T-Bone Turner to Visit West Virginia

The loveable Big Boy of the extremely popular Bone Collector TV series on the Outdoor Channel will visit West Virginia this weekend.   Travis "T-Bone" Turner will be the headliner of the West Virginia Bowhunters Association banquet in Flatwoods Friday and Saturday.

"I look forward to it, everybody needs to come out and celebrate the flight of the arrow with the West Virginia bowhunters," said T-Bone during a recent appearance on West Virginia Outdoors.

T-Bone spends much of the year on the road, either filming hunts in far flung destinations or in the off season making appearances like the one in Flatwoods to visit with fans and show support to the show’s sponsors.   He says it’s not a bad life for a country boy who stepped in the right mud hole.

"That’s a good analogy, ‘Stepped in a mud hole.’" laughs Turner.  "I knew a long time ago I wanted to do something in the outdoor industry, but I didn’t even fathom it could be like this."

Turner is co-host of the program whose namesake is the legendary Michael Waddell.  The third member of the self proclaimed travelling band of jokers is Nick Mundt.   Nick typically identifies himself as the lady’s man of the crew.   Waddell is fond of calling the whole outfit "country as a chicken coup."    Corny and off the chain as they may be, the boys have carved themselves a serious niche in the outdoors world and sportsmen nationwide have responded. 

"We do some research on our own and we have our own ideas of what we might want to do and then we have plenty of offers that come in, folks e-mail us all the time," said T-Bone. "Usually around May or June–and sometimes earlier because you sometimes have to put in for tags, we’ll have a big production meeting and map out what we’re going to do for the next season."

This past season’s highlights included a successful hunt by Waddell in Alaska.  Turner’s most vivid memory was a whitetail hunt in Mexico, where the team was escorted across the border by armed guards and protection was never far away for the entire trip.

As for a visit to West Virginia to film a hunt, Turner says it’s on the radar screen in the near future.

"Actually we’ve done a couple of turkey hunts (in West Virginia) but it’s been years ago.” said Turner. "We’re talking about doing a northeast show, I’m not going to specifically say West Virginia, but a Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, Virginia show because there are a huge number of hunters there."

Turner says the size of the game isn’t the key draw for their hunting plans.  He says it’s more about living the life.

"Thankfully, our show is based off the culture of the hunter," said T-Bone.  "It doesn’t hinge on, ‘Hey we got to kill a 180-inch deer.’  We’re celebrating the lifestyle of the hunter.  We want to celebrate you guys."

The always entertaining Turner will be the headlines speaker at the Bowhunters banquet in Flatwoods on Saturday night and says he’ll also be on hand for various seminars and generally fellowship with everybody on Friday and Saturday.

Tickets are available by calling WVBA President Ed McMinn at 304-993-2978 or for more information visit the WVBA Website.