HAHIRA —
The outdoors was where Michael Lee grew up.
Spending nearly all of his free time outside, Lee found a passion in outdoor sports, like hunting and fishing. He caught his first bass when he was just two years old.
Now Lee is living a dream, as he serves as the host of “Backwoods Life,” a weekly, nationally-aired, outdoors hunting show based near Valdosta.
Lee serves as a host alongside Kevin Knighton and Woody Sullivan. The show’s eighth season debuts tonight at 6 p.m. on the Sportsman Channel, and for the first time, the show will reach an international audience.
“This has been a very, very good ride for us over the last years,” Lee said. “Something I really want to get across to our viewers is that hopefully they can relate to what we do. For 30 minutes each episode, they can escape whatever is going on in their lives and relate to what we are doing on the show.”
Prior to the start of the show, Knighton had been involved with other video projects that turned out unsuccessful. But after Knighton and Lee met while shopping at a popular sporting goods store in Florida in 2003, the duo’s relationship took off and they started producing a hunting show, which turned into today’s version of “Backwoods Life.”
“(Kevin) and I just crossed paths on faith,” Lee recalled. “He was there to meet with another guy, and I guess they didn’t hit it off as well, and I saw some samples that Kevin brought that day. So we took that whole aspect of what we brought to the table, love for the outdoors and his video, and made a show.”
Today, “Backwoods Life” airs to an estimated 31 million households, as the Sportsman Channel airs on DIRECTV, Dish Network and various cable providers. Locally, the Sportsman Channel airs on Mediacom channel 177.
This season, the show will also be carried in Canada, thanks to a relationship with Wild TV.
“You never knew what it was going to be when we first started. It was a great unknown,” Lee said. “When we first started, we reached a few hundred households, but when you start saying we reach millions of households, it really is humbling.”
This season, “Backwoods Life” will feature 13 episodes. The award-winning show — it was named the 2011 Hunting Channel Online Award winner for Favorite Hunting Show — is described as “three down-to-earth guys in pursuit of large game throughout North America.”
“We try to show the good, bad and ugly, just the reality of what goes right, what goes wrong and what the average person goes through,” Lee said. “It is the reality of being out in the woods. Hopefully people can relate to their personal experiences.”
Lee and his co-hosts hunt various game, including Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer, elk, Black Bear, Pronghorn Antelope, Wild Turkeys and even alligator.
A native of Cordele, Lee spent his youth outdoors with his father. But his career didn’t take off until he became connected with Knighton.
Now, Lee says he is truly blessed for how his career has taken off.
“It is one of those things that any time you can make an income off something you love doing, it is a perfect scenario,” Lee said. “It isn’t even really a day’s work. I mean there is work, behind the scenes and stuff, but when you put it all together, it really is cool.”
When Lee is not hunting, he spends the majority of his time on his family farm in Hahira and supporting the Blazers at Valdosta State University.
“I get to go to a lot of cool places,” Lee said. “I have great friends, locally, and we go on trips together. And I did graduate from Valdosta State, so I am a Blazer supporter, but free time is something in the air. Usually when we get some, we already have something else planned.”
Local Sports
The nation is watching
‘Backwoods Life’ begins its 8th season tonight
- Local Sports
-
-
Georgia Sparks win championship in Orlando
The Georgia Sparks Basketball Teams traveled to Orlando, Florida to compete in Spring Fling 2 Super Region Tournament which took place at Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. This was a busy weekend for the Sparks which brought three teams and over 30 parents.
-
Manu Ginobili sparks Spurs to Game 5 win
Manu Ginobili ran onto the floor as fans stood and screamed.
He went to the bench, and they chanted his name.
The sights and sounds of so many San Antonio spring nights were back Sunday night — and the real party might be just a few days away.
Ginobili broke out of a slump in a big way with 24 points and 10 assists in his first start of the season, and the Spurs beat the Miami Heat 114-104 to take a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals. -
2013 South Georgia Diamond Brawl
The Lowndes Vikings baseball team is set to host the 16th Annual South Georgia Diamond Brawl, featuring 19 teams playing 28 games across four fields.
-
Jaguars Caravan 2013
The Jackonsivlle Jaguars’ caravan made a stop at the Valdosta Mall Saturday for their second visit in as many years.
-
Stormy weather halts play during US Open 1st round
Phil Mickelson rolled a birdie attempt 8 feet past the hole at No. 11. Steve Stricker did the same at No. 12. Bogey. Bogey.
And that wasn’t even the stormy part. -
Blackhawks beat Bruins 4-3 in 3OT Cup opener
The Chicago Blackhawks know all about Andrew Shaw’s reputation around the league. They also know the pesky little forward is so much more than just another irritant for opposing players.
-
Valdosta’s Eldridge inducted to Georgia Golf Hall of Fame
Frank Eldridge has been playing golf so long that he has spent nearly his whole life with a club in his hand.
-
“Must Win” continues to captivate readers
Drew Jubera has been pleased with the reaction to his book “Must Win.”
-
Spurs rout Heat, grab 2-1 series lead
Gary Neal may have dreamed it, though it was nothing Danny Green ever could have imagined.
Not back when he was LeBron James' teammate in Cleveland, scoring fewer points in the 2009-10 season than James scored in some games. -
Wildcats to compete at Byrnes passing tourney
The Valdosta Wildcats aren’t approaching the summer with a laid back attitude. America’s winningest high school football program has been hard at work the past few weeks.
- More Local Sports Headlines
-



