodes form the 10th season of Red Arrow TV Tuesdays on Outdoor Channel.
NEXT: KIP CAMPBELL OF RED ARROW GETS A LOUD HUNTING SURPRISE
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