Has Tony ever been a member here? It's nice to have Ivan, Craig (until he was run off from here), Buzz, and others that have or have had videos/shows, but it would be nice to interact with Tony or Johan regarding some of the things seen on UWS.

I have also enjoyed his show, commentary, and writing. It would be nice to see him hear. I share is apparition for old rifles.

I like the show too, but on the whole if I was a "hunting personality" I wouldn't spend time here. Too much grief to be had. I have no beef with the show, but I do always get a kick out of Johan trying to explain why Tony missed a shot while telling you what a wonderful shot Tony is.

(In best Johan Calitz voice) "Tony is the best shot I've ever seen........but sometimes you just concentrate so hard when you're a good shot that you miss every other shot or so....and Bob's your uncle!"

"Tony shot at the bull 8 times and hit it once........and that one shot was the most fabulous piece of shooting I've ever seen!"

Brett

I doubt he'll ever be a member here. He doesn't seem to be real big on anything online, Mike Baker does all of the UWS Facebook stuff (and even he falls behind on posting updates).

I too enjoy Tony's writing and he's a very nice guy in person.

In my opinion, Tony doesn't need the grief and petty sniping found here on AR. He's a class act, just like Craig is. I have talked with him on the telephone personally and he is as genuine as you can get. I seriously doubt that you will ever see him here. Nothing on here for him. I enjoyed one of his latest shows that showed all of the screw ups that he committed on one of his hunts. It went to show just how human we all are and how hunts are not perfect. But, with all of that said, that man CAN shoot, and he shoots so many different rifles so well-doubles, bolts, lever actions, etc. His show is one of the best on Outdoor television

I believe he is a member of DSC (Anthony Makris is listed as a Life Sponsor Member in the directory)
I know he's been to the convention a few times

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
In my opinion, Tony doesn't need the grief and petty sniping found here on AR. He's a class act, just like Craig is. I have talked with him on the telephone personally and he is as genuine as you can get. I seriously doubt that you will ever see him here. Nothing on here for him. I enjoyed one of his latest shows that showed all of the screw ups that he committed on one of his hunts. It went to show just how human we all are and how hunts are not perfect. But, with all of that said, that man CAN shoot, and he shoots so many different rifles so well-doubles, bolts, lever actions, etc. His show is one of the best on Outdoor television

AS usual, spot on sir!

He actually spoke at a breakfast for life members at the DSC convention 2 or 3 years ago.
He likely makes enough money modeling clothes for the Beretta Shop on TV. He is the best dressed guy on a Safari I have ever witnessed.
Pardon me; I hope I am not sniping, just a little humor...

EZ

I enjoy the show, but damn, Tony wears an awful lot of clothing when hunting in hot weather! Johan has a SS shirt, as do the appies, while Tony wears a LS shirt under a Heavy vest with a neckerchief around his neck and a felt hat! PLEASE! I work up a sweat just watching the show!

Tony does take longer shots on DG than I prefer, more like Saeed, but to each his own.

quote:

Originally posted by LionHunter:
I enjoy the show, but damn, Tony wears an awful lot of clothing when hunting in hot weather! Johan has a SS shirt, as do the appies, while Tony wears a LS shirt under a Heavy vest with a neckerchief around his neck and a felt hat! PLEASE! I work up a sweat just watching the show!

Tony does take longer shots on DG than I prefer, more like Saeed, but to each his own.

Mike,

Its my understanding that Tony has some serious skin cancer/sun sensitivity issues. as some one who has a lot of family members with the same thing i can relate. I am certain he would like to be cooler and more comfortable-but sometimes you just work around medical issues.

Tony and I discussed that during his telephone call with me. Tony wears all of those clothes because he has had nearly every form of skin cancer known to mankind, including scares with melanoma. He said that he was silly and foolish when younger about exposure to the sun. Like many of us were with our non-use of hearing protection when younger. Stupid is a better description.

Great TV show, interesting characters, guns, and action galore, for sure.
Thought I would google Tony for this "homage," as I had read his name somewhere in the past,
involving politics and power-brokering.
He was "The Broker" for Moses too:




Political Consultant Behind Actor-activist Charlton Heston

May 25, 1997|By James Warren.

WASHINGTON — There may be no more self-obsessed, power-conscious, back-stabbing town than Washington--with the exception, of course, of Hollywood.

It's no accident that the two places have a rich, symbiotic relationship, with stars and pols sucking up to one another for decades.

Still, as political consultant Tony Makris acknowledges, many celebrities from the Left Coast are dabblers. They may be sincere but are short-timers, even hypocrites, on issues.

Then there's Charlton Heston, possibly the most high-profile non-professional pol in Tinseltown. A long career of off-screen lobbying was

capped recently when Heston, 72, upset the incumbent and won the first vice president's post on the National Rifle Association.

As usual, Makris was in the wings, offering advice as perhaps the one and only full-time political adviser to a celebrity.

(Major announcement: I will attempt to make this the first Heston-related piece not to cite, even as a weak joke, his portrayal of a Hebrew lawgiver who led his people out of bondage in Egypt to the edge of Canaan. Or to a muscular guy in a chariot.)

Makris, 42, is president of Mercury Group, the political subsidiary of a larger, Dallas-based lobbying and communications firm, Ackerman and McQueen. They do a lot of defense and foreign policy work for corporate clients.

But they also assist Heston, perhaps the only celebrity with full-time Washington political staff and legal counsel, as well as his own political action committee, called ArenaPAC.

Heston is no Johnny-come-lately to the political sphere. Even before Makris was born, he was campaigning for Adlai Stevenson. When Makris was in grade school, the actor was picketing segregated lunch counters down South.

They met in 1982 as Makris worked for a pro-military coalition against a nuclear-freeze referendum in California. Somebody suggested a call to Heston, who ultimately did some TV commercials and op-ed page articles.

Heston kept in touch to pick Makris' brain on arms control and defense issues. Meanwhile, Makris and fellow Republicans were conscious of the Democrats being more adroit in using celebrities, though their utility can be finite.

"It's easy to ask a celebrity to go on Air Force One or be on a podium with the president," Makris said last week. "It's more difficult to get him to go to Ft. Dodge, Iowa, for a pancake breakfast."

Heston was willing to do both. "I said, `If you're willing to do things like that, we're willing to staff you,' " Makris said.

When Makris himself headed to the Pentagon in 1985 as deputy assistant secretary of defense for House affairs (a liaison to Congress) under Caspar Weinberger, he continued the relationship with Heston.

"When I was at the Pentagon I sent him briefing papers on various issues," said Makris, who amended the comment to assure me that everything was on the public record, "the same stuff that went to the Armed Services Committee."

A typical, if high-profile, example of how it has worked in Makris' post-Pentagon career played out in 1992, after Heston returned from shooting a film in England.

Makris, who was once a reserve deputy sheriff in Alabama, told him about a brewing controversy over the rapper Ice-T's "Cop Killer" song. Law enforcers were irate. Heston, who also happened to own Time Warner stock, read the lyrics and was outraged.

The actor decided he would go to that year's shareholders meeting in Beverly Hills and confront chief executive Gerald Levin.

"I told him that he shouldn't read the lyrics at the meeting," Makris said. "I thought Charlton Heston, with the voice of Moses, uttering those profanities, wouldn't play well. But he did and I was proven wrong."

(OK, this column has now failed its first objective. There is a seemingly irresistible need to mention the fabled Hebrew lawgiver portrayed by Heston in "The Ten Commandments.")

Makris and Heston talk almost daily. His firm not only counsels Heston on policy but it handles the logistics of his expanding extracurricular activities.

For example, during the 1996 presidential campaign he surfaced in 21 states for 54 candidates for federal office.

Heston has been described as the most popular non-professional political figure in America. Even with his ascension within the NRA, he has no desire for public office and doesn't take any pay for politically related activities.

"The only thing that's a bit discouraging is that more celebrities won't stand up like Heston," Makris said.

"I understand that they're surrounded by people telling them not to take a stand since they might lose a role. But, on the whole, you are talking about people who make tens of millions of dollars. You'd think they'd be rather secure."(Please note that mention was avoided of Heston playing the guy in the chariot.)

Journalistic expertise

You'd think that the job descriptions for journalists now include a duty "to testify as alleged experts before congressional committees."
*****************************************************************************************************************************
Tony Makris
Host of the award winning Under Wild Skies, Tony Makris is a legislative and PR strategist and lifelong outdoorsman. Makris has played host to sports figures, politicians and celebrities for more than 15 years on hunts and Safaris— spanning the globe. He resides in Alexandria, Virginia.

http://outdoorchannel.com/under-wild-skies

Yeah, I was fitted with two hearing aids two weeks ago. Military career was mostly to blame, but I shot my T/C Contender, 7-30Waters caliber, pistol with muzzle brake once while out hunting. Repeat ONCE. The ringing in my ears lasted the rest of the hunt. Sold that barrel.

Good ol' boys John Milius and Tony Makris politic-ing the NRA:


Wag the Dog By Neal Knox

In the satirical movie "Wag the Dog," the political operative
for a President with zipper troubles induces a movie producer
to fake a diversionary foreign war. (The movie came out just
as the Monica Lewinsky story broke and Bill Clinton bombed
the only pharmaceutical plant in Sudan.)

After the scheme worked and the movie President was
reelected, the movie producer boasted publicly about what he
had done, explaining to the President's political operative that
movie producers *must* get a credit line.

It's therefore understandable why NRA Director and
Hollywood movie producer, John Milius, couldn't resist
publicly bragging about how he and extremely well-paid NRA
political consultant Tony Makris saved Executive Vice
President Wayne LaPierre's job in 1997 -- and,
coincidentally, saved Makris' multi-million dollar NRA public
relations/advertising/fundraising contracts.

The story appears in a surprisingly even-handed, but not-
quite-accurate article about NRA in the August 6 Washington
Post Magazine, the newspaper's Saturday and Sunday
supplement.

"We were facing a genuine and extremely well-organized
coup d'etat," Milius told writer Michael Powell. "So we used
our best techniques: lying, cheating and disinformation. I
didn't tell the truth for weeks."

What John called a "coup d'etat" was the intention of a
majority of the 1996-97 NRA Board to do its legal and NRA
Bylaws-imposed duty to "formulate the policies and govern
and have general oversight of the affairs and property of the
Association."

A majority of the Directors, the two NRA vice presidents
(Albert Ross and me) and the Finance Chairman were
extremely unhappy about the demonstrably poor public
relations performance of Makris's company, Ackerman
McQueen, plus the fact that LaPierre had spent millions of
dollars for public relations and advertising (and for Makris'
own television hunting program) without complying with long-
established Board policy.

We were determined to either get rid of Ackerman-McQueen
(as Wayne had told the officers, finance committee and
Board he had done, but hadn't) or LaPierre was going to lose
the job of E.V.P.

"Makris and Milius invited a Knox loyalist to dinner in Los
Angeles and seemingly conspired to bribe LaPierre into
leaving," Powell wrote.

What actually happened, I learned long afterwards (some of
it in the past few days), was that Makris and Milius were
ostensibly negotiating with some of my friends on behalf of
Wayne. Under the deal they "offered," Wayne would bow out
of the E.V.P. job in exchange for a contract to write
fundraising letters for a healthy commission.

Makris and Milius insisted I not be informed of the
"negotiations" -- well aware I wouldn't consider such a thing.

They asked one of my friends, a lawyer, to draft the
agreement that "Wayne wanted." They even had the lawyer
make several revisions during the course of the
"negotiations" for Wayne's "golden parachute."

As Powell wrote it: "Milius leaked the plot to LaPierre, who
rose publicly and proclaimed himself shocked! -- * shocked! *
-- that a Knox ally would try buy him off.

"LaPierre, in fact, gamed the moment perfectly."

Indeed he did, and I've never doubted that Wayne knew
about the scheme from the beginning -- particularly since I'm
told he had initially suggested the fundraising commission
deal.

Earlier this month, Powell sent me an email to check some
routine personal facts. He told me he had spoken with Milius
and several board members at the Charlotte meeting.

"They were surprisingly open in talking about the plot to save
LaPierre's job, install Heston and beat you. Milius claims that
Makris was behind much of it, that he and Makris met in
Hollywood several times to plot strategy. And, Milius further
claimed, they accomplished much of their victory by lying for
weeks and weeks."

I was astounded that they had told him what they had done --
though I well knew that Makris had organized the coup to
save his contract -- openly running his long-time friend and
ally Charlton Heston's campaign to elect him to the board,
and defeat me as NRA 1st V.P.

That's when I violated my rule of not talking to the press
about NRA internal matters. (When Powell asked for an
interview last spring, I told him I would tell him as much as he
wanted to know about the gun issue, but wouldn't talk about
NRA – my standard answer that has run off reporters for the
New York Times, Nightline and many others.)

I emailed Powell back: "Milius was correct about Makris
being mainly behind it. Of course he was. He was the one
who would have been out of a job. We had too much
invested in Wayne to throw him away.

"It wasn't a corporate takeover or coup d'etat; it was a mutiny
of the staff, assisted by NRA vendors determined to keep
some very lucrative contracts. The same vendors for the
same reason ran the expensive and successful advertising
and mail campaigns that have succeeded in removing all
those who voted against Wayne in '97."

That's one reason I'm sponsoring an NRA Bylaw to prohibit
NRA vendors, and others whose livelihood depends on NRA
largesse, from funding or participating in NRA internal
elections.
---

quote:

Originally posted by prof242:
Yeah, I was fitted with two hearing aids two weeks ago. Military career was mostly to blame, but I shot my T/C Contender, 7-30Waters caliber, pistol with muzzle brake once while out hunting. Repeat ONCE. The ringing in my ears lasted the rest of the hunt. Sold that barrel.

H4 on your Physical Profile Max? "Meets retention standards" if you can do your job with hearing aids.

I am only an H3, and don't let the tinnitus bother me one little cricket.

What? Huh? Eh?

Hearing aids: A badge of honor!

Tony must be about 58 or 59 y.o.
Busy in his youth, still going strong, eh? What? Huh?

To say that Craig Boddington was "run off" of AR, or that anyone else has been "run off" of AR, is a disservice to the supposed "runners."

Exercising good judgment and discretion is not running.

It's the better part of valor.

Tony's firm specializes in "Crisis Management" PR. Tony is a "Publicist."
If he posted here out of the goodness of his heart, somebody would have to pay him handsomely for his responses after that first post.

http://articles.washingtonpost...rship-warren-cassidy

The firm is paid a hefty monthly fee plus commissions on fund-raising operations for the NRA?
Nice work when you can get it!

RIP: Damn, I'm sorry, but you'll never need to worry about Tony posting here any time soon, or ever, for that matter. Your two posts are all old news, written over 16 and 12 years ago respectively, and which were obviously written by those who not only disliked Makris, but had a personal hard on for not only him, but for the late great Charlton Heston and Wayne LaPierre as well, just like some here on AR may likely have. Knox has been dead for over 8 years, and if my memory serves me correctly, Warren has been a writer for the Daily Beast, the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post and the Huffington Post-none of which, for starters, have a love connection with the NRA or with the Second Amendment. And yep, your simple math is indeed correct: Tony is 58 going on 59.

Yup, my assumption about him not wanting to come here was correct. Too bad.

I do like how he admits his faults. The doubling of the .600 was classic.

Do not know Tony personally, but have a ton of respect for Johan Calitz who says he is a gentleman of note. More than good enough to me. TV personalities and producers have to risk some blowback now and then, it is just part of our business No different in the hunting business than in Hollywood, the critics can be kind or cruel depending on their view. Some criticism we receive on AR has led us to a better product. I doubt it would be different for Tony. There have been some public spankings of shows and personalities on AR, some deserved, some not, but the producer \ hosts have always had a vehicle to respond to the critics through our fine forum thanks to Saeed. I hope Tony will come on from time to time. He, like us, is a lover of Africa and he dedicates his efforts to sharing that love. Hats off!

Anytime you are public figure ( even host on hunting show) you have to play politics.
Simple as that and nothing wrong with it. We all do it even in our own little private lives.
Something about Tony strikes me as honesty and integrity even if he had to play politics to save his business.
Life is good as we all know it...
Great show by the way.

Why is being paid well a sin, of course it will soon be a thing of the past and only governmental employees will enjoy that status in the future. Personally I can't see anyone being over paid when doing battle against the ever over reaching hand of government be it local, state or federal.

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
RIP: Damn, I'm sorry, but you'll never need to worry about Tony posting here any time soon, or ever, for that matter. Your two posts are all old news, written over 16 and 12 years ago respectively,

But you ignored my third article from a February 2013 issue of the "Washington Posterior" not copied and pasted, just linked:

Old picture of Tony pictured as lead on that 2013 article:



http://articles.washingtonpost...rship-warren-cassidy

I am same age as Tony, 58 going on 59.
Despite his greater accomplishments than mine, I am sure he watched the same Saturday Morning Cartoons as I did, growing up.
Tony is my hero, I think he is way cool,
and I am way beyond an NRA Lifer in patronage membership,
proud of Wayne, Tony, and John Milius, my kind of guys.
All are also too smart to post here.

Like him or not, he is the most well groomed, well dressed person I have ever seen on safari .

It is a pity about the skin cancer . I understand why he covers up. Regardless, it seems that he could wear something that was cooler. Those darks colors have to absord a lot of heat.

why would ANY TV personality come on here a take a continual beating from the Monday morning quarterbacks from guys who experience is 1-2 plains game hunts in RSA???

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
why would ANY TV personality come on here a take a continual beating from the Monday morning quarterbacks from guys who experience is 1-2 plains game hunts in RSA???

+1

For guys like Tony it would clearly be walking a tightrope without a net. Logically there is no reason for him to participate. Increase his viewers... probably not. I've met Tony and he doesn't strike me as a person trying to influence others via a commercial hunting sense. Unlike some, he's not looking to book you on a hunt as a PH, sell you a product (well, maybe a Turnbull rifle, but realistically signature rifles are a bust), or book you via an outfitter revenue share model. Perhaps I'm wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
why would ANY TV personality come on here a take a continual beating from the Monday morning quarterbacks from guys who experience is 1-2 plains game hunts in RSA???

Or those who are legends in their own mind.

quote:

Originally posted by ddrhook:
Mike,

Its my understanding that Tony has some serious skin cancer/sun sensitivity issues. as some one who has a lot of family members with the same thing i can relate. I am certain he would like to be cooler and more comfortable-but sometimes you just work around medical issues.

I can relate!
....................................................................

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Like him or not, he is the most well groomed, well dressed person I have ever seen on safari .

Which, in itself, is pretty weird to me.

Tony notwithstanding, Johan Calitz is one of the finest PHs in the business. I've hunted warthog to elephant with him since 1995. If I was rich and 10 years younger, I wouldn't have time to write this as I'd be on the Okavango Delta, or in Jovarega camp with him.

The doubling of Tony's German made 600NE was well-explained in the show. The barrels did not regulate together, and he chose to sight it for the right barrel-the rear trigger. The gunmaker made the front trigger lighter, on the assumption that it would be pulled first. This was not unusual for old doubles, according to Cal Pappas. The recoil caused the front trigger sear to release, causing the doubling.
As for Neal Knox, I will violate the normally good advice of not criticizing the dead, and say that Mssr. Knox & his cohorts had some very evil designs on the NRA's exchecker. Knox was fired by Harlon Carter, and his attempted takeovers were beaten back on more than one occasion. He was a snake, and the NRA is well to be rid of him.

http://www.huntingreport.com/w...te.cfm?articleid=615


Under Wild Skies on Sunday has "Elephant of a Lifetime" where he shoots this 91 pounder.

September 1 at 6:00 p.m.(CHICAGO) NBCSP


Just saw the show and it was fantastic.

Looking forward to it! I loved the show with him shooting his 50th buffalo. That one had some scenes from some of his buffalo hunts over the years, including a brief glimpse of his first buffalo shot with AR's Brad Rolston many, many, many years ago.

Just saw it, GREAT show, well done. That, and TAA are my favorites. ANd I met and like Tony very much. A true gent and not uppity

+1

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
Looking forward to it! I loved the show with him shooting his 50th buffalo. That one had some scenes from some of his buffalo hunts over the years, including a brief glimpse of his first buffalo shot with AR's Brad Rolston many, many, many years ago.

It looks like the monster elephant was shot on the same hunt as his 50th. Amazing trip.

I like Tony and his show. I do however think, and this is just my personal thought, that the programming is a bit shallow and the camera work needs to get a bit more creative. Less Cookie Cutter if that makes sense

They lay it on a little thick in some instances especially the opening sequence to each episode. But perhaps that is a cultural difference, that may be exactly what his target market desires and as such is exactly what he needs to do.

I know its a working combination for him and he should stick to it. But perhaps if he was going to take any advice then make it a bit more real. Get dirty, make me feel excited from my seat on a Sunday morning.

One thing that I think we can all agree on is that his ethics and work as a hunting ambassador leave nothing to be desired. I have not seen a show that made me want to change channels.
When compared to some of the idiots that somehow get a slot on TV, Tony is in the top 1% and can be proud of that.
Well done Tony

I just watched the show last evening, and have to say that it was one of the best, if not the best, Under Wild Skies that I have seen in the many years that I have been watching it. If you have not seen it, watch this one for sure. My only regret was that Tony didn't kill that big bull with his Holland and Holland 577 Double rifle. The Blaser 416 Remington did the job however, in one shot.