Tune in as VERSUS Network honors the American worker and sportsman with its second annual Escape to the Wild Labor Day marathon on Monday, September 1, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET. The Escape to the Wild series is a collaboration between VERSUS Country and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) that awards hardworking members of AFL-CIO affiliated unions with a hunting or fishing trip of a lifetime. Escape to the Wild is a unique and exciting show that makes ordinary sportsmen’s extraordinary dreams come true.
Host Tom Ackerman and previous Escape to the Wild winners will make special on-air appearances throughout the day sharing additional tales about their adventures. The day’s guests include IAFF firefighter Rocky Raimondi, IBEW electrical worker John Demers and UA steamfitter Jay Rodriguez. As an added bonus to the on-air marathon, VERSUSCountry.com will feature web exclusive videos, recaps, blogs and images from the episodes.
The half-day marathon will feature ten Escape to the Wild episodes from season one and two in which winners travel the United States, Canada and Africa in search of big fish and dangerous game. Click HERE to find VERSUS Network on your TV dial.
Marathon Schedule (Eastern):
8:00 a.m. Saskatchewan Black Bear with Boilermaker Member
Tired of the usual whitetail hunting around his hometown in Ohio, Todd Crawford, a member of the Boilermakers union, wishes for the chance to hunt something that could quite possibly hunt him back. Host Tom Ackerman joins Todd as they head up to the thick woods of Saskatchewan to hunt a big black bear.
8:30 a.m. South Africa-Plains Game with IBEW Member
An IBEW electrical worker travels from the deep south half-way across the globe for some world-class hunting. He goes on a safari along the plains of Africa, stalking the top game on the plains: impala, zebra, warthog, duiker and wildebeest.
9:00 a.m. Cabo San Lucas Marlin with IAFF Member
One of New York’s bravest, a New York City firefighter and IAFF member, is surprised with his fishing trip of a lifetime and is taken to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico as he fulfills his life-long dream to catch a marlin. Stay tuned for another surprise awaiting him in Mexico.
9:30 a.m. Texas Whitetail with IBEW Member
One of the best destinations for big whitetail bucks is in the heart of Texas on amazing private ranches. An IBEW electrical worker from Pennsylvania finds out first-hand that everything in Texas is bigger-especially the whitetails.
10:00 a.m. Wisconsin Whitetail with SMWIA Member
Avid bow hunter and SMWIA sheet metal worker John Scavatto loves hunting whitetail from his Vermont tree stand, but he’s never had the opportunity to hunt in a land of giant bucks. Host Tom Ackerman will take John out to the woods of Wisconsin for the best whitetail hunting experience of his life.
10:30 a.m. Colorado Elk with NALC Member
Iowa NALC letter carrier Jason Berkley gets a chance to fulfill his dream of a Rocky Mountain elk hunt. Jason’s incredible story of family loss and triumph will touch the hearts of all hunters and make this hunt incredibly special.
11:00 a.m. Northwest Territories Caribou with IAMAW Member
IAMAW ramp service employee Barb Ries has been hunting elk and deer since she was 12-years-old and this hard-working Colorado farm girl is ready for the next step. In this episode, Barb and host Tom Ackerman head up to the Northwest Territories for the great caribou migration.
11:30 a.m. Costa Rica Sailfish with IBEW Member
New Jersey breeds a lot of fisherman, and "Costa Ricky" is one of the most passionate. In this episode, IBEW electrical worker Rick DiBruno tangles with Pacific sailfish that weigh almost as much as he does.
12:00 p.m. California Shark with UA Member
UA steamfitter Jay Rodriguez gets his chance to wrestle mako sharks off the coast of San Diego with famous mako shark fisherman and host of VERSUS Country’s Dollar Wise Fly, Conway Bowman.
12:30 p.m. Mexico Ocellated Turkey with IAFF Member
Deep in the heart of the Yucatan jungles is an extremely elusive ocellated turkey. IAFF firefighter and local National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) chapter president Gary Green has dreamed of hunting this bird for years to work on his World Slam.
TRCP’s Escape to the Wild is made possible by the generous support of many of America’s leading trade unions and contractor associations, including the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, National Electrical Contractors Association, Sheet Metal Workers International Association, International Association of Fire Fighters, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry, Mechanical Contractors Association of America and the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers.
