THE BUCK STARTS HERE: CAPE SERVES AS MCNEELY'S WORLD OUTDOOR HEADQUARTERS

There are certain moments when it hits Buck McNeely exactly how much his little venture has turned into a real adventure.

One of those moments will air today when McNeely, a native of Cape Girardeau, fishes for sharks with special guest Chuck Yeager in the Tazman Sea near New Zealand.

The 30-minute episode of the "The Outdoorsman," hosted by McNeely, can be seen at noon on WSIL.

"It started humbly and evolved into one of those `who would of thunk it deals,'" said McNeely, age 36, of his show.

The humble beginnings can be traced back to McNeely's college days at Southeast Missouri State University. A mass communications major, McNeely produced four episodes of an outdoor show that ran on a local access channel.

His first shows, part of a class project his senior year, concentrated on local fishing and hunting. And while the two facets are still the focus of the show, the nature of his opponents has evolved.

McNeely's shows now vary from bluegill fishing at Kentucky Lake to shark fishing in the Tazman Sea.

McNeely's audience has also grown. The program airs on 145 stations nationwide and is seen in approximately 1,000,000 homes in the U.S. It has also been picked up internationally. He has 30,000 members into his Outdoorsman International club and publishes six issues of his Outdoorsman International Adventure Magazine each year.

He has traveled to the far reaches of the earth, taping episodes in such places as Siberia, Alaska and Argentina. Big league African safaris are also part of "The Outdoorsman" repertoire.

This Buck likes to stop whenever there is big game and danger to be found.

"I enjoy hunting down Cape Buffalo, lions and grizzly bears," said McNeely. "There's a certain adrenaline rush you get when you're in the bush with a dominant predator that will kill you. It's a pretty intense experience. In the bush, man is just another source of protein. Meat is meat in the bush."

Along the way, McNeely has shared his zest for the outdoors with the likes of Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, Oliver North, rock and roller Ted Nugent and such football players as Dave Butz and Jim Hart.

"I had no idea what it would evolve into," said McNeely. "It's been a lot of fun. I get the opportunity to experience a lot things I didn't I'd ever get to do. I get to see a few corners of the world few people get to see. I also get to meet a lot of celebrities and leading conservation people."

Up until his junior year of college, Cape Girardeau was little more than McNeely's birthplace. With his father in the Air Force, McNeely lived a nomadic military lifestyle, residing in Missouri, Maryland, Texas and Philippines before the age of 6. When his family did settle, it was in southern California, where he stayed through junior college. It was in California that he developed his passion and skills in the outdoors.

After attending Modesto Junior College, McNeely, with his eyes on a career in television, transferred to Southeast, where he combined a mass communication major with a minor in theater.

"I had in mind a career in television at some level," he said. "I was schooling myself and developing skills for a career."

The four episodes ultimately led to "The Outdoorsman."

With Cape serving as the headquarters to Timberwolf Productions, McNeely produces 26-30 new episodes of the show every year.

"As long as I can go two hours up to St. Louis, I can go anywhere in the world and can base my operation out of here," said McNeely.