Yukoner's hunting show renewed for 2nd season on U.S. channel

A reality TVshow filmed in Yukon has been renewed for a second season in the U.S.

Greg McHale's Wild Yukon is now airing on the Sportsman Channel, only available in the U.S.The network says it reaches more than 36 million homes.

The showfollowsMcHale, a Yukon-based adventurer, on hunting journeys into some of the territory's most remote and scenic places. It's assembled by a team of only three peoplewho aimto give it a very "cinematic" look,McHale says.

"We are trying to produce a more cinematic style, where it's not so much about the harvest as it is about these wild places and the places where we have the access to hunt," he says.

The Journal of Mountain Hunting recently called the series"an incredibly well-produced show," and fans on Facebook have pepperedMcHale with questions about gear.

So far, ten episodes have aired. The renewal with the Sportsman Channel means another tenepisodes will be produced.

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McHaletravels with cinematographers David Brabec and Karl Blattman, who handle shooting and editing.It's a small crew, McHalesays.

McHale is a licenced pilot and even flies a float plane himself to reach locations. But the show often focuses on travel which includes kayaking, pack rafting and long hikes up mountain ranges.

One challenge is keeping the camera lenses cleanas the show tracks McHalethrough mud and snow.

"It's really a show about being in these wild spaces," he says. "The pulling of the trigger is one small part of the whole experience and we're trying toportray that."

McHaleand his crew assembled a pilot episode on their ownbefore signing a distribution deal with the Sportsman Channel.

The show joins other reality TV programs filmed in Yukon which have found an international audience, including Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet, and mining programs like Gold Rush and Yukon Gold.

Because of its distribution deal, McHale's show is not available to watch in Canada not even online.

He hopes the show will create more interest in Yukon tourism and outfitting, and thatthe images will appeal not only to hunters, but to photographers and anyone interested in back countrytravel.