Few people have explored Wisconsin "Beyond Milwaukee" more thoroughly than Dan Small and the crew from "Outdoor Wisconsin."

The popular public television program has run for 22 years, on every public station in Wisconsin and around 20-30 more in the country.

Small, who has been with the show since its start, estimates that he has been in every county in the state over the years, but admits he hasn't done shows from all of them.

There have been segments from a lot of places though; out-of-the-way places.

"Wisconsin is a wonderful outdoors state with great variety in activities," Small said during a recent interview in the Kickapoo Valley. "There is no shortage of stories to do on the outdoors. We have always tried to reflect that variety and have a format that has something for most enthusiasts. If you're not interested in the segment on turkey hunting, there might be a segment on fishing or morels that will interest you."

Small calls his show, "the original reality television." He says no scenes are faked - unlike some national fishing shows where dead fish sometimes are used to show "action" in the water.

"If we don't catch anything, we just say, 'let's get some lunch and try again later'," Small said.

"Outdoor Wisconsin" originally was based on a show called Michigan Outdoors. Two Milwaukee Public Television engineers, Ken Kobylarz and Mike Behlen, convinced station management that Wisconsin should try a similar show.

The pilot segment in 1984 was hosted by Don Woodruff, who was the director of state tourism at the time. The show proved popular, and management went hunting for a host.

Small was teaching at Northland College at the time and writing magazine pieces on the outdoors. After some urging by Don Johnson, a fellow outdoor writer, Small applied for the host job with no TV experience. He's had a lot of experience since.

"I go into a lot of gas stations, stores, taverns around the state and get recognized," Small said. "I never cease to be somewhat amazed at how television gives you instant recognition. While I naturally find that gratifying, I primarily am happy because it shows that we must be doing something right with the show."

His favorite areas of the state to work are near Lake Superior, where he lived for 15 years, Door County and southwest Wisconsin. Outdoorsmen are often characters, and Small has his favorites among them.

First is Warren Nelson, who an outdoorsman and creator of the Big Top Chautauqua. "He's a genius, a songwriter, knows fishing and the outdoors," Small said.

Nelson has what he called his "12-Pack" of fishing songs. Two of Small's favorites are, "You Get The Leinies; I'll Get the Poles," and "Trolling Home To You."

Small and his producer/reporter Judy Nugent are starting a radio show, which will air in June, and will use those two Nelson songs as their opener and ending.

Others who stand out for Small are George Langley, a musky guide in Eagle River, and Roger LaPenter, a fly fisherman and outdoors enthusiast from Ashland. "There are so many others, I know I'm leaving people out," Small said.

A Day in the Field

In addition to interviewing Small, this writer spent a day in the field with Nugent, videographer Jose Lozano and engineer/audio man Jeff Moorbeck, while they did several segments from the Kickapoo Valley for shows that will appear in upcoming months.

Small and Nugent did a segment together on turkey hunting. Nugent, who has been with the show for about a year, spent a day in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve to do several segments.

Marcy West, director of the reserve, took the Outdoor crew on a tour for segments that will include an overall history and look at KVR, the growing garlic mustard problem and trout fishing. Segments on morel hunting and rattlesnakes also were done elsewhere in the area.

KVR is a unique facility in that it is governed by the state, a local board and the Ho-Chunk Nation. It is in the heart of the Driftless Area, a unique geological area that was not scoured by the glaciers.

Natural and cultural history abounds in the area. For more on KVR, see a Beyond Milwaukee column here.

Nugent, who also writes for Wisconsin Outdoor News and other publications, called her work a "dream job."

"I was a trout bum who dragged my husband to streams all the time anyway, so to communicate about it is a dream," she said.

Small, who works with about a half dozen producers/reporters on different segments, ran into Nugent at an outdoors writers' conference.

"I had seen her stuff and knew she really knew the outdoors," Small said. "She asked about how you get into television, and I eventually asked if she was interested. She more or less said, "I wondered when you would ask'."

Nugent said having a mentor like Small has been very valuable. "He has very high standards for the show," she said.

A demonstration of Small's claim that Outdoor Wisconsin is "reality TV" became very evident during the May day, when the winds started to howl and temperatures plummeted into the low 40s.

Nugent, Lozano and Moorbeck continued taping and reporting in the deteriorating conditions. West did several interviews with the crew at various locations throughout the reserve. Nobody quit until rain and sleet started to pelt the area.

"We try to show the outdoors as it is," Small said. "We get to areas that many people don't go to, and in all types of conditions."

Despite periodic rough weather and other tough conditions, Small said the show has always been fun. "I think that has shown on the air," he said. "Viewers have told me, 'it looks like you are having fun'."

The new radio show also excites Small and Nugent. "Outdoor Wisconsin has been and continues to be great," Small said. "The radio show is something new, which is exciting."

In Milwaukee, WISN has picked up the radio show, which will be called, "Outdoors with Dan Small and Judy Nugent."