1992-2004

As most of you probably already know, Hank was a Llewellin Setter. This breed of dog is closely related to the more commonly recognized English Setter.

Hank was born on November 27th, 1992. His mother was Dashing Janette Bondhu and his father was Irish King Bondhu (seen in Volume IV, Edition 13 of the Hunting With Hank series). He was one of six puppies, out of which there were four males. The breeder is Al King from King Llewellin Kennels in Enola, Arkansas.

Al and I spent many hours on the phone as the puppies grew over their first few weeks. Al would describe the characteristics of each male as they developed. During the sixth week I made my choice, and Hank was sent to me on his 49th day.

His registered name was Henry Princeof Pause. The AKC only allows three names so I had to combine two words into his middle name. I have to give credit to my wife Karenanne (seen on several Hunting With Hank and Dash in the Uplands editions) for coming up with the name. Between the two of us...she's the smart one.

I began Hank's obedience training the day he arrived. He learned all of the socialization commands very quickly. As the spring and summer progressed, we moved to the field commands. During that time he was introduced to live birds and learned how to point and "whoa" until I could get to him and flush the bird. His first hunting trip was to Montana that fall. He was 9 months old. I'd brag to you about that trip, but if you've seen Hunting With Hank, you already know that he was a pretty good bird dog!

After our sixth season of shows on OLN, I decided it was time to retire Hank from the rigors of television production. He had earned his retirement! Al King and I went through the selection process again, but this time with puppies of Hank. "Hank's Dashing Bondhu" or "Dash" joined our family in 2002 and can now be seen in his own show, Dash in the Uplands on OLN.

Late in the evening of August 1st, 2004, Hank wandered up to his favorite napping spot in our back yard, went to sleep, and just never woke up. We all miss him, but what a joy it is to have his son Dash carrying on his legecy. And of course, if I want to relive one of our adventures....I can always put in a tape.

My first TV show was co-hosting a children's program with Ronald McDonald in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1966. I did that show for two years, then returned to Oregon to finish my college degree in Speech Communications. While in college at Portland State University, I began my second TV show in Portland, Oregon. I produced and hosted a 5 day a week, talk and variety show and sang with a 5 piece band. I did that show until after I got my degree, then left TV to go into business.

I co-founded and was the President of a marketing agency from the mid-1970's until 1982. During that time I developed and began teaching a business presentation skills program to corporate clients of the agency. I was having so much fun teaching that course, and was getting so busy with it, I sold my interest in the agency and began Young Communications in 1982. I have been providing business presentation skills training on a full time basis around the United States and overseas ever since.

When I developed the idea for Hunting With Hank in 1995, I produced a pilot episode, composed and recorded the music theme and lyrics, negotiated the first agreement with the Outdoor Life Network and began taping shows in 1996. Volume I (the first season) began airing in January of 1997. It consisted of 7 shows. Volume II (eight shows) aired in 1998, followed by 13 shows for Volume III in 1999. Since then we have produced almost 100 additional episodes spread across Hunting with Hank, Upland Days with Dash and Dez, Dash in the Uplands and Dez Young's Wingshooter's Journal.

I have been very fortunate in my life to have accomplished every professional goal or dream I have ever had. But none of those goals would mean a thing without someone to share them with. You've probably seen my wife Karenanne Swift on many of our shows. She is truly my "life partner". She's beautiful, intelligent and a terrific step-mom to my two grown children, Glenn and Stacy. Without Karenanne's support and love I wouldn't have started Young Communications, and Hunting With Hank would never have been born.

If there's anything else you'd like to know, just drop me a line.

One day in 1988 I was introduced to a Mr. Dez Young, who was interested in creating a video for his corporate communications company. Little did we know what a profound impact that was to have on our lives! During the course of our working together on that project, the subject of hunting and fishing came up. I am an avid (well, ok, addicted) fly fisherman and had done a little bird hunting. Dez was kind enough to invite me out on a Pheasant hunt with his dog, Luke. We had a great time, and over the next few years there were many more bird hunting and fishing trips.

In 1990, I left the studio and formed Mirage Productions. I also became the chief cameraman for a nationally broadcast big game hunting show. This work took me to many remote locations in all kinds of conditions, and I learned a tremendous amount about producing hunting programs. In 1995 Dez approached me with an idea he had been playing with. He was interested in creating a bird hunting show centered around his new dog, Hank. Dez felt that with his creative writing and on-camera skills coupled with my photography and production skills, the show would be a success.............I guess he was right!

One of the best things about the time spent doing all our shows is the fun we have in the field. While we have to be incredibly focused on the job at hand, a lot of the planning which goes into the shows yields some interesting results. Take for example Volume III, Edition 8 of Hunting With Hank. This episode was going to be shot in Montana and feature Dez's cousin Gary as the guest. If you are a regular viewer of the program, you know that we usually try to have a short segment, or vignette, in each of the shows which doesn't necessarily have anything to do with hunting. When Dez and Gary were growing up in eastern Oregon, they spent hours playing gunfighters together and watching them on TV. For the vignette, Dez wanted to recreate a gunfight scene because as a kid, he had always wanted to be a gunfighter on TV. In the course of the discussion, I mentioned that I had always wanted to drive a team of horses. Several weeks later in a production meeting, Dez mentioned that he had talked with the host of the ranch where we would be filming, they had a covered wagon, and would teach me how to handle it while we were there. Dez then suggested that we incorporate the wagon, with me driving, into the vignette. So he wrote the dialogue and I came up with a visual story board. I had a custom hat made (always wanted one of those, too), grew a mustache, took my hair out of its ponytail and we shot the segment. Just further proof of why I have always endeavored to stay behind the camera!

I began my career as a videographer in 1986 after graduating from Jefferson Performing Arts High School in Portland, Oregon, as a television production major. For the first several years, I shot professional boxing, football, pro-wrestling, and basketball, as well as corporate and educational videos. My next move was to an internationally syndicated television fishing show as a production assistant. I spent the first year and a half shooting commercial and product shots in a dark studio for our sponsors. The long dark hours paid off, with the commercial production crew winning several national awards for our work. I was then assigned to the field crew where my additional duties included recording audio, taking notes for the director, and moving hundreds of pounds of equipment through the wilderness. After the director of the show saw that I was worth my salt I became the "B" field cameraman for the last two years with the show. Scenic and "fish-on" moments that I had been watching and learning about, were now in glorious black and white in my viewfinder.

In 1998 I was approached by Hunting With Hank's director, Bob Corley, and asked if I was interested in becoming the reserve "B" cameraman for the program. I jumped at the chance. The fishing show had ceased production several years before and I was back to doing corporate and some motion picture work. I shot several shows in Hank's third season, and with the retirement of David Bogan, I was assigned to the crew full time as the "B" cameraman. Branded affectionately by Dez Young as "The Kid", my youthfulness and ability to follow Hank through the open fields and woods of North America brings a balance to the three-man, one dog crew. Believe me when I say, a shot of Hank getting "birdie" and "going on point", is even better than a "fish-on".

I have been producing films and videos, mostly as a documentary specialist, since graduating from Montana State University In 1976. Currently, I am putting my recently completed Oregon State University interdisciplinary master's degree in cultural anthropology, historic archaeology, and history to good use by creating a series of video news feature stories for the Archaeological Legacy Institute's new webcasting venture called The Archaeology Channel. By the winter of 2000, I plan to have my own website up.

In 1996, when I was asked to join the HwH production crew for the show's premiere season, I told director Bob Corley that I had never hunted a day in my life. He said something like "Well, Dez and Hank will be doing the hunting, and we'll be shooting a television show, and I know you can help us do that" So, I signed on.

Now, having walked countless miles over some of the most beautiful terrain of this country during three seasons with the show, I've had the pleasure of many hunts. I've witnessed (albeit mostly through the viewfinder of my camera) the work of the best gentleman gamebird hunter of America's uplands and certainly one of the most talented television hosts in the business, together with the absolute best bird dog anywhere.

Thank you, Dez, and all your guests, and family (especially- Don and Karenanne Ann), and all who graciously housed and fed us, for an outdoor experience I will cherish forever; thank you, Bob, for your steadfast and ever-patient professionalism and for asking me to come along on a real adventure; and thank you, Hank, for the priceless opportunities you gave us, Bob and me, rolling tape, checking focus, slowly moving up behind you and Dez, as you locked in on that covey of well hidden quail, displaying one of your classic points - the kind all those other great bird dogs admire so much - saying, "Okay, guys, I've done my job; you better be ready." Then suddenly, that heart-stopping muffled clatter of beating wings. And you are thrilled, Hank, now a jubilant streak of white in front of us. "'They're up!", you tell us as we aim shotgun and cameras in synchronous arcs. "There they go!"

You can catch a glimpse of David on the other side of the camera appearing in a couple of Hunting with Hank shows as that ornery, pick-up-truck-driving, hard-of-hearing fellow who never quite understands what Dez and Hank are doing in Alaska ("...looking for Moose Grass, you say?").