Based in Kerrville. Just watched one of his DVD's on bongo/sitatunga hunting. Average quality DVD but very realistic based on my recent trip.

Checked the website - http://www.sportsmenonfilm.com/IranHunting.html

and found he books hunts to Iran and a couple of other places.

Anyone heard of this guy?

Ken Wilson was one of the video pioneers. Used to have the only video at the sports shows.

Yes, I have a bunch of his old VHS tapes. I haven't seen anything new in awhile. I know he had an office in the Kerrville/Ingram area for some time. Met him at the Cowboy Steakhouse years ago in Kerrville. He was very tight with Thompson Temple for a while booking hunts for exotics.

He is the one who did the Capstick videos way back when.

I had a video he did about hunting Musk Ox and also have the taped conversation he did with Capstick.

Ross

Yeah! Ken Wilson was doing African video before most everybody else. He did a couple of videos with Wayne Poceous(sp) and Ronny Sparrow in Zambia that really got me interested in hunting there.

Mark

He seems to be an agent as well - from what his website says. I had never heard of him.

Ken Wilson had a big hand in getting me involved in African hunting. I still have a ton of his old VHS tapes. He did a very good one on brown bear hunting in AK as well.

He could have owned the market...I wonder what happened. There is story in the current issue of Safari mag written by a guy named Ken Wilson but I don't know if it is the same guy.

I think quite a few people know him, he is at a lot of the hunting conventions; SCI, DSC. I have half a dozen or more of his videos, at least one of his books. I talked to him several times at DSC.

Yep, he was a pioneer in the video business. He and Capstick probably inspired more Americans to go to Africa on safari, than any 2 people I can think of....


Mad Dog

I certainly enjoyed his tapes. I met him at a show and he was very generous with his time, signed books and discussed every topic I brought up like I was an old longtime friend. I especially remember a tape of him hunting and using the high shoulder or spinal shot for nearly every animal instead of the lower than mid-point and below shots.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
He could have owned the market...I wonder what happened.

Ken Wilson was a real pioneer of hunting videos. I still enjoy watching his early videos because they are so "raw".

Wilson's early videos were more like "let's go hunting and we'll bring a cameraman along to video tape it." The hunts that took place on these films was much more about "hunting" and much less about producing a hunting video. Case in point: in one video a hunter spots a leopard from the truck and shoots it. You couldn't really see the leopard as it was hidden behind some brush.

In the more current videos that we see today the hunter confirms that the cameraman is ready before he will even think of taking the shot.

His videos are realistic and honest. I do believe he has the funniest line I ever heard on a hunting video. It was on the Hunting the White Rhino with Peter Capstick.

Ken takes his first shot which hits a little far back, but then does a quick back up shot as the rhino runs away.

Peter Capstick then asks, "Where did you shoot him Ken?"

"Up his ass," replies Ken.

Capstick grimaces a bit, but then they do the follow up and find the rhino dead.

I can't imagine dialogue like that making it into the more modern productions we see now.

When I spent some time with Ron Sparrow at his home before the Vet's stole his farm, I saw all the tapes Ken did with Ronnie. No more raw that some of the many hunting shows of the early 70s. Entertaining and it was made better sitting with Ron explaining how everything came together. Although I do not know Ken in person, he sends me emails from time to time. LDK

Ken Wilson videos are some of the best in my opinion. He did inspire a lot of people to hunt in Africa. He came across as a common man that got to go to really neat places. Made people think to themselves...."some day I will do that... but with better looking eyeglass frames and longer shorts."

Ken Wilson was definitely a pioneer in the African hunting film industry! Part of the success was the fact that the films were sold through the SCI center in Tucson, Arizona, and at that time Wilson lived in California! He moved to Kerrville, Tx much later!

At the time when Sportsmen on Film were about the only films available on African hunting, and were VHS but at the time broadcast quality in films. His first four African hunting films were made form the footage of one long hunt! It was divided into separate hunts for the different animals! They were filled out to one hour films with interviews with Gordon Cundill, and PHC. Of course by today’s very modern cameras, and editing equipment standards these films are not top quality, but were top of the line in their day! I kept an old color TV and an old VHS player to view these old films. The films are what they are, vintage, but like a lot of vintage film have a value not found in some of the newer offerings. Like some of Curt Gowdy’s old, AMERICAN SPORTSMAN TV shows from the early 60s. Some of those shows were well done for TV viewers that you will never see on regular network TV today! I have some of those as well.

These films hosted people like Fess Parker, hunting Grizzly in British Colombia, Robert Stack, hunting African lion in Kenya, Peter Fonda, hunting Caribou in Canada , Fred Bear hunting Polar Bear with a bow in the Artic, Jimmy Dean hunting moose in Alaska and Mike Connors hunting Cape buffalo in Kenya with a double rifle, something rarely seen in the hands of a client hunter in those days!

I have most of Ken's early VHS films and they do not show well on the new high-def TVs without a converter box to convert to digital format. I believe his films would still sell if re-mastered to digital Disc. People tend to tire of these old films, and throw them away, but they certainly shouldn’t do that, these things are part of the history of hunting before the antis took over the public media, with politically correct misinformation!


..................................................Showing one's age!

Mac, I have been thinking for a good while now, that it would be nice if someone could get hold of all the old shows from the original American Sportsman show from ABC with Curt Gowdy that had Bing Crosby and Phil Harris, Govenor Connally hunting elephant and remaster those for digital.

I have often thought the same thing. Those were some great shows.

I rented some of those old American Sportsman vids a few years back. Like a lot of things, memories tend to blur reality. They were high quality, but they were very short.

I have several of the old Wilson VHS's with Capstick. I think they are very good, but sort of funny, with Wilson beeing so down to earth and Capstick stalking around and pontificating like he was acting in a 1930's white hunter film. Its like everyone else is normal and Capstick is making a spoof of a movie in the middle of it.

I bought these all at the same time, along with a video called "Safari on the Suvuti" which had Jeff Rann as a beginning hunter. That may be the best video I have ever seen of African hunting as far as content and realism are concerned. I bought the video from Rann at a Charleston WV SCI show. I am ashamed to admit that I didn't discuss hunting with him, because I thought he was simply a local "pretty guy" in a safari jacket they had hired to man the booth. He seemed to be getting no business or interest. I was very surprised to watch the video and watch him put about the twelfth round up a buffalo's nose at 9 feet to stop a charge.

Art!

Whenever MsAAW asks what movie do we want to watch I always say, "Safari on the Savuti!"

I loved that film. Rand sure was young then. So was I.

Note to those younger: tomorrow when you wake up you too will be 50.

I've known Ken Wilson for approaching three decades, and can tell you that it would be tough to find a nicer guy.

Bill Quimby

Let me second Bill's endorsement. Ken is a great guy. His hunting autobiography has some good stories. The "Parade of Sashes" he pulled off in one safari Camp still makes me chuckle. Any old SCI hands that recall that pompous annual event will appreciate it.

I always thought Ken & Peter made a good pair.

He is a pretty good photogropher as well, I have a signed book from him and have seen some of his work. He is still in the Kerrville Texas region and I run into him at the DSC meeting mostly. I think he has converted all the tapes or at least some of them to DVD format now as well.

AnotherAZWriter - Dittos to everything you said from Jeff Rann back when to - well - the 50 thing. Accurate on both accounts.

LDK - Where is Ronnie Sparrow now and what is he doing?

quote:

Ken Wilson

Great entertainment!

quote:

Originally posted by 450/400 Jeffrey's:
AnotherAZWriter - Dittos to everything you said from Jeff Rann back when to - well - the 50 thing. Accurate on both accounts.

LDK - Where is Ronnie Sparrow now and what is he doing?

Friday 19th of August was my 50th anniversary to my second wife, and my oldest kid by my first wife was born in 1956, So, for anyone who thinks 50 is old I'll be happy to trade with you, and loose a little over 24 years in the bargain!
......................

We were in the same hunting camp in Sonora many years ago.
As all you have said he is a great person and also I have enjoyed much his films.
As a matter of fact, I am the one who is showed in the mule deer hunt in Sonora at his film.
Thanks for remained me such a good time.