Buck Owens – Big Game Hunter sounds like a trip into the wilderness. Instead, Buck takes us somewhere much closer to home: the living room, where a football fan has more important plans than fixing anything around the house. The joke is simple, but his brisk delivery makes this 1973 country hit hard to resist.
Buck Owens – Big Game Hunter: the 1973 single
Written by Buck Owens, “Big Game Hunter” was released by Capitol on November 5, 1973, according to Omnivore Recordings’ official listing for the original vinyl. The American 45 carried catalog number 3769, with “That Loving Feeling” on the other side. It is a compact example of Buck’s comic storytelling, delivered with an energetic country beat.
What is Big Game Hunter about?
The title trades on two meanings of “game.” This hunter is chasing televised football rather than wildlife. Household repairs, yard work, and family viewing choices all lose out to the next match. References to the Green Bay Packers and the NFL place the comedy firmly in American football culture.
Buck plays the narrator as a man who always has an excuse ready. The humor comes from how confidently he treats an ordinary afternoon in front of the television as a serious commitment. There is even a little room for affection, provided it can fit around the football schedule. Anyone who has negotiated control of the television will recognize the situation.
A Top 10 country hit
The single reached No. 8 on Billboard’s country singles chart; the January 19, 1974 issue shows it at that position. It also peaked at No. 7 on Canada’s country chart. Its success offers another side of the singer familiar from “Made in Japan”: playful, topical, and comfortable letting a joke carry the record.
The album: The Best of Buck Owens, Vol. 5
After its single release, the song opened The Best of Buck Owens, Vol. 5, issued in February 1974 on Capitol, ST-11273. The compilation also includes “Made in Japan,” “Arms Full of Empty,” and “In the Palm of Your Hand.”
For more of Buck’s lighter touch, revisit “Act Naturally”. “Big Game Hunter” belongs to that same enjoyable tradition of country songs built around an everyday character and a well-timed punch line.
Listen to Buck Owens – Big Game Hunter
Official artist-channel audio, provided by Omnivore Recordings.
Additional chart reference: Buck Owens discography. The recording is also included on The Complete Capitol Singles: 1971–1975.