Hunting Shows Unrealistic?

[agross]

Not a monster? I would love a buck like that. He had to score 140 plus. Fyi im a dawn to dusk guy passing on spike and fork and basket racks but have yet to get one over 100 inches.

[beachpeaz]

He was 140 on the button. I said he's not a monster just based on this topic thread regarding hunting shows. Monster in my book and thats all that matters. but I would be fined if I shot him on some of these properties these guys hunt on the tv shows.

Edited September 15, 2012 by beachpeaz

[Larry]

JEE DO I THINK HUNTING SHOWS ARE UNREALISTIC THIS IS A HARD ONE. I WAS WHATCHING A SHOW TODAY AND THE GUY GOES THIS IS THE HARDEST THING I HAVE EVER HAD DO LET A 180 CLASS BUCK WALK BECAUSE I WANT TO SHOOT A 200 CLASS BUCK. THATS BS

LOOKED UP THE OUTFITER AT THE END OF THE SHOW THAT 200 CLASS NT WILL COST YOU 10 TO 15 GRAND IT WAS A HIGH FENCE HUNT BUT THEY DIDN'T TELL YOU THAT!

[sampotter]

Can we build a list of hunting shows that feature high-fence hunts so I can avoid them? Who were the guys in the 90s that were caught tagging farm deer as wild deer for a hunting show?

[Terry]

Or a list of decent shows to watch that includes time, day, and channel. For example:

"Meateater"- 9pm, Sundays on the Sportsman channel.

[d-bone20917]

"On Your Own Adventures" - 9PM, Thursdays on the Sportsman Channel.

[envo]

I agree about the shows, I only have nbc sports channel though. I wish I saw some northeast shows as well. Last weekend I saw "Deer and Deer hunting Tv" and I thought that was one of the better shows that could be helpful so I set it to my dvr. and even though it portrayed a rich family with endless time and resources which is unrealistic for me, I liked "aarons outdoors", mainly because I am a woman with two kids to relate. One episode I will always remember the wife took the 2/3 yr old girl out in a tree stand, the mother whispered to her daughter "what do you see?" The daughter whispered back..."grass!" small things like that gave me a chuckle.

[beachpeaz]

I agree about the shows, I only have nbc sports channel though. I wish I saw some northeast shows as well. Last weekend I saw "Deer and Deer hunting Tv" and I thought that was one of the better shows that could be helpful so I set it to my dvr. and even though it portrayed a rich family with endless time and resources which is unrealistic for me, I liked "aarons outdoors", mainly because I am a woman with two kids to relate. One episode I will always remember the wife took the 2/3 yr old girl out in a tree stand, the mother whispered to her daughter "what do you see?" The daughter whispered back..."grass!" small things like that gave me a chuckle.

That would give me a chuckle too. Sounds like something my 4 year old would say too....lol.

[beachpeaz]

Good call on starting a list. I will have to start paying more attention to the names of these shows. I really wish I could remember the name of that show I mentioned early in this thread about the guy who hunts the New England states (was in NH) the episode I watched. He considered a 130 a huge deer and was actually excited about it. Nice to see! Anyone know of this show? Northeast Safari or something?

[erussell]

Where Are All the Boogeymen?

By Gene Wensel

“I have no doubt that Adam fished with a worm after his expulsion from paradise.” Theodore Gordon, 1947

When I was a youngster, suburban boys aggressively rang doorbells searching for lawn mowing or snow shoveling jobs during their free time. Today, one must run classified ads looking for kids who want to earn a few bucks doing physical chores. And if we do find any, they expect $50 an hour to do odd jobs! I can’t remember the last time my door bell rang after a snow storm. Times have definitely changed.

Deer hunting too has transformed over the decades to a point where it’s just not the same as it used to be. When was the last time you saw a pipe smoking guy in a red and black checkered shirt hanging out at a deer camp reeking of Hoppe’s #9? Forty years ago, thousands of young hunters could not wait to get to their elder’s deer cabins. Today, many camps are only places to play cards, smoke cigars, or drink alcohol.

We have produced a vicious cycle; progressive disinterest in monthly hunting magazines was promptly addressed and all but dissolved by broadcast television. Many of the negative changes I witnessed in outdoor interest and philosophy were brought on by television hunting shows and an accompanying cultural shifting of gears that allowed Nimrod to get to the top of any mountain a whole lot quicker. These short cuts turned out to be the festering root of an aching tooth. Society ultimately decided it was okay to skip any degree of apprenticeship along the trail. The ways and means modern hunters went about our passion took another turn for the worse when commercial interests gave birth to untold numbers of instant experts, all dwelling mostly on ego trips while skipping over amateur skill levels. The goal was to utilize the quickest, easiest ways they could come up with to legally fill tags. Simple yet mysteriously defined differences between love and lust eventually became unclear. What was once pure spring water quickly turned muddy, and certainly not suitable for drinking. More often than not, our outdoor passion swiftly evolved from hunting to shooting, with little or no regard to values actually earned. “Just put me in a good spot” thinking by-passed or avoided basic woodsmanship skills.

I like the idea of being a boogeyman. I really do. Not the kind with warts, who hides under the bed or jumps out of a closet to scare little kids, but the type who simply lurks in the shadows to strike at opportune times.

I place the primary blame of cultural swing on the invention and acceptance of broadcast television. It was bad enough a half century ago when TV first stole our free time, but things have become even worse in the past decade or so when “hunting shows” established their own niche right along side porn and horror flicks. “Hunting” shows deteriorated even more when they promptly mutated into “reality shows,” building genuine life and death competition among team participants of the blood sports. Then came dozens of sponsored “celebrity hunters,” figuratively crawling out of the woodwork, jockeying not for entertainment or educational value, but for pole positions of recognition among their peers, sponsors, and fans. Who would have predicted that celebrity hunters would travel in gaudy tour buses? Egotistical clowns in camo raced to establish some sort of “professional hunter” identity while tossing things like ethics, common sense, modesty and humility right out of deer camp windows. Pride in achievement was rapidly demonstrated by shameless antics displaying various forms of enthusiasm, both verbal and physical. Respect for wildlife was shadowed by insane degrees of zealotry. These folks eliminated much of the process. In a sense, they tried to make Italian food with no tomatoes. Today, there just isn’t ever much of a story involved in the taking of 90% of the deer shot on television. Sure, a few hunting celebrities attempt to disguise their tales as some sort of romance but most fail miserably.

I really don’t have anything against gun hunting if it is done right, using firearms as honorable tools to actually hunt the quarry. I used to do it myself when I was young and I have good friends who still do. But when bows and arrows are quickly cast aside to justify filling a tag or finishing the making of a TV show, firearm use leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Far too often, guns turn hunting into shooting. One can make a campfire by rubbing two sticks together, use of a flint and steel, a wooden match, a butane lighter, or even a flame thrower. I happen to be a wooden match guy.

In-line “primitive weapons” with huge scopes, bi-pods and thumbhole stocks do not belong in primitive weapons seasons as far as I’m concerned. I mean, what’s the point? They too have evolved to be nothing but single shot rifles missing only the brass part of the cartridge.

My brother and I hunt a farm bordered by property owned by several whitetail nuts. Almost every year during late season, they blast bucks on film for TV that need just one more year to reach full maturity…..bucks that both Barry and I let walk earlier in the season. They mostly do it in cold weather by planting soybean fields, then leaving them unharvested. When hungry deer cross the fence to feed in the beans, they get popped from up to 250 yards with “primitive” weapons during what is nothing but an extended gun season. Yes, if you sense frustration on my part, you would be right. I even had a TV host once tell me that he “hunts 99% of the time with a bow and arrow and prefers bowhunting.” He went on to say the only reason he used guns was because one of his sponsors was giving him free firearms. I was tempted to ask him if he thought it would be okay if his wife did not sleep around 99% of the time.

One of these days, a fired or retired hunting show cameraman is going to write a book about some of the things that go on behind the scenes of what we actually see on television. Half the time, a bored, waiting “hunter” has ear phones plugged into their ears! I-pods and cell phones offer music, video games, opportunities to chat with friends, conduct business, “sexting,” and whatnot. And if you think hanky-panky between cameramen and female bowhunters has never happened, I have a bridge to sell you. Pop-up blinds got their name in more than one way!

Many hunting show celebrities don’t even get into the woods much anymore except to look for shed antlers or put out trail cameras. They prefer spending their time in elevated shooting houses with sliding glass windows and propane heaters set on the edges of food plots. I really don’t have a problem with food plots or simpler blinds. Other than the fact food plots are essentially planted to attract and kill deer, they are also an important supplemental food source for wildlife trying to make it though harsh winters when competition for available food is intense.

And then we come to the canned hunts. If there were some way to count, I’m sure we would discover the fact hundreds of wealthy people have paid well over $10,000 to shoot the “buck of a lifetime” inside a high fenced enclosure. Did they earn these trophies? No, they only earned the money to buy them. The “hunt” may have cost them a small fortune, but in reality they never paid the full price.

Can an automobile mechanic also be a good driver? Of course he can. Is everyone who swings a hammer a good carpenter? Not quite. The ironic part of it is that some of these canned hunt trophies are actually killed by people with adequate hunting skills, if only they took the time and effort to apply them. Lack of time and a fat wallet ultimately confirm their decisions. I’m told one can even kill huge bighorn rams inside high fences if you are willing and able to pay the price. “Wildlife” farming has even changed the way deer are photographed. How long has it been since you last saw a magazine front cover photo of a big buck whitetail that wasn’t taken inside a park or high-fenced enclosure?

Wisdom, probably brought on with old age, has convinced me that humans can justify almost anything if they try hard enough.

I treasure any and all opportunities to study sign, find funnels, decipher wind patterns, and set camera traps to see what is on the menu. I delight picking out fantasy trees to hide in while my imagination conjures up ultra-close range encounters where I can strike with no warning. I am an honorable predator and deer are worthy prey. I love being a boogeyman, or at least I like to think like one when I’m outdoors. So be it. I find great pleasure trying to figure out what’s going on while walking in the woods at my own pace with a simple bow and arrow. While some might see it as a desire to be sneakier, I see it as a way to close my deals with truer dignity. I sleep better like that.

[Doc]

The only video that I still consider to be worth watching is the one done by theWensel brothers many, many years ago called the Bowhunting October Whitetails (I think that was the name). So I have quite a bit of respect for the author of the article above (erussell's post). Those guys seemed to know bowhunting and the mentality of challenge behind it. So his words have a pretty heavy dose of credibility.

By the way, the reason I say that their video is the only video worth watching is because it was the last one that really tried to educate and entertain rather than just entertain alone. And the emphasis was definitely on the education part. There was a pile of info packed into that video. Today, there really is nothing new of innovative about anything that is being put out. All hunting videos are about TV personalities (who really don't have all that much personality). They simply regurgitate the same old crap over and over and rely on some rather impressive deer genetics to peddle their redundant story over and over.

[First-light]

Agreed Doc. I have the whole series, very educational.