BUCK FEVER - A Documentary Film
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Hunters and their sport conserve species of animals, support natural habitats and provide access to public lands for everyone. Buck Fever will explore the relationship between hunters and conservation and ask if one man's trophy deer can save a sport. You can help tell this story! Whether you can give $1, $20 or a major contribution — this is a story that needs to be told! Please consider helping us with this film or helping spread the word. Thanks!
BUCK FEVER - THE FILM
Every deer hunter dreams of harvesting a trophy buck.
Even though every hunter prepares for this moment, few actually know what it feels like when a true “giant” walks into range.
This was Brian Butcher until one fateful evening in October of 2019. Along with telling us the story of that night, Buck Fever will explore what happens when someone’s story goes from ordinary to legendary in an instant.
THE STORY OF THE "BUTCHER BUCK"
In the evening hours of October 11, 2019, an unassuming salesman and married father of two named Brian Butcher settled into a tree stand in the Kansas Flint Hills. As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Brian spotted a deer coming out of the tall prairie grass. At first glance, he thought it had some branches or grass tangled in its antlers. But as the deer moved closer, he realized that sitting atop the buck’s head was actually a mass of antlers unlike anything he’d seen before.
Somehow, Brian told himself not to look at the antlers and instead concentrate on the 20 yard shot to his left: a perfect set-up for a right handed hunter. He took a breath, trying to push down the “buck fever” that was rising, drew his bow, steadied himself, and released the arrow. The moment he heard the arrow hitting the buck, Brian knew: he got him.
This was the moment every deer hunter dreams about.
With Buck Fever, we want to take every hunter to this moment and the even more unbelievable moments to follow.
THE FILM
Buck Fever is a full-length documentary that will tell Brian Butcher’s tale of harvesting the largest-grossing fair chase whitetail deer in history and take viewers along as he wrestles with what these antlers can mean for him and his family.
Brian’s deer, the “Butcher Buck,” is one of the most impressive and unique whitetail deer ever harvested. To put it in perspective, the amount of people who have harvested a deer this large (in a fair chase hunt) is less than half the number of people who have walked on the moon.
This won’t be a typical hunting film that just recounts the day of the hunt. Buck Fever will follow Brian’s journey through the complicated and quirky scoring process of his 67-point deer and the fame and fortune that could come his way.
We’ll explore the world of giant deer and big antlers, the quirky world of scoring deer, travel to hunting expo’s and The Boone & Crocket Club, one of America’s oldest and most prestigious hunting clubs, to learn about its massive archive of trophy deer and better understand its history starting with Teddy Roosevelt and its ongoing role in the conservation of America’s wildlife and natural resources.
And we’ll meet other hunters that have sat atop the record books to see how their journey may serve as a prelude to the one still ahead of Brian.
Buck Fever will answer the question for everyone who’s thought about hunting a giant buck: “how would this change my life?”
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
We have a great start to this film and are dedicated to bringing it to life. That’s where you come in!
We have been filming with Brian (and his antlers) since directly after his hunt. We captured the deer’s initial panel scoring by a master Boone & Crocket scorer. We were with Brian as he unveiled his antlers to industry insiders at the largest archery trade show in America and were there to see the Butcher Buck crowned the “King of Kansas,” signifying his status as the state record holder.
This initial funding of $50,000 will ensure that we can continue to film the real-time journey of an everyday hunter who took down one of the most historic whitetail deer in history. The unfiltered style and narrative immediacy found in Buck Fever will allow every hunter to imagine themselves walking the same path Brian is currently walking.
The money raised will help the filmmakers cover production and travel costs incurred as we follow Brian and his antlers on their journey to introduce the “Butcher Buck” to the hunting world.
We will use the money raised from this fundraiser to do the following:
*Travel to Kansas, Iowa, Virginia, Texas, Missouri and other places to conduct interviews.
*Travel to Montana to visit and film at the Boone & Crockett Hunting Club, home to the largest archive of record-book whitetail deer.
*Travel to MN/WI to see the Butcher Buck replica made.
*Follow Brian and his deer to the Iowa and Illinois deer expo’s.
*Hire camera operators and sound recordist for specific moments along the way
*Hire an editor
*Buy drives to back up material shot for the film
Please help us share this fundraiser in order to make this film possible!
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/pg/Buck-Fever-Film-103347711199147/posts/?ref=page_internal
https://www.subconscious.film/buck-fever
THE TEAM
Documentary films are not easy to make but we have brought together a team that will bring this film to life. Our team is diverse in talents, interests, knowledge and experience, all things that are needed to make a good film and get it out to the masses.
Jonathan Green - Executive Producer
Jonathan’s documentary and scripted films have screened at various domestic and international festivals including Barcelona, Cyprus, SXSW, and Cannes, and have been distributed by Netflix, Amazon and National Geographic. His feature documentary Social Animals premiered at the 2018 SXSW film festival where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. The Verge called the film “a nuanced and judgment-free look at kids in the digital age.” The film was released by Netflix in 2019. In addition to his long form work, Jonathan produces and directs commercials and content for brands like Nike, Google and Red Bull.
Steve Hebert - Producer/Director
Steve is an award-winning photojournalist who has shifted his focus to making documentary films over the past decade. Steve recently co-produced an hour-long documentary, Give Me Sight, which was awarded Best Documentary Feature at the Oregon International Film Awards.
Steve grew up in Kansas and has reported on a wide range of issues ranging from farming to America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has spent over 20 years working professionally for newspapers and magazines including Pro Publica, Time, US News and World Report, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. He is one of the only photojournalists to be granted access to embed with the elite U.S. Army Green Berets in Afghanistan, Iraq, Colombia, and the Philippines.
His work has always sought to lift the voices of those not heard and to bring viewers to places they may never go.
Gregory Sheffer - Producer/Director
With over two decades in film production, Gregory has a long list of accomplishments. He has filmed in numerous countries around the world including Lebanon, East Africa, Russia, and South America, worked for large corporate clients like Sprint, Fox Sports, Unilever, and Garmin, produced and directed numerous narrative and documentary films, and won 7 regional Emmy awards for his series of historical documentary films.
Cody Rolph - Producer
Cody brings a unique perspective to this project as a lifelong hunter, owner of a technology company in the deer hunting space and co-owner of the outdoor television program “Carolina All Out”. He has hunted big game around the world and searched out big whitetail deer through-out the Midwest. He spends countless days each year hunting trophy deer and learning what he can about this unique animal.
BUCK FEVER - THE FILM
Every deer hunter dreams of harvesting a trophy buck.
Even though every hunter prepares for this moment, few actually know what it feels like when a true “giant” walks into range.This was Brian Butcher until one fateful evening in October of 2019. Along with telling us the story of that night, Buck Fever will explore what happens when someone’s story goes from ordinary to legendary in an instant.
THE STORY OF THE "BUTCHER BUCK"
In the evening hours of October 11, 2019, an unassuming salesman and married father of two named Brian Butcher settled into a tree stand in the Kansas Flint Hills. As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Brian spotted a deer coming out of the tall prairie grass. At first glance, he thought it had some branches or grass tangled in its antlers. But as the deer moved closer, he realized that sitting atop the buck’s head was actually a mass of antlers unlike anything he’d seen before.
Somehow, Brian told himself not to look at the antlers and instead concentrate on the 20 yard shot to his left: a perfect set-up for a right handed hunter. He took a breath, trying to push down the “buck fever” that was rising, drew his bow, steadied himself, and released the arrow. The moment he heard the arrow hitting the buck, Brian knew: he got him. This was the moment every deer hunter dreams about.
With Buck Fever, we want to take every hunter to this moment and the even more unbelievable moments to follow.
THE FILM
Buck Fever is a full-length documentary that will tell Brian Butcher’s tale of harvesting the largest-grossing fair chase whitetail deer in history and take viewers along as he wrestles with what these antlers can mean for him and his family.
Brian’s deer, the “Butcher Buck,” is one of the most impressive and unique whitetail deer ever harvested. To put it in perspective, the amount of people who have harvested a deer this large (in a fair chase hunt) is less than half the number of people who have walked on the moon.This won’t be a typical hunting film that just recounts the day of the hunt. Buck Fever will follow Brian’s journey through the complicated and quirky scoring process of his 67-point deer and the fame and fortune that could come his way.
We’ll explore the world of giant deer and big antlers, the quirky world of scoring deer, travel to hunting expo’s and The Boone & Crocket Club, one of America’s oldest and most prestigious hunting clubs, to learn about its massive archive of trophy deer and better understand its history starting with Teddy Roosevelt and its ongoing role in the conservation of America’s wildlife and natural resources.And we’ll meet other hunters that have sat atop the record books to see how their journey may serve as a prelude to the one still ahead of Brian.
Buck Fever will answer the question for everyone who’s thought about hunting a giant buck: “how would this change my life?”WE NEED YOUR HELP!We have a great start to this film and are dedicated to bringing it to life. That’s where you come in!
We have been filming with Brian (and his antlers) since directly after his hunt. We captured the deer’s initial panel scoring by a master Boone & Crocket scorer. We were with Brian as he unveiled his antlers to industry insiders at the largest archery trade show in America and were there to see the Butcher Buck crowned the “King of Kansas,” signifying his status as the state record holder.
This initial funding of $50,000 will ensure that we can continue to film the real-time journey of an everyday hunter who took down one of the most historic whitetail deer in history. The unfiltered style and narrative immediacy found in Buck Fever will allow every hunter to imagine themselves walking the same path Brian is currently walking.The money raised will help the filmmakers cover production and travel costs incurred as we follow Brian and his antlers on their journey to introduce the “Butcher Buck” to the hunting world.
We will use the money raised from this fundraiser to do the following:
*Travel to Kansas, Iowa, Virginia, Texas, Missouri and other places to conduct interviews.
*Travel to Montana to visit and film at the Boone & Crockett Hunting Club, home to the largest archive of record-book whitetail deer.
*Travel to MN/WI to see the Butcher Buck replica made.
*Follow Brian and his deer to the Iowa and Illinois deer expo’s.
*Hire camera operators and sound recordist for specific moments along the way
*Hire an editor
*Buy drives to back up material shot for the film
Please help us share this fundraiser in order to make this film possible!
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/pg/Buck-Fever-Film-103347711199147/posts/?ref=page_internal
https://www.subconscious.film/buck-fever
THE TEAM
Documentary films are not easy to make but we have brought together a team that will bring this film to life. Our team is diverse in talents, interests, knowledge and experience, all things that are needed to make a good film and get it out to the masses.
Jonathan Green - Executive ProducerJonathan’s documentary and scripted films have screened at various domestic and international festivals including Barcelona, Cyprus, SXSW, and Cannes, and have been distributed by Netflix, Amazon and National Geographic. His feature documentary Social Animals premiered at the 2018 SXSW film festival where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. The Verge called the film “a nuanced and judgment-free look at kids in the digital age.” The film was released by Netflix in 2019. In addition to his long form work, Jonathan produces and directs commercials and content for brands like Nike, Google and Red Bull.
Steve Hebert - Producer/DirectorSteve is an award-winning photojournalist who has shifted his focus to making documentary films over the past decade. Steve recently co-produced an hour-long documentary, Give Me Sight, which was awarded Best Documentary Feature at the Oregon International Film Awards.
Steve grew up in Kansas and has reported on a wide range of issues ranging from farming to America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has spent over 20 years working professionally for newspapers and magazines including Pro Publica, Time, US News and World Report, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. He is one of the only photojournalists to be granted access to embed with the elite U.S. Army Green Berets in Afghanistan, Iraq, Colombia, and the Philippines.
His work has always sought to lift the voices of those not heard and to bring viewers to places they may never go.
Gregory Sheffer - Producer/DirectorWith over two decades in film production, Gregory has a long list of accomplishments. He has filmed in numerous countries around the world including Lebanon, East Africa, Russia, and South America, worked for large corporate clients like Sprint, Fox Sports, Unilever, and Garmin, produced and directed numerous narrative and documentary films, and won 7 regional Emmy awards for his series of historical documentary films.
Cody Rolph - ProducerCody brings a unique perspective to this project as a lifelong hunter, owner of a technology company in the deer hunting space and co-owner of the outdoor television program “Carolina All Out”. He has hunted big game around the world and searched out big whitetail deer through-out the Midwest. He spends countless days each year hunting trophy deer and learning what he can about this unique animal.
Organizer
Greg Sheffer
Organizer
Kansas City, MO
