Idaho featured in bowhunting film series tour

SANDPOINT — Those attending the Full Draw Film Tour at the Panida Theater Thursday are in for a particular treat. One feature on the roster was filmed in central Idaho and produced by a Sandpoint resident.

For Josh Moremen, who was instrumental in making the movie A Rugged Reunion," it will be a chance to see his work, along with a selection of other bowhunting films, on the big screen. For the audience, it will be a rare opportunity to viscerally experience an adventure playing out on familiar terrain.

Moremen and his friend Adam Ellison formed their film company, Southern Draw, several years ago when hunting videos first started appearing online. Team Southern Draw also includes Orie Padgett and Sam Ellison. Joe Sanchez and Jesse Flicke also helped in the making of the movie. All of the men, with the exception of Moremen, live in Florida.

"My wife, baby daughter, and I moved to Sandpoint one year ago and absolutely love the people and the area. Our only regret is we didn't move here long ago," Moremen said.

Besides making action flicks, he and his filming partners all have full-time careers. Moremen is the western sales manager for DeLorme, a Garmin company, which makes backcountry communication and SOS devices. Whenever time permits, though, the friends convene somewhere in the country to hunt together.

Hunting is a tradition in his family, and Moremen got his start at a young age.

"I grew up watching my dad and brother go out and hunt whitetail and couldn't wait until I was finally old enough to join them. On my first hunt, I remember the feelings of excitement and anticipation as I sat on top of an old school bus anxiously awaiting a deer to walk by. I have been hooked ever since and picked up a bow as soon as I could draw one back," he said.

He has always been interested in filmmaking as well, and had spent some time learning the craft. Filming on location in the rough presents plenty of challenges that studio work does not, however, including the vagaries of weather, and making "A Rugged Reunion" was no exception.

"On this particular hunt, we encountered temps in the 80s followed by heavy snowfall. This can wreak havoc on camera gear," he said.

Casting the film, though can be even more challenging, especially for hunters in untested territory. Locating game is not always easy.

"The biggest difficulty ... is consistently finding game, as 99 percent of our hunts are on unfamiliar public land with little chance to scout," Moremen said.

Although Team Southern Draw has hunted in a number of locations for a variety of game, the north Idaho region has become his favorite place to ply his bowhunting skills.

"After hunting nearly 60 days last season in Idaho, the diverse terrain and multiple species have quickly made my new home here one of my favorite hunting playgrounds," he said. "From alligators in Florida to mule deer and elk in the West, I don't think I could pick a favorite species to hunt, as they all offer their own unique challenges."

Having a feature included in the Full Draw Film Tour, which makes the rounds of many theaters in the West, is a mark of distinction for the Sandpoint resident, who said he and his team feel honored by the public's reception of their films. 

"We by no means call ourselves experts. We truly enjoy hunting and have fallen in love with the challenges of the West after a lifetime of trekking through the swamps of the South. We try to share the emotion we feel on our hunts through our films. I hope people enjoy watching them as much as we enjoy making them," Moremen said.

Information: http://www.panida.org/events/