Powder Horn Montana: Hunter follows passion to produce national TV show
By BEN PIERCE Chronicle Outdoors
George Dieruf of The Powder Horn on Main Street remembers a lot about Jason Matzinger. He remembers the young hunter coming into his store to buy his first slingshot, his first rifle, his first shotgun. He remembers Matzinger’s first hunts. He remembers the trophy bulls.
Of course he should, he was there for all of it.
Dieruf also remembers seeing an uncommon passion for hunting in the young Matzinger, a passion that is as alive today as it was all those years ago.
“I’ve known Jason since the day he was born,” Dieruf said on Wednesday. “As far as hunting goes, he is the real deal. I always thought it must have been hard on his mom during childbirth because I swear he was born with a gun in one hand and a bow in the other.”
Matzinger, now 31, is the hunter and filmmaker behind “Powder Horn Montana.” Now in its second season on The Sportsman Channel, “Powder Horn Montana” is the culmination of a lifelong dedication to family, friends and hunting.
Born and raised in Bozeman, Matzinger began hunting with his father, Tim Matzinger, and Dieruf soon after he could walk.
“My dad is a fanatical hunter and he passed the sport on to me,” Jason said during an interview at his home near Battle Ridge on Tuesday. “He has definitely been my mentor and my best friend.
“What makes this show very fitting is my dad’s best friend is George Dieruf. Ever since I was an itty-bitty kid, The Powder Horn is where I went to get my hunting gear. This show is a dream come true for me.”
Jason said “Powder Horn Montana” is about Montana and Montana hunters. Each episode focuses on big game hunting across the Rocky Mountain West. The 30-minute shows tell the trials, tribulations and thrills of hunting for a specific species.
Much of the footage in the show is spectacular not only for the animals it contains, but for the sheer effort expended to capture it. Whether angling up scree slopes in pursuit of British Columbia mountain goats, navigating the labyrinthine Missouri Breaks country for trophy bighorn sheep or calling spring turkey on the Montana prairie – the show is most decidedly geared toward the hardcore hunter.
Jason, who guided right out of high school for the Lane Ranch near Ringling, said he wasn’t sure how to approach producing a TV show when he start shooting video.
“All I knew was the things I was seeing when I was guiding would blow away anything we were seeing on TV,” Jason said. “I just knew I could capture some footage of animals and behavior that no one had.”
In 2000, Jason travelled with his father, George Dieruf and Levi Dieruf to Namibia in southern Africa.
“Obviously, (Jason) was already into the hunting thing,” Tim said. “When we went to Namibia to hunt plains game animals, that was really the start of it for Jason, and me and George as well. It set the stage for things to come.”
Two years later the outfitter Jason was working for in Ringling moved away. The new outfitter had his own guides and Jason had a decision to make.
“That is one of those forks in the road – you never know which way it is going to lead you,” Jason said. “At that point I just knew I wanted to do something in hunting, whether it was guiding or filming.”
Jason decided to compile some of the footage he had captured over the years. He produced a couple of DVDs that were sold in outdoor stores across the country. That exposure earned him a reputation in the industry that eventually led to “Powder Horn Montana.”
Jason approached the owner of The Powder Horn, Jon Edwards, about producing the show. Edwards, who also owns Schnee’s, had some experience in the television industry through his affiliation with that company.
“I had met Jon through George and George had spoken highly of me,” Jason said. “Jon knew I had a lot of respect from those guys and he has a lot of respect for them and what they have to say.”
The two came to an agreement with Edwards signing on as a co-host of the show. Jason set out with a marketing plan and media kit that included a sample episode, eventually landing a time slot with The Sportsman Channel.
Jason said that Montana’s mystique in the hunting world plays a central role in the show and has helped it achieve a measure of success.
“Montana is quoted as the last best place on Earth and I think that is true in the lower 48,” Jason said. “Montanans dream about hunting in Montana and the guy back East thinks about hunting the Bob Marshall Wilderness and seeing a big herd of bull elk coming over a ridge.
“Everybody that hunts wants to come and hunt Montana. The lengths of our seasons, the number of tags and the amount of land people have to hunt on – there are not many states that have that combination of factors that make Montana the best of what is left.”
Unlike many sporting shows that fall into a pattern of focus on a single big game animal, “Powder Horn Montana” breaks the mold by offering viewers a variety of species and locations. The show features hunts in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico and Alaska.
And you won’t find a celebrity hunter in sight.
“It is pretty much me and my dad and his friends,” Jason said. “We just want to represent Montana and Montanans.”
Jason said there are certain challenges that come along with filming a hunt, namely being focused on capturing the shot rather than the being overwhelmed by the action unfolding before the camera.
But he said he doesn’t stage any of the action or re-enact sequences.
“Hunting to me is such a sacred thing that I don’t want to ruin that for anyone in their moment,” Jason said. “It is about the experience and how you feel when you are out that day of the hunt.”
This season, “Powder Horn Montana” is in 30 million households nationwide. After its first season the show was nominated for Best New Series by the Viewer’s Choice Awards.
“I got an invitation to go down to Las Vegas for the awards,” Jason said. “It was nothing but all the guys I have looked up to my whole life and they are all there. As they were going through the awards process, my show flashed in front of all those guys. That whole kind of moment it hit me.
“I could not believe I was sitting there with all these people looking at my footage among the best of the best of what is on national TV. I feel fortunate every day for where I live and what I do.”
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