Gene and Harlyn Barnes of Benton, Kentucky featured in Jan. 5 episode of Brotherhood Outdoors, on the Sportsman Channel
The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s national outdoor TV series, Brotherhood Outdoors, will share the touching story of Benton, KY residents Gene Barnes, a chemical operator, and his 74-year-old father, Harlyn, as they challenge Idaho’s steep terrain and high altitude on a memory-filled elk hunt at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, January 5 on the Sportsman Channel.
Ask Gene how long he’s been hunting and fishing, and he’ll tell you it spans four decades of time spent with his dad and brother, Greg, in the great outdoors. Last April, the family tragically and suddenly lost Greg when he died of severe injuries from a devastating explosion while on the job in Dayton, Ohio.
Harlyn Barnes and son Gene hunt Idaho elk in the series launch of USA’s Brotherhood Outdoors at on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 11 a.m. ET, on the Sportsman Channel.
Hundreds of Greg’s co-workers visited Greg and his family during those difficult weeks to share stories and to show their support. It struck Gene when he realized that even though his brother – a manager at a steel company in Ohio was not a union member – 90% of the people that came to visit Greg during those difficult weeks were members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW). To date, the local union has raised money for Greg’s wife and children to the tune of $10,000.
“It is truly amazing that there would be such an outpouring of love and generosity from union members toward a `company person.’ I know how well loved and respected my brother was by all of my fellow union brothers and sisters,” said Gene, who has been a proud union member of both IAMAW District 154 and the Teamsters union nearly as long as he’s been hunting and fishing.
Through all of this, Gene’s thoughts of concern stayed with his dad and the heartbreak of losing a son. Realizing that Harlyn’s fondest memories surround hunting with his sons, Gene set out to help him recapture that feeling and achieve his longtime goal of taking an elk.
In this episode of Brotherhood Outdoors, the show’s co-hosts Daniel Lee Martin and Julie McQueen hope to make that happen as they take Gene and Harlyn into the woods near Pocatello and Bear Lake, Idaho with their sights set on an elk for Harlyn and some healing for both father and son.
As the group glasses for elk along steep hills, confront the cold and hike up to 7,500 feet in elevation to get Harlyn a shot at the iconic bull elk, Harlyn’s sheer determination and Gene’s desire to help his father achieve a dream are as vivid as the mountainous landscape.
Winner of a 2011 Sportsman Choice award, Brotherhood Outdoors awards union sportsmen and women who are committed to preserving North America’s outdoor heritage with a guided trip or the opportunity to show off their guiding skills and local hunting or fishing destinations on national TV.
Presented by Bank of Labor, Brotherhood Outdoors is also sponsored by the following unions, contractors and corporate partners: Buck Knives, Carhartt, Employee Benefit Systems, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, National Electrical Contractors Association, ULLICO and United Association/International Training Fund.
Experience the thrill when the father/son team spots a bull 190 yards out. Tune in to Brotherhood Outdoors at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 5 2014 on the Sportsman Channel.
For more information about Brotherhood Outdoors, visit www.BrotherhoodOutdoors.tv and www.facebook.com/brotherhoodoutdoorstv.
About the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance:
The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) is a union-dedicated outdoor organization whose members hunt, fish, shoot and volunteer their skills for conservation. The mission of the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance is to unite the union community through conservation to preserve North America’s outdoor heritage.
For more information, visit www.unionsportsmen.org or www.facebook.com/unionsportsmen.
About Sportsman Channel: Launched in 2003, Sportsman Channel, and Sportsman HD, is the only television and digital media company fully devoted to sportsmen in the United States, delivering entertaining and educational programming focused exclusively on hunting, shooting and fishing activities. Sportsman Channel reaches more than 32 million U.S. television households and is available in HD. Visit www.thesportsmanchannel.com, follow on Twitter, @SPORTSMANchnl (twitter.com/SPORTSMANchnl) and Like on Facebook, facebook.com/sportsmanchannel
