In Pursuit of More than Big Bucks 

Buckmasters’ Bushman looks back on 40 years of promoting deer hunting

It all started with a bream fishing trip.

Years ago, a grandfather took his young grandson to the water, introducing him to the simple joys of fishing and the outdoors. Neither of them could have imagined that the little boy holding a fishing pole would one day become one of the most influential figures in the hunting world.

This year, Jackie Bushman marks two milestones: his 70th birthday and the 40th anniversary of Buckmasters, the organization he founded that has helped shape modern deer hunting and conservation.

The path that led Bushman to a lifetime in the outdoors didn’t begin with his father, Jackie Bushman Sr., who preferred tennis courts and basketball courts to deer woods and fishing holes. Instead, it was Bushman’s maternal grandfather, John Walraven, who sparked his lifelong passion.

“My grandfather was the outdoorsman,” Bushman says. “That’s where I got the bug!” 

But like his father, young Jackie also enjoyed sports and was an athlete in school; several colleges recruited him for basketball and tennis scholarships. He accepted a tennis scholarship to Auburn University.

“In tennis, I was first in Alabama, a top five in the South and top 30 in the country,” Bushman says. “I love to hunt and fish and Auburn was close enough to my deer stand.” 

After college, he played professional tennis for five years, but a bad ankle hampered his performance. He became the tennis director at Lagoon Park in Montgomery.

While at Lagoon Park, Bushman met Perry Mendel, a real estate developer and the founder of KinderCare Corporation. Mendel asked Bushman if he wanted to do anything besides teach tennis for the rest of his life. 

The Bushman family knew the late Ray Scott, founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society.

“I was good friends with Ray,” Bushman says. “His sons were in my fraternity at Auburn. His daughter was the sweetheart of our fraternity. Ray was also in my hunting club. One day, Ray and I were hunting, and he told me how he started B.A.S.S. (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society) I told Mr. Mendel that I would like to do something to promote deer hunting the way Ray promoted fishing.”

Starting out

Mendel suggested that Bushman make a video about how to hunt deer. Before the internet, many people bought instructional videotapes on various topics. Bushman shot a two-hour videotape on basic deer hunting and sold sponsorships.

Then, Mendel suggested Bushman use that money to establish his deer hunting organization. Bushman hit the road to sell the concept and finally launched Buckmasters in 1986.

“I flew to California where all the ATV companies were to sell the Buckmasters concept,” Bushman says. “I didn’t have much luck. Finally, I talked to Richard ‘Rit’ A. LeFrancois, the chief marketing person at Yamaha. He believed in
the vision.”

Bushman then turned to Scott, the master promoter. Scott suggested Bushman hold a deer hunting event to generate excitement about his new organization. He started the Buckmaster Classic.

“I was watching a TV show with big athletes, actors and entertainers competing in various events,” Bushman says. “I wanted to do something similar, but with an outdoors format. At that first Buckmasters Classic, Bo Jackson, Dale Earnhardt and others came. I started with five sponsors. The next year, I had 20 sponsors and a list of celebrities who wanted to participate.” 

Bushman wrote an insert for Deer and Deer Hunting magazine. When the magazine no longer wanted the insert, Bushman turned to the KinderCare marketing staff to help design his own periodical. In 1987, Buckmasters magazine hit the newsstands focusing on deer hunting.

Then Scott suggested Bushman do a television show. When ESPN showed no interest in a hunting show, Bushman contacted The Nashville Network, now Paramount Network. They didn’t want to do a hunting show either.

“I called TNN back and told them about my event,” Bushman says. “They let me do a pilot just on my event. The Buckmasters Classic ran on a Sunday night in October 1988. That Monday morning, I was teaching tennis. People from TNN flew down to meet me. I was soaking wet with sweat, but I met four guys in the conference room. They said I brought them the highest rated TV show they had ever aired on their network. That’s how we put the first deer hunting show on major cable television. We went from 10,000 members to 100,000 after running for 13 weeks on TNN. 

Continuing popularity

Now, “Buckmasters” airs at 9 p.m. every Sunday on the Outdoor Channel, and on Wednesdays on the Field & Stream channel.

“Jackie is one of the pioneers of outdoors television and the outdoor industry in general,” says Marc Womack, a television producer from Columbus, Ga. “He’s influenced anyone who wants a television show or a YouTube channel because he was the pathfinder.”

“The longevity that Jackie has had in this industry is very unique,” Womack says. “He’s been on television for 38 years now and almost 40 with the magazine. That’s a huge accomplishment, especially how the industry changed so much in the past 40 years. He wants people around him to succeed. He’ll talk to anybody.”

Beyond the TV show, the organization has a robust social media presence, with more than 1.2 million followers. The organization also participates in such events as the Gamo Squirrel Master Classic and Buckmasters Life Hunt, which is similar to the Make A Wish Foundation but with a focus on hunting. Buckmasters also supports other programs for wounded warriors and disabled people.

“I don’t see myself as an outdoors celebrity, but it’s been an honor and a pleasure for folks to let me come into their living rooms and give them a little entertainment all these years,” Bushman says. “It’s been a heck of a ride. I had no clue it would ever get this big.”

For more information, visit buckmasters.com

The ‘what if’ deer that didn’t get away

During the past 40 years, the Buckmasters deer head logo has become iconic to every deer hunter. But it’s not just a logo – that deer really existed. Buckmasters founder Jackie Bushman calls it the “What If Deer.”

Outdoor writer Russell Thornberry came to a Buckmasters Classic Celebrity Hunt. Thornberry guided deer hunts in Canada and invited Bushman to hunt in Alberta. Thornberry edited Buckmasters magazine and other publications for years.

“I had never hunted in minus-30 degrees weather before,” Bushman says. “In the clothes I brought, I could only last about 10 minutes. After I froze my tail off, Russell had some clothing made for extreme cold weather and boots to go with them. One was a fleece vest. I wanted a full suit like that. The lady who made the vest started making full suits. I created a whole business for her.”

After hunting a couple days, they saw a huge buck about 500 yards across a river. Bushman wanted to hunt that buck, but first, they had to help another man recover a deer he shot.

After that, they didn’t have enough time to hunt where they saw that big deer. Thornberry suggested another closer spot to hunt that afternoon. Across the river, two hardwoods strands came together with a gap between them. Shortly before dark, a doe came out in that gap, followed by a massive buck.

“We have good deer in Alabama, but not compared to Canada,” Bushman says. “I squeezed off a shot. The deer turned and looked at me. I thought I missed. When it turned, I knew it was the record-book deer I saw that morning. I took another shot. When we crossed the river, water went over my boots. It was the coldest I’ve ever felt. On the other side of the river, I started running in circles to get my
circulation going.”

Thornberry found Bushman’s deer. The rack measured 176 inches, his personal best for years. A graphic artist made a depiction of that deer’s head, which became the Buckmasters logo.

“I call it the ‘What If Deer’ because so many ‘what ifs’ went into hunting it,” Bushman says. “What if I hadn’t met Russell at the Classic? What if I wouldn’t have gone to that spot that morning and hadn’t seen that deer? What if we wouldn’t have helped that guy recover his deer? What if we hadn’t gone to another spot because of that? Everything just lined up right.”