Could Jon and Stacy Sissney become the next “Duck Dynasty?” “His & Hers Outdoors” airs every Sunday morning on the Dish Network and will join the Pursuit Channel in January
By Ed Godfrey, The Oklahoman
In real life, Jon Sissney is a mechanic. His wife, Stacy, is a stay-at-home mom.
On television, the Norman couple is “His & Hers Outdoors,” an outdoors show that airs every Sunday morning on Dish Network’s Hunt Channel (Channel 266) and will join the Pursuit Channel in January.
On television, the Norman couple is “His & Hers Outdoors,” an outdoors show that airs every Sunday morning on Dish Network’s Hunt Channel (Channel 266) and will join the Pursuit Channel in January.
“It’s kind of like a secret identity,” Jon Sissney said of “His & Hers Outdoors.” “During the week it’s a grind. On the weekends, we are out doing stuff.”
Jon Sissney, 37, owns Red Dirt Auto, an auto repair shop near I-40 and Council Road, but his passion is the outdoors.
Jon introduced Stacy, a Wisconsin native, to hunting, and for the past 13 years they have been sharing outdoor adventures together.
He taught her to shoot a bow, and now Stacy is a championship-level archer. Last weekend, she won the Archery Shooters Association Texas state championship in the women’s hunter division.
The couple was meeting fans Friday at the H&H Shooting Sports Complex as part of the store’s annual Summer Expo. Stacy, 40, says she is still shocked when she gets recognized at Wal-Mart.
“It’s happening more and more,” Stacy said. “You get a look like, ‘I know you from somewhere.’”
Three years ago, the couple started filming their hunts to memorialize them. They later decided to make a television show about their hunting and fishing adventures, even though they had no experience in the business.
They called some people who used to be in the industry for advice on how to get on television. Their first show appeared on the KSBI-TV three years ago, and they admit it wasn’t very good.
“Hated it,” Jon said.
“Horrified,” Stacy said.
“We had that deer in the headlights look,” Jon said.
“I didn’t think I sounded anything like I hear myself,” Stacy said. “I stared and stuttered. The hunting part of it was all right.”
Through trial and error, the Sissneys and the show have constantly improved, and the proof is in their growing audience.
Most of the shows are about hunting in Oklahoma and the surrounding states. But there are also are fishing trips and plans for episodes about camping and outdoor cooking.
The husband and wife team make it different from most outdoor shows, but the Sissneys also are willing to be on camera out of their comfort zone, such as their first time fly fishing on a trip to the Lower Mountain Fork River.
“A lot of it is us learning to do something new and not coming across as an expert,” Stacy said.
Later this year, Stacy will be part of an all-girls, self-guided mule deer hunt in Wyoming with Jon’s cousin and one of her friends for a show.
Because they appear on television, Jon said most people assume they must be getting rich.
“We get it all the time, ‘Oh, you got a TV show. You must be making a ton of money,” Jon said. “People think since you are on TV that you must be getting paid. That is far from the truth. The way outdoors TV works, we’ve got to buy our TV time.
“We have to pay someone to produce the show. Then we put it out there. The only way we are able to do that is find sponsors, we like to call them partners, like H&H.”
The auto repair shop is still paying the bills, but the Sissneys say they are having a blast hosting “His & Her Outdoors.”
Their 7-year-old daughter, Maison, is often featured, and more cousins and kids will be joining in on the family outdoor adventures next season.
Maybe the Sissneys will become Oklahoma’s version of Duck Dynasty.
“Without the beards,” Stacy insists.
Jon Sissney, 37, owns Red Dirt Auto, an auto repair shop near I-40 and Council Road, but his passion is the outdoors.
Jon introduced Stacy, a Wisconsin native, to hunting, and for the past 13 years they have been sharing outdoor adventures together.
He taught her to shoot a bow, and now Stacy is a championship-level archer. Last weekend, she won the Archery Shooters Association Texas state championship in the women’s hunter division.
The couple was meeting fans Friday at the H&H Shooting Sports Complex as part of the store’s annual Summer Expo. Stacy, 40, says she is still shocked when she gets recognized at Wal-Mart.
“It’s happening more and more,” Stacy said. “You get a look like, ‘I know you from somewhere.’”
Three years ago, the couple started filming their hunts to memorialize them. They later decided to make a television show about their hunting and fishing adventures, even though they had no experience in the business.
They called some people who used to be in the industry for advice on how to get on television. Their first show appeared on the KSBI-TV three years ago, and they admit it wasn’t very good.
“Hated it,” Jon said.
“Horrified,” Stacy said.
“We had that deer in the headlights look,” Jon said.
“I didn’t think I sounded anything like I hear myself,” Stacy said. “I stared and stuttered. The hunting part of it was all right.”
Through trial and error, the Sissneys and the show have constantly improved, and the proof is in their growing audience.
Most of the shows are about hunting in Oklahoma and the surrounding states. But there are also are fishing trips and plans for episodes about camping and outdoor cooking.
The husband and wife team make it different from most outdoor shows, but the Sissneys also are willing to be on camera out of their comfort zone, such as their first time fly fishing on a trip to the Lower Mountain Fork River.
“A lot of it is us learning to do something new and not coming across as an expert,” Stacy said.
Later this year, Stacy will be part of an all-girls, self-guided mule deer hunt in Wyoming with Jon’s cousin and one of her friends for a show.
Because they appear on television, Jon said most people assume they must be getting rich.
“We get it all the time, ‘Oh, you got a TV show. You must be making a ton of money,” Jon said. “People think since you are on TV that you must be getting paid. That is far from the truth. The way outdoors TV works, we’ve got to buy our TV time.
“We have to pay someone to produce the show. Then we put it out there. The only way we are able to do that is find sponsors, we like to call them partners, like H&H.”
The auto repair shop is still paying the bills, but the Sissneys say they are having a blast hosting “His & Her Outdoors.”
Their 7-year-old daughter, Maison, is often featured, and more cousins and kids will be joining in on the family outdoor adventures next season.
Maybe the Sissneys will become Oklahoma’s version of Duck Dynasty.
“Without the beards,” Stacy insists.
