Hunting dogs had a big role in Dez Young’s TV success

When Dez Young started in television in 1966, he was given some advice – never work with kids or animals because they’ll always outshine you.

It’s a good thing he didn’t heed the advice.

In Young’s first show, he appeared with a person portraying Ronald McDonald and plenty of kids. “No one watched us, they just looked at the kids,” he said.

But Young is best known for his cable hunting shows, where his dogs, Hank and Dash, were the stars. During 11 years, Young produced 135 episodes of “Hunting with Hank,” “Dash in the Uplands, “Upland Days with Dash and Dez” and “Wingshooter’s Journal.”

These days, Young has stepped away from the camera and is working at his Portland home on a book he is writing about 7-year-old Dash and making appearances. He will be in Bellevue on Saturday for the Ruffed Grouse Society’s annual banquet.

During a recent conversation, it was obvious that Young was OK playing second fiddle to his Llewellin setters. He and Dash attended the recent Pheasant Fest in Madison, Wis., and The Fly Fishing Show in Charlotte, N.C. Along the way, Young signed more than 2,000 photos of Dash.

Young’s career as a hunting-show host began when he developed the concept for “Hunting with Hank” in 1995.

“When I watched general outdoor programming, all I saw were shows where people just shoot things. There were no stories being told, no discussions of ethics,” he said. “That’s why we developed the shows the way we did for ‘Hunting with Hank.’ I wanted to tell stories with our shows. I think that’s how we got to be so popular, we found a niche.”

The first of 67 episodes aired in January 1997. As Hank aged, and eventually died in 2004, Young introduced Hank’s son Dash to audiences. Together, Dash and Young did 62 shows in five years.

Young followed a simple formula for his shows, something he gleaned from the outdoor writers he read as a youth: Each episode told a story, and Young hunted only with people he knew.

“We purposely never brought celebrities on, unless the celebrity was a friend,” Young said. “With Hank being so special and the format we developed, I thought it would work best keeping it to family and friends, and Hank and Dash.”

Following Hank’s death, Young wrote a book about their hunting adventures. Part of the process was rewatching each episode. “It was just awful,” he said of that experience. “But it was a real labor of love.”

Young is now working on a book about Dash. It should be released this summer.

Writing the books has been a challenge, Young said, after writing the scripts for all the shows. “Writing for television is so different,” he said. “You have to be really succinct. You only have 22 minutes, 26 seconds.”

Typically, Young, a guest and film crew spent a day in the field for each show, hunting from sunup until dark. “Once the field work was done, my job was to log the raw footage and then write the script,” Young said.

Along the way, Young and his dogs developed a strong following and a successful formula. The shows won 18 Telly Awards, cable televisions equivalent to the Emmys.

Given all that success and his passion for hunting with Dash, I was surprised at Young’s response when I asked if there would be future shows. “I’ve heard that question over and over at the two shows,” Young said with a sigh. “I’m actually enjoying hunting without cameras, no starting and stopping, no redoing. I’m just out there hunting with family, friends and Dash.”

While that is certainly sad news for fans, I understand Young’s desire to be in the field for the fun and the companionship of the hunt.

Source: TheNewsTribune.com