Tred Barta
Quick Facts
Biography
Tred Barta (born March 28, 1952) is an American hunter, fisherman, and outdoorsman, who hosts The Best and Worst of Tred Barta on the Versus Channel. As a fisherman, Barta has amassed several world records, some still current.
Life
Tred Barta experienced spinal stroke and cancer in 2009, leaving him paralyzed from the armpits down. However, Barta continues to hunt and fish as he did before the accident. Barta sometimes brings up his paralysis and often says, "I can do it, you can do it."
Barta married Anni Mitchell in 2004 after a divorce in 2002. But later divorced him after his cancer and becoming wheelchair bound
Hunting
When hunting, Tred Barta relies predominantly on a longbow and homemade cedar arrows instead of more modern tools. From his website: "Barta eschews modern contrivances and overly sentimental views of nature and favors a "common man" approach grounded in respect for animals he hunts and the view that the pursuit can be as meaningful as killing the animal. In keeping with this, he does not consider a hunt a failure simply because no game is taken."
Barta has used his bow and arrows on his show to take several big game species, including bear, elk, and moose. Barta has also occasionally used a handgun when pursuing wounded game (such as a wild boar) into thick brush, and a guide with a gun is often present during his hunts. Despite this, he still tends to get closer to the animals than some other hunters employing modern weapons, often placing himself in dangerous situations.