Exclusive Interview With Chris Brackett: Why He Left Arrow Affliction and What’s Next!

As most of you know, I’m a huge fan of Arrow Affliction and the work that Chris Brackett has done on that show, so you can only imagine how excited I was when Chris agreed to chat with me on the phone this past Friday. With the recent rumblings about Chris leaving Arrow Affliction, I knew I wasn’t the only one curious about what happened, so I knew this would be a great conversation to share with the Wired To Hunt Nation.  So without further adieu, let me fill you in on what’s new with Chris Brackett.

Chris’s Plans for This Winter?

Chris has been hitting the industry trade shows, such as the ATA and SHOT shows and the consumer shows will be starting soon. He will be traveling to Harrisburg, PA, Nashville, TN and Virginia to say hi to the fans and launch his new gear, underneath the Brackett Outdoors umbrella.  Very soon Chris will be releasing a new line of Brackett Outdoors “Rut’n Hard” Gear, which will include apparel such as hoodies, ball caps,skull caps and shirts. He was particularly excited about the style, which he described as really fitting what he is all about. In particular he mentioned some pretty badass black on black designs that he thought people would really like. This gear should become available on www.BrackettOutdoors.com soon.

Why Did Chris Leave Arrow Affliction?

Due to confidentiality agreements, Chris could only disclose so much. But when it came right down to it, Chris and Intermedia Outdoors (the company that owns AA) had differences of opinion on where the focus of the show should be. In the end, Chris said “it’s not about the money, it’s about making great television.” Chris said that he and Intermedia worked hard and well together, but in the end he wanted to do some things different and they did not want to relinquish control. “I’ve got some really cool ideas and they just weren’t cool with it. I wanted more control, but they just aren’t structured like that.”

Where Will Arrow Affliction Go From Here?

Arrow Affliction will continue to run through June of this year and then the next season will be taken over by a new host, Brooks Johnson. Brooks Johnson was the founder of Double Bull Blinds and in Chris’s opinion he is amazing with a recurve bow. But is he as hungry is Brackett is? CB has things to prove to himself and the doubters of his past, but does Brooks?  We will just have to see.

Chris commented, “I’ll probably still watch Arrow Affliction, I’ll cry but I’ll still watch it! It’s still my baby that I helped make.”

What’s Next For Chris?

Chris will be launching a new show, underneath the Brackett Outdoors banner, with a still undisclosed name.  Filming will be done this summer and fall, with the new show hopefully premiering somewhere around the beginning of 2011. So whats the new show going to be like? Chris explained that it will be “just as wild and crazy as me.” One example of a change he plans to make is to put the lovely Jodi Barnes in front of the camera going after some critters! You might remember her as the Ring girl who typically throws things in the air for Chris to shoot on Arrow Affliction. Well it sounds like she’ll have a much bigger role in his new project. Chris said of Jodi, “she’s a stone cold killer.”

Not only will Chris be launching a new show, but also a new movement.  Chris will be creating the “Rut’n Hard Warriors” which will be a club open to join to fans and fellow hunters who are similarly “afflicted” as he. To sign up he mentioned a cost of $100, but benefits include a hat, t-shirt, certificate and entry into frequent drawings and give aways that will  be sent out by Chris whenever he damn well pleases. He listed giving away three free extreme bowfishing trips as an example of the prizes he would like to give out. But two more big perks he mentioned got me especially excited.

First, if you are a “Rut’n Hard Warrior” you will be welcome and invited to join Chris at his farm at annual parties and bashes, of which some might include some entertainment from his buddies in the country music industry. Secondly, he explained that he is working out deals with his most preferred and frequented outfitters, to get discounted rates for any “Rut’n Hard Warrior” who joins Chris when he is hunting with one of these outfitters. Chris threw out the number of maybe $600 off when you join him at one of these outfitters. So essentially you’d get to spend a week hunting and hanging out with Chris and his boys at the camp and get an awesome hunt for somewhere around $600 bucks off! That sounds pretty sweet to me.

Overall it was an awesome talk with Chris, he covered a lot more in regards to how he got into the hunting industry and why he finds it so gratifying. But that will all have to be saved for another time. Needless to say, this guy has worked his ass off to get to where he is and he is in it for the right reasons. When it comes down to it, he does his show and his hunting because he loves to do it and he loves to be a source of entertainment for people. Arrow Affliction was awesome, but it sounds like he has much bigger plans for the future and I’m definitely pumped for that. I’ll continue to keep you all in the loop on what’s going on with Chris’s new project, as I’m sure it’s going to be some pretty awesome stuff.

And just as a teaser, I have one last big scoop from my talk with Chris that I’m not going to drop for a little bit longer. But a lot of you are going to be pretty pumped to hear about what Chris is planning on doing, so stay tuned for some exciting news in the next couple weeks!

Couple questions for you guys. What do you think about Brooks Johnson as the new host of Arrow Affliction? AND what would you like to see Chris do differently in his new show?