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Season Two of The Raven Project Underway |
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Popular streaming series chronicles ongoing transformation of Missouri whitetail-hunting property |
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MUSKEGON, Mich. (April 18, 2022) – Streaming. It’s changed the way we listen to music and watch our favorite shows and videos. It’s also changed the measure of popularity, as listeners and viewers decide what they like, not networks and radio stations. Thanks to streaming, the legions of deer-hunting faithful have more programming choices than ever before. Some can be hard to sit through; a few, however, combine useful information, great storytelling, outstanding production value, and real entertainment driven by quality characters – real people who aren’t trying to be anything more than what and who they are. Deer hunters, land managers and all-around outdoors enthusiasts who haven’t caught The Raven Project – the latest streaming video series from hunter and producer, Randy Birdsong, now entering its second season – are missing something special. A Missouri native, Birdsong may be best known in hunting circles for his award-winning work on popular network TV shows like Whitetail Freaks and HeadHunters TV. He says The Raven Project chronicles the efforts, successes and failures – everything – that goes into the transformation of a chunk of raw acreage in Missouri (named The Raven, more on that later) into a premier whitetail-hunting property. “The biggest thing is I see in The Raven Project is reality meeting education,” Birdsong says. “We took raw hunting land in Missouri with the idea that we’d take viewers along for everything we’re trying to do there to make it an incredible hunting property and camp. So there’s really a lot of ample, nuts-and-bolts stuff surrounding whitetail and overall wildlife management that’s interesting to anyone who hunts deer or manages a property… food plots, game cameras, mowing, clearing, all that. But it’s not that mundane, because you’ve got all these characters there – myself, my brother Cody, my buddies Dustin Reece, Nate Hosie and others – trying to get their $.02 on everything, trying to kill deer, prank each other, and generally just doing what people do at deer camp.” |
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Any average deer hunter, expert land manager or aspiring land manager will appreciate the information and entertainment The Raven Project delivers, but its special appeal, perhaps, comes from the way Birdsong and his production team have learned to tell a story. The quality of production is top-tier; camera work and post-production editing are executed at consistently high levels. “The Ratshack is the hub of the Raven,” Birdsong says, referring to the 1970’s-vintage two-room cabin Raven members use as their lodge. “We’re recreating and trying to improve on what we grew up with 30 years ago – us and a lot of other deer hunters like us. This isn’t the story of the wealthy. This is the story of the modern-day average deer hunter and we’re just documenting everything we’re doing.” When asked about the name of the property and series, Birdsong says it’s a name that stuck as a result of something he and his crew experienced during a New Mexico elk hunt several years ago. “Everyone’s got their crazy stories, right?” Birdsong inquires. “I shot my first elk with a bow a number of years ago and didn’t make an ideal shot. The blood dried up after we’d looked for the animal for a long time. I spotted a raven sitting at the very top of a tree some distance away and for some reason I asked that bird to lead us to the elk. Long story short, he did!” |
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Birdsong says he’s grateful to viewers for following their efforts and antics every week, but also to his key industry partners for helping provide the resources that make The Raven Project (the show) possible. “ScentLok is a company that makes great products we used long before our TV days,” he says. “I’ve enjoyed a 15-year partnership with the folks there and I’ve watched as they consistently develop new technologies and push the boundaries of what can be done to help deer hunters have even better experiences. They’re great people making great products and we couldn’t be prouder or happier to have their ongoing support.” The Raven Project, presented by ScentLok, can be seen on Waypoint TV, Realtree365 and YouTube. |
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ABOUT NEXUS OUTDOORS Nexus Outdoors, headquartered in Muskegon, MI, USA, is a leading worldwide designer, marketer and distributor of performance, hunting and casual odor-controlling apparel, footwear and equipment under the ScentLok Technologies®, OZ®, Blocker Outdoors®, Whitewater, Hard Core® Waterfowl Hunting Apparel and Tree Spider® brands. It also owns American Range Systems, manufacturer and distributor of the world’s strongest and safest bullet traps. Nexus Outdoors is the only company with access to all scent-controlling technologies, including their patented Carbon Alloy™ and Cold Fusion Catalyst™ technologies, which provide superior success in the field. ScentLok and Blocker Outdoors are pioneers in the hunting industry, which many credit with creating a market focused on superior scent control to get closer to big game. |