Last Updated on March 2, 2023

Tred Barta Biography

Tred Barta was an American record-holding fisherman, author, pilot and renowned Eagle Valley outdoorsman born on 28th March 1952 in Bronxville, New York, United States. He was the host of ‘The Best and Worst of Tred Barta’ on the Versus Channel – network’s top hunting program.

His Luddite, traditional approach to hunting garnered a loyal following enough to persuade network executives to extend Barta’s program through 2011, despite the host’s confinement to a wheelchair.

As a fisherman, he had amassed several world records. When hunting, Barta relied predominantly on a longbow and homemade cedar arrows instead of more modern tools. He 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 did not consider a hunt a failure simply because no game is taken.”

He used his bow and arrows on his show to take several big game species, including elk, bear, and moose. He also occasionally used a handgun when pursuing wounded game into thick brush, and a guide with a gun is often present during his hunts.

Despite this, Barta still tends to get closer to the animals than some other hunters employing modern weapons, often placing himself in dangerous situations.

Tred Barta Photo

Tred Barta Age -How Old Is Tred Barta?

Barta was born on March 28, 1952 in Bronxville, New York, United States. At the time of his death on August 12, 2019, Tred was 67 years old.

What Happened To Tred Barta? – Tred Barta Accident

In 2009, Barta experienced spinal stroke and cancer which left him paralyzed from the armpits down. However, he continues to hunt and fish as he did before the accident and sometimes brings up his paralysis and often says, “I can do it, you can do it.”

Tred Barta Death – Did Tred Barta Die?

Tred Barta died on August 12, 2019,  in a car accident in the Yukon territory.

Tred Barta Wife

Tred married Annie in 2012, Annie is a former University of Colorado ski racer, skydiver and designer of cutting-edge ski clothing. They first met when they both ski raced at CU.

During an interview Annie revealed that she has lost good friends over Tred

“People either love Tred or they hate him, I’ve lost good friends over Tred. That’s because he is the most honest human being I’ve ever met.”

Annie also said that doctors planned to move Barta to a nursing home where he could undergo chemotherapy a move that Annie resisted and opted to move him back to their home.

“He had gotten to the point where he wanted to die, I realized that we had to work on his spirit. You recover from something like this with attitude, and, boy, do we have that in spades around here.”

“We are having to really prove what was all talk before, It’s tough. A true test of our souls. But when we get through this, we can be not just survivors but true champions.” Annie added.

Tred Barta Cancer

In June 2009 Tred was diagnosed with full blown Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia – a type of lymphoma which is easily treatable.

Tred and Annie had requested an MRI since Tred’s paralysis was spreading in the opposite direction that it should have. The MRI showed that the damage to Tred’s spine was progressing and advancing to his neck. Due to this the doctor had performed lymph modes analysis.

Tred Barta Net Worth

He has an estimated net worth of $2 Million.

The Best And Worst Of Tred Barta

The Best and Worst of Tred Barta is a reality television series hosted by Tred Barta. The show began airing on the Outdoor Life Network on November 5, 2004. The television show on the Versus channel is the network’s top hunting program.

Tred Barta World Records

Barta was a multiple world record holder in both light-tackle saltwater fishing and big game hunting. He was a light tackle record holder extraordinaire having held as many as a dozen IGFA line-class world records.

He was the only person to hold what he affectionately calls “the triple crown of light tackle tuna records,” a 65-pound yellowfin on 6-pound line landed after 3 hours of solid effort, a 63-½-pound bluefin tuna on 12-pound line, and a 215-pound bigeye tuna on 20-pound line landed in 5 hours and 17 minutes – still unbroken after 20 years.

He was also an accomplished fly fisherman having used the long wand all over the world. His 38.6-pound dolphin on 6-pound tippet record is still the mark to beat in the record books.

Tred Barta Wheelchair

Barta was confined to a wheelchair after he suffered spinal stroke which left him paralyzed from the armpits down. He uses his wheelchair to move around since beginning what he calls his “new adventure.”

Tred Barta Facebook

Tred Barta Fishing

Tred Barta Interview

Interviewer: How did you get started Bowhunting?

Tred Barta: I was born in Bronxville, New York, which is part of Westchester County. And as a young boy, my dad hunted and fished. Like so many, there’s really no miracle story here. The family owned a very small cabin in Rangeley, Maine, where we went in the summer. And I was basically born to hunt and fish. I always loved it, I loved the solitude of the woods and I loved doing it with my dad. And like so many of us, the process just started. And that led from the BB gun to the recurve, to the longbow, to the compound, and back to the long bow. So it’s no miracle story. We moved to eastern Long Island later in my life, which was right on the ocean, and some of the best fishing of the world. So I really was immersed in outdoor sports my whole life.

Interviewer: Tell us about your first kill?

Tred Barta: My first big game kill was with a shotgun. As I recall, it was a 20-guage Savage – or maybe it was a Marlin. I don’t remember. It was a 20-guage on the bottom and a 22-long rifle on the top. And it was in Rangeley, Maine in the depths of winter, and we were running a beagle and it was the first time that my dad allowed me to go just out of sight of him. We all split up and let the hounds work. They were running beagles. And I can remember how proud I was. As I close my eyes I can see my small L.L. Bean red and black hunting boots. I had taken over a friend’s pair of rubber boots that were three sizes too big so I stuffed newspaper in the front of them.

I had shot at a red squirrel. It was the only animal that I’d shot at and missed, and here come the beagles and here comes the ear of the rabbit. I’ll never forget it. The sun was shining off the snow. In a snowshoe rabbit’s ear there is one large vein that runs the inside of his ear, and the sun had just set and that rabbit’s ear almost looked red. It came through and I shot and the rabbit went down. I yelled and I screamed and my father came running – he had a little L.L. Bean hunting coat too. I remember we hugged and I remember my dad’s tears coming out of his eyes and I couldn’t understand why my dad would have tears out of his eyes. He was a World War II B-29 pilot, and I had never seen him cry in his life. But, you know, that was my first game animal, I was so excited. It was just wonderful. I truly, truly remember every single detail of that day.

Interviewer: What about your first big game kill with a bow?

Tred Barta: First big game kill with a bow was a white-tail deer. I was just at legal bowhunting age, I think I was 14. I might be wrong. But it was the first big game animal. It was blowing 35-40 knots and raining horizontally, it was absolutely ridiculous. I decided to go stalking, and walking in the woods was absolutely quiet. I saw the ear of a doe and got closer. The trees were moving – the whole woods were alive.

I mean there was so much noise, so much wind and so much rain that I think five people could have walked through the woods and you couldn’t hear or see it. And before I knew it, I was 10 or 12 yards away from the doe, who was bedded down. I was upwind and she was looking downhill. I raised the bow. It was a Fred Bear fiberglass bow, a Kodiak at 49 pounds. It was a perfect shot. The doe got up and ran a very short distance then fell. I think that was the moment that I knew how exciting it was to be an archer, and what a thrill it was to get so close. And I still, today, can remember watching the deer at such a close distance. It was an exhilarating feeling. I’ll never forget that. I mean, it was unbelievable.

Interviewer: Who were your early bow-hunting role models? 

Tred Barta: My early models were very similar to many traditional archers. Fred Bear, to me, was an absolute hero. And I can remember living my life around The American Sportsman. That show had such an unbelievable influence on me – Curt Gowdy and that group, and Howard Hill. Later in life I got to meet Fred Bear on three or four different occasions, got a shooting lesson, and got to spend a little time with him one to one. Of course, without a question, John Wayne was my boy. I loved John Wayne, and I loved the Western stars.

Interviewer: Did you ever think that boy watching those old Curt Gowdy shows would be on TV himself one day?

Tred Barta: No. I never thought like that. I never dreamed of having my own TV show when I was young – ever. But what I did dream about as a young boy was being Curt Gowdy or being John Wayne. And that’s what was so great about the old shows is that it wasn’t an infomercial like many shows today, it wasn’t commercially orientated. I mean, they took you on the hunt and you were there. There was no political correctness, it was just the wilderness. It was just the greatest stuff in the world.