Delta Dude, Dakota Ducks: Small Town Big Time

Travis Tritt, recorded a song titled,"I'm Gonna Be Somebody" and well, needless to say, I am well on my way after this past week. ;) My boss told me at the beginning of the summer that DU TV was interested in filming her crews and getting the scoop on the research she is conducting. I was thrilled to hear this news but wasn't sure it would ever come to fruition, until two weeks ago when I learned the film crew was scheduled to arrive on June 12. You can imagine the excitement I felt knowing there might be a possibility that I would be on The Outdoor Channel. I can remember back to earlier years and the countless hours I spent sprawled on the futon in "The Delta Room" becoming engrossed with footage captured by The Outdoor Channel camera men. Back then, I only dreamed of seeing my face on a national TV show, today, it's a reality.

Tuesday night, Mike Checkett, one of the hosts of DU TV treated both crews to supper in Minot, in order to discuss what the film crew was hoping to capture over the next two days. We all enjoyed a delicious meal and after hearing what they had planned, we went home eagerly awaiting the next morning.

Wednesday, I performed the nest-checks for my crew while the camera men accompanied them as they drug a wheat field not too far from our house. So I was not filmed for the first time until Thursday morning, and what an experience that was! The film crew shot an opening scene of us gathered around the trucks discussing what was on the agenda for the day and then our morning departure. Later that afternoon they caught up with us again to film us conducting nest checks. (They had spent the morning filming "the refuge crew" nest search one of their fields.) After they had filmed us performing several nest checks, they brought us back to the trucks in order to interview each one of us.

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the DU TV hosts, the camera men, and getting to witness first-hand just what it takes film a show for television. It was an experience I will not soon forget.