I don't usually post but read the forums on a regular basis. Seen some of the hunting show threads pop up once in awhile, just watched a few new episodes this past week and here's the summary in case anyone missed 'em. So on the crush they were hunting the hill ranch and a guy wounds his bull and doesn't recover it (full disclosure- they do kill it the next episode with a firearm days later). This week's episode they spine a real nice buck which she says she had to finish off with another arrow. On the show "driven" they shoot a nice buck in the backstraps it looks like (in saskatchewan), and they can't find it (can't wait to see the next episode!). The 'ol hunt master hisself greg ritz arrows a nice velvet buck in NV, then waits to recover it overnight (loved the video of him coming up on it and grabbing straight for the horns while all the flies start flying away from the buck in the video). And after seeing the thread on the taxidermist being able to save the mountain goat, I watched some show called "drop zone," episode titled mountaintop monarchs. The guy shoots a mountain goat in british columbia...and they can't recover it. Guess we know that one didn't get saved.
Glad to see hunters are still well-represented on tv (sarcasm intended).
The "leave it till morning" has less to do with recovering the animal and much to do with getting great photography.
There are times when leaving it is the only option, but when you can view the video, see the shot is in the heart lung area, and still leave it, you really don't care about the meat.
I would love to know how many of the tv hunters actually read these sites. I know Tom Miranda posts every now and then and and a couple others I've seen post every now and then. I'd be willing to bet they check in far more often and for whatever reason choose not to post. I would think that if they truely "love their fans" they would interact a bit more, especially during the off season, but, I think we for the most part are beneath them at least in their mind. The hosts need to focus on the hunting and not themselves, too many have egos that they are unable to control and the 30 min show has their mug on more than anything else. If you really break it down, very few shows try to teach and all they want to show is the kill, which is sad. I stopped on Higdon goose hunting and all you see is a bunch off fat guys laying out in blinds shooting geese. They don't talk about set ups or calls etc... It's all about blasting birds on film. Oh, I forgot , something new in waterfowl is a barrel tap, sort of like a high five, when your to fat to get up you hit gun barrels, really? Steve Rinella and Randy, (forgot his last name) do a fine job with their shows and explain tactics and try to educate viewers to become better hunters, which should be the point of each show. I don't believe I have ever heard Rinella or Randy ever say they smoked an animal or laugh historically after killing an animal. For all the tv celebs who pop in and read but don't join in, clean up your show and focus on hunting not your love affair with the camera.
Someone says "very simple. if they bother you...quit watching." you're right, it is that simple. however, not having had the outdoor channels for awhile, how would one know what bothers them? after seeing a couple other posts, I recently picked the channels up and started watching cuz they came with a sports package, so now i know what to watch and what to drop. some of us might never get to travel and hunt some of the places a lot of the guys on here hunt, so we make do with living vicariously through the magical picture box. are there shows that show physicians in an unfavorable light? I wasn't aware. there's good and there's bad, as with anything. maybe i should've just added to another thread, oh well. if there's a list about what we can complain about on the almighty bowsite, lemme know.
backpacker, sorry if I touched a nerve. Every week or so, there's a thread complaining about hunting shows on the boob tube. If you live vicariously through the aforementioned boob tube, you're going to be sorely disappointed. Take it for what it's worth...it's Hollywood.
You leave an animal over night in AZ during August or September and the meat will spoil. I did it once and I will never do it again. Shows do it for photographic reasons. Joe hunter does it because he is lazy.
I've narrowed it down to just a couple that I watch, with my favorite host being Kip Campbell on Red Arrow. He and his family seem down to earth and he cracks me up with his humor. But one of the things that irks me, no matter the show, is how they blare the music so loud you can't hear them talking. At times, they'll actually caption what the person is saying while the music is still maxed out? If I wanted to watch a rock video, I'd switch it to one of those stations. Red Arrow does it as well and I emailed them about two weeks ago to voice my opinion on it. Received a real nice response in about two hours from the editor and he said he'd pass it on to the crew that puts the shows together. And not to bash Tiffany on that spine shot, I saw that episode as well, but while that animal is lying there, and we all know a second shot is more than likely required, she's texting her husband and doing a happy dance. Take care of the animal first, then celebrate. My daughter was watching with me and I told her when it went down that it would require a follow up arrow and she wasn't real happy about the celebration either. Bad shots happen to everyone.
I DVR and skip to kill scenes or watch intro to see where they are hunting. I question much that try do but write it off to having to make a show. Many of the women get the job done and make the right moves before the shot. I do see a bunch of poor hits but am amazed how many fall on camera. There are a few that I watch from beginning to end either because I like the format or respect some aspect of the celebrity. Couple real techies, particularl animal type gurus, or can really close the deal IMHO. These shows have made me better at some aspects of hunting. I know a lot but don't know it all and will use anything to learn or fan the the flames.
I saw a show one time where a guy shot 3 javelina. Two shots were good and one was in the guts. The way this guy was acting he had zero respect for these animals. He states he will return in the morning for fear of rattle snakes. At the end it shows two of the 3 he shot and him all smiles. He did not even mention the third and was all smiles. By the way, he was not even hunting javelina but just had to waste three of them just because he could not shoot what he was intending to.
We're creating our own propaganda ads for the day when bowhunting gets on the ballot in CA and OR.
Hollywood Hunter on Friday night. (For those who don't know, rich kid son of the Amway founder. who inherited a big hunting ranch and a ton of money) His buddy shoots a big muley dead solid in the middle of the stomach. Hollywood: "How do you feel?" Buddy, with a huge smile, "I feel great!" They admit he hit it "a little back but there was blood all over at the shot" (there wasn't any if you rewind in slow-mo).
I would've felt nauseous. Some hours (or a day) later on the trail with what they admitted was no blood, the team of trackers locates the buck, which of course is edited like Hollywood and buddy quickly tracked it down without a blood trail.
New hunters watching would get the impression that shooting one in the middle of the stomach was a great shot, something to feel "great" about, and they'll walk right to the buck.
I know it's TV and fake, but newer hunters don't know this. They look up to these ass clowns and emulate their ass-clownery.
These threads never get old, I love them. I am sure I have referred to these guys as "Ass Clowns" also on past threads. The women aren't any better with all of their make up, bling jewelry and tight girl camo.
I found the shows very entertaining when I watched them. Then one day a gentleman shot a beautiful whitetail that fell within sight of the stand within probably 30 seconds. Then, they crew took photos and video for a period of time, moved the deer to a clearer location in the woods and did more filming. Later, they moved the deer to a field edge where more photos and video was taken. Finally, they showed some more photos of the deer in the middle of a field and in the back of a vehicle. Who knows how much time elapsed but they never field dressed the deer. I thought this demonstrated a lack of regard for the meat and I haven't watched since.
I agree with much of what has been said. I have really noticed more poor shots, wait overnight to recover and so forth. Why do we watch it? I ask myself this. Mainly because I love hunting and tend to live and dream all year and re-live hunting through watching shows. I have narrowed my list down to Eastman's, Fresh Tracks, Western Hunter, Western Extreme and Young Wild, Tom Miranda's shows. I record on DVR and watch or delete what I like. I really appreciate Randy Newberg and he sets the trend for ethical and fair chase hunting. I am watching more and more on Youtube and may ditch the cable TV soon.
I use the DVR, rarely watch TV anymore, but on the weekends if I have time, I'll scan the recorded hunting shows and watch the ones that appeal to me. If they get too goofy, I just stop and hit delete. Beats all of these reality shows on now.
Wyo, no hard feelings. I usually dvr the ones that seem interesting as well. Couple additions to the ones already mentioned are the african shows Carter's WAR and Hornady's Dark & Dangerous, in addition to Jim Shockey's Uncharted. Really dig the adventure portion. Actually forgot about that Hollywood Hunter crap too.
I saw one last week where the guy( don't normally watch so I don't know what the show was) left his house and then had to return because he'd left his cell phone at home. He explained to the camera man He didn't what to do with a 3 hr sit without his phone to play games on. I switched stations.
If that makes you sick, quit watching them and go to you tube. Look up Randy Newburg and Born and Raised Outdoors. Randy's shows are great. Support his channels and like his videos for nothing more than what he does for public lands in this country. But he makes a Quality show/
Then, look up Born and Raised Outdoors. Best hunting video's ever made hands down. If you cant get into watching those fellas, you got problems. Unbelievable the show they produce.
I love watching them get into a blind in their brand new spotless orange vests. My vests are dirty, bloody, and covered in prickers and other plant life. I guess that's what happens when you do the work yourself.
Watched Young Wild show yesterday. I enjoyed all the beautiful British Columbia footage with the horse riding, camps, and the arrowing of the M goat . There are some good hunting shows left, (Meat eater, Western Hunter and a few more), we just have to choose wisely.
Haven't watched an outdoor show on tv in over ten years. I watch born and raised outdoor videos and stuff by Corey Jacobson or Randy Newberg and amateur stuff on you tube on occasion. The reason these celebs can't educate anyone is because without being led to a stand by a guide most don't have a clue.
I watched the Crush episode last night. I'd like to set a couple things straight with that:
1. Tiffany acknowledged it was a bad shot right away and that she spined the buck. 2. She clearly stated that she had shot him again to finish the deal. 3. She did not celebrate or text Lee until after the second shot was completed and the buck was dispatched.
Western Hunter, Randy Newberg, Uncharted (Jim Shockey), and sometimes Eastmans are the only shows that I enjoy. The rest I'm embarrassed to let my kids watch.
I saw the Greg Ritz muley shot. I couldn't believe he recovered it. Looked clearly over the spine to me. You never know what happened for real. Saw a show where he shot a sheep with a rifle, clearly back. They never showed him shooting the sheep again, but when they showed the sheep it had multiple holes in it.
Timbrhuntr's link. I disagree vehemently with Waddell's points. I have a 95# huntress in my house that will wade freezing creeks, hunt up and down mountains, and can't wait to carry a pack with an elk rack strapped to it. I'm no super macho man model, not even close. I could stand to lose 20-30 pounds but I still try to keep myself in decent shape and identify myself way more closely with the Cam Hanes and other types in this sport than I do with T-Bones of the world.
Been watching the "Stuck in the rut" vids on youtube. Haven't watched even close to all of them, but so far they're pretty awesome.
Midwest whitetail has some good stuff.
Michael Waddell calling out anyone else is kind of ironic, as in my personal opinion he's one of the main guys who got the whole modern obnoxious TV hunter started, coining phrases like "smoked a freak nasty, swamp daddy", and assorted other on camera antics. Glass houses and stones comes to mind.
I find myself watching less and less tv all the time. None of it is any good from news to sit coms. I wouldn't watch hunting shows if there was something better on, but there isn't. But I agree with the OP, the shots this year seem extra awful. I'd say I've seen 50/50 bad shots to good this year.
I watched the Mountain Goat one, and honestly it did bother me and not much does. First he shoots and misses with his muzzle loader. He reloads then hits it in the back leg. The shot looks to be pretty far for a muzzleloader.
The next day they find it and move into "position." They showed the distance and I forget but it was around 250 yards. He then makes a fatal shot but its hung up on a ledge. The hunter didn't even attempt to get to it because he said he had an injury and the guide tried but couldn't get to it, so they shower a picture of it laying on a ledge and said at least it didn't go to waste.
Normally id disagree as nothing in the wild goes to waste completely- but this goat went to waste. I dint remember the name of the show but that guy is a clown! This never should have been aired on national tv
So called "hunting TV" is a corruption of our heritage a pure prostitution of nature and what god intended when he put the animals and nature here for us to use and enjoy. I encourage everybody to boycott their trash and lies.
I remember a few years ago people were complaining because the shows were not realistic because they never showed misses and poor hits because EVERYONE KNOWS "if you hunt long enough you will have a bad hit now and then". now that they are showing those shots people are complaining because it puts us in a bad light....so which one is it? i think some people just look for things to get upset about.
A friend of mine has a well known hunting show, they were in NZ. a few years ago, shot a Stag poorly with a bow that had to be dispatched with a rifle, he told me they will probably make a bow hunt out of the footage (hence no gun involved) Another time one of his staff shot a big W.T., couldn't find it, actually gave up looking, found it by accident 2 weeks later, showed just the head in the film and claimed it was recovered the next morning.
I agree with a lot of what Waddell says, however. I bet he wouldn't call out others if he wasn't so secure in the industry. He may be a great guy. But I know for a fact that he will sell out just like those he was "calling Out". I have experience with him and his "people" on the product side of things. He/his rep has done exactly what he was bashing others for.
85% of 'them' are 'fakes' and very undesirable to be around. Peoples 'hero's' (most) are NOT what they seem! I soon realized it's all about 'The Money' and the 'fame' that they perceive .... I can honestly say I am very picky on who I'd share a camp with. "They" and 'the consumer' have all but destroyed hunting the way I new it. It is what it is today .... and I don't partake of it anymore.
Wow I just watched this PSE show yesterday where one of their hunters took a shot at a WT buck from a ground blind in the middle of an alfalfa field brushed in with broken irrigation pipes. They quickly went to another scene after the shot plus a couple seconds of the buck running with its head plowing the ground. It was 100% clear to me on playback that he hit the WT buck smack in the head near the right eye. Nothing was ever mentioned about the shot or retrieval, just an obligatory hero shot with an obvious clean-up job of the buck's bloody face. Another pathetic example of what we have available on cable today. He even might have saved a little face if he at least admitted to his very poor shot and overwhelming luck getting this buck. Who knows if it needed another shot. Nothing was discussed. It was so blatantly done I could not resist posting. 95% of these shows are pure trash, as most of us know.
Tim Duvall, if they would own up to a poor shot that would be fine. What we are whining about is the shot in the ass and gut shots that the celebs claim as "I smoked him!" They NEVER own up to these bad shots, they dismiss it as a "little" far back.
Why do you all bother watching? If the shows bother you, move over to National Geo and watch a good educational documentary. Waste of time IMO, I'd rather be fishing, hunting, hiking, working out, shooting my bow or gun, tinkering with equipment, etc etc. I stopped wishing and started doing :)