Catman

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30-06 type of guy said:
😂 y'all really get butt hurt over public land being shown in videos. All you gotta do is go to the hunter toolbox and it'll give you all the info you need. Same with turkeys. I hunt some of the same public he does and have zero issues on deer or turkey.
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Heck yeah man. So you hunt Yanahli and where?
 
Laserman1 said:
Guess I've gotta quit fishing. I saw a fishing show and the guy had a boat in the same cove I've fished on lake chickamauga. Now everyone will be fishing in that cove so I have to find another hobby
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Don't be a Richard. I don't think anyone has quit hunting.
IMO, you've been awful quiet sharing success stories with picture and videos of your particular locations and tactics in the fishing forum.
Maybe I'm missing those threads? Afraid someone will move in on it?
 
He helped the demise of public land hunting by broadcasting where he hunted at so much several years ago. Made it worse when the hunting public folks came with him.
-Always thought if it was legal who cares. Fanning turkeys and decoys, he didn't care. I disagree.
-Killing as many does as he could because it was legal. Disagree again.
-Killed like six little poults in one day in an October fall turkey season just because it was legal. Totally unethical.
-taking bad shots on running and flying turkeys. Legal but unethical.

I quit watching his stuff because of those things.

I do admire his self taught ability and drive to become a successful outdoorsman.

He probably is a stand up guy. I have nothing personal against him. I have no idea if his YouTube channel is successful or not. I have no idea if he has became more ethical. I will probably never find out because he turned me off with the poult killings. Seek one turned me off quicker, I shouldn't have to explain. I liked the hunting public at first, but after they advertised spots and became arrogant I quit them just the same.

If he is now successful good for him.
 
Actually I'm not a good enough fisherman to post any tips or pick. So the bass master series on tv on Chickamauga didn't show the guys exact spots they were fishing and catching their fish? I could see houses and docks in the background I recognized plenty of times?
 
Mb423 said:
This thread is fun to read both sides of the fence.

Any body hunting legally on social media should be given kudos, regardless if you disagree with how they do it or not (trad, compound, rifle, private, public, etc). Moaning and griping within the community is exactly how people that hate hunting are able to erode away our hunting rights. Hunter growth and retention is an ongoing issue across the board.

Here is my favorite catman video. I always get fired up hoping one day I can knock down 3 deer in one sitting 😂

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Did that a few years ago.
Had four does running across a hill about 80 yds away. Let out a loud fawn distress bleat and they stopped. Shot the biggest doe. Three take off running, another bleat, they stop, dropped the next biggest.
Had heard a grunt just before they come around the hill AND it was the peak of the rut, so I just decided to stay put for 30 minutes.
15 minutes later, an 8 point buck came moseying in from my rear. Raised the rifle but in my scope, crosshairs on the deer, I'm looking at my truck through the woods about 100 yds away.
Let him walk another 15 yards to get out of line with my truck, gave him a high shoulder shot, dropped him.
Now the fun began....up the hill, drag down a doe to a flat spot, degut, drag to the creek, drop her in to cool the hams, ditto no. two and three. Three bods in nature's cooler, went and got the truck, had a rack in the trailer hitch.
Loaded all three, headed for Flower's meat processing.

Backed in, unloaded, then had them pull another doe out of the interior of my truck...a doe I had shot the previous evening and didn't feel like driving to Flower's.
Never have done that before or since, hard on a 72 year old hunting by himself.
Good thing these weren't Illinois or Michigan deer, never would have got them loaded.
 
easy45 said:
When I'm around several of my friends we joke and don't act our ages either, that's part of the fun of having close friends.
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Apparently some people dont have a sense of humor lol oh well i know im going to enjoy life and be happy and sometimes that means cutn up with friends. Man these keyboard warriors these days need to get out and have a little fun and make a few friends! 😂
 
I ran into Catman a few years ago at Priest. He kinda indirectly helped me kill my first turkey. He had gotten stuck in his old Dodge truck and I offered to come back out there and pull him out. During the waiting, someone else pulled him out but I decided to look for more birds. Spotted birds, put on a stalk, and scored my first turkey. Thanks Catman.
 
Catman made a video about the BEST bait you can use to kill bucks....and I have practiced this religiously.
He stated that a hot doe is the absolute best chance for drawing in a buck and I wholeheartedly agree.
I always wait until I have satisfied my buck tags before I shoot any of the does.
I don't look for horn size, just body size on the bucks.
And I take mature does to try to keep the herd somewhat in check.
Driving out to go fishing this morning, I counted 18 mama's and babies in the field by my house.
I'll take two bucks and at least three does.
Three deer for us and the others for friends that don't hunt but like the venison.
 
I don't think this forum is fitting for fame seeking or monetizing traditional values like hunting. That being said, if someone is popular in social media, famous rock singer or a big time business owner millionaire type and they come on this forum...they should do so to learn, share knowledge, support others and celebrate the successful hunts.
 
I know him personally and he's a great guy. We've had many conversations recently about what he does and how it could be affecting public land hunting in a negative way. Sure he disagrees with me but we've still remained friends since I left TN and almost every time we go to TN to visit family, I make an effort to get together with him to hunt or fish for something. He left the forum because he said he was catching a lot of heat about his videos, getting blamed for ruining spots, and was just tired of arguing about it. I honestly can't say I blame him, there are few things more pointless and unproductive than arguing on the internet.

I don't like his constant KFC (killing for content) of slaughtering every doe he sees, "donating" the meat to Hunters for the Hungry (just an excuse to kill another doe and get rid of it). That bothers me and I've already told him if/when we move back to TN to just call me instead, I'll gladly come get that doe. I eat a lot of deer meat and have two growing daughters and wife who all love deer meat. Or he can just bring it over. We'll have dinner and a few cold beers ready for him then we can get to hacking up that doe in my garage.

One thing that I think he doesn't get is that his opportunity to hunt is WAY different from the average person on here. He isn't married, has no kids, lives in a small room in a barn house so he has very little bills to pay. He doesn't have to work much to pay his bills, especially with YouTube ad revenue coming in.

This means he gets to hunt a LOT more than the average family man with a full-time, M-F job, and also gets to hunt a lot during the week. The majority of us are limited to mostly weekend hunting when we'll experience the majority of the pressure and so we get extra frustrated by the YouTubers who, without a doubt, are making that worse.

My opinion is that if he was restricted to only hunting weekends for an entire deer and turkey season, he'd throw those cameras in the trash, learn a trade, make his money that way, and never tell a soul other than family and close friends about anything he kills. And he'd only kill what he is going to eat. No more of this killing 15-20 deer a season and only eating one or two.

But trust me, for those that haven't met him, he's a very nice guy and a great friend. I wish he'd put the cameras down, as well as every YouTuber, but I'm afraid this social media hunting is only going to get worse and it's only going to cause more issues.
 
MidTennFisher said:
I know him personally and he's a great guy. We've had many conversations recently about what he does and how it could be affecting public land hunting in a negative way. Sure he disagrees with me but we've still remained friends since I left TN and almost every time we go to TN to visit family, I make an effort to get together with him to hunt or fish for something. He left the forum because he said he was catching a lot of heat about his videos, getting blamed for ruining spots, and was just tired of arguing about it. I honestly can't say I blame him, there are few things more pointless and unproductive than arguing on the internet.

I don't like his constant KFC (killing for content) of slaughtering every doe he sees, "donating" the meat to Hunters for the Hungry (just an excuse to kill another doe and get rid of it). That bothers me and I've already told him if/when we move back to TN to just call me instead, I'll gladly come get that doe. I eat a lot of deer meat and have two growing daughters and wife who all love deer meat. Or he can just bring it over. We'll have dinner and a few cold beers ready for him then we can get to hacking up that doe in my garage.

One thing that I think he doesn't get is that his opportunity to hunt is WAY different from the average person on here. He isn't married, has no kids, lives in a small room in a barn house so he has very little bills to pay. He doesn't have to work much to pay his bills, especially with YouTube ad revenue coming in.

This means he gets to hunt a LOT more than the average family man with a full-time, M-F job, and also gets to hunt a lot during the week. The majority of us are limited to mostly weekend hunting when we'll experience the majority of the pressure and so we get extra frustrated by the YouTubers who, without a doubt, are making that worse.

My opinion is that if he was restricted to only hunting weekends for an entire deer and turkey season, he'd throw those cameras in the trash, learn a trade, make his money that way, and never tell a soul other than family and close friends about anything he kills. And he'd only kill what he is going to eat. No more of this killing 15-20 deer a season and only eating one or two.

But trust me, for those that haven't met him, he's a very nice guy and a great friend. I wish he'd put the cameras down, as well as every YouTuber, but I'm afraid this social media hunting is only going to get worse and it's only going to cause more issues.
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GREAT post!
 
I remember when Catman was first on here. Just a great guy from my viewpoint. I follow his YouTube channel and follow him on Instagram. The successful channels on YouTube always help each other out. It's no different than advertising. Since he has probably every guys cell phone number from those other channels in his phone, I'm sure that Lee probably called him to ask if he could help him retrieve that deer on the river cause Lee didn't have a boat with him.
I've always been a Catman fan and always will be. He is one of the best self taught hunters I have ever seen. I remember when he first started on here. Maybe I'll cross paths and get to shake his hand on day. I wish him well and hope he gets
One of my favorite videos that he did was when he caught a bunch of night crawlers using green walnuts. You should go check it out!
 
As said before I like his videos. Just because he doesn't shoot turkeys as others think he should or shoot as many deer as people think he should ,unless he is breaking the law
I think he should hunt how he wants. Your opinion on what is ethical is not how everyone lives their lives. He is not the only one that post how many deer they killed so far each year If that's the way he wants to hunt and is legal, so be it.
 
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MidTennFisher said:
I know him personally and he's a great guy. We've had many conversations recently about what he does and how it could be affecting public land hunting in a negative way. Sure he disagrees with me but we've still remained friends since I left TN and almost every time we go to TN to visit family, I make an effort to get together with him to hunt or fish for something. He left the forum because he said he was catching a lot of heat about his videos, getting blamed for ruining spots, and was just tired of arguing about it. I honestly can't say I blame him, there are few things more pointless and unproductive than arguing on the internet.

I don't like his constant KFC (killing for content) of slaughtering every doe he sees, "donating" the meat to Hunters for the Hungry (just an excuse to kill another doe and get rid of it). That bothers me and I've already told him if/when we move back to TN to just call me instead, I'll gladly come get that doe. I eat a lot of deer meat and have two growing daughters and wife who all love deer meat. Or he can just bring it over. We'll have dinner and a few cold beers ready for him then we can get to hacking up that doe in my garage.

One thing that I think he doesn't get is that his opportunity to hunt is WAY different from the average person on here. He isn't married, has no kids, lives in a small room in a barn house so he has very little bills to pay. He doesn't have to work much to pay his bills, especially with YouTube ad revenue coming in.

This means he gets to hunt a LOT more than the average family man with a full-time, M-F job, and also gets to hunt a lot during the week. The majority of us are limited to mostly weekend hunting when we'll experience the majority of the pressure and so we get extra frustrated by the YouTubers who, without a doubt, are making that worse.

My opinion is that if he was restricted to only hunting weekends for an entire deer and turkey season, he'd throw those cameras in the trash, learn a trade, make his money that way, and never tell a soul other than family and close friends about anything he kills. And he'd only kill what he is going to eat. No more of this killing 15-20 deer a season and only eating one or two.

But trust me, for those that haven't met him, he's a very nice guy and a great friend. I wish he'd put the cameras down, as well as every YouTuber, but I'm afraid this social media hunting is only going to get worse and it's only going to cause more issues.
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I agree with all of this.

But Yanahli didn't get bad until this guy broadcasted it. I don't care what anyone says.

Yea it's Public land, bla bla bla bla frick…..

It is absolutely a mad house there. Yea people still kill nice deer and turkeys. And yes it can be enjoyable. It for the most part it isn't. Yea the same amount of deer and turkeys are being killed,…… but the percentage of hunter satisfaction has decreased significantly.
 
MidTennFisher said:
I know him personally and he's a great guy. We've had many conversations recently about what he does and how it could be affecting public land hunting in a negative way. Sure he disagrees with me but we've still remained friends since I left TN and almost every time we go to TN to visit family, I make an effort to get together with him to hunt or fish for something. He left the forum because he said he was catching a lot of heat about his videos, getting blamed for ruining spots, and was just tired of arguing about it. I honestly can't say I blame him, there are few things more pointless and unproductive than arguing on the internet.

I don't like his constant KFC (killing for content) of slaughtering every doe he sees, "donating" the meat to Hunters for the Hungry (just an excuse to kill another doe and get rid of it). That bothers me and I've already told him if/when we move back to TN to just call me instead, I'll gladly come get that doe. I eat a lot of deer meat and have two growing daughters and wife who all love deer meat. Or he can just bring it over. We'll have dinner and a few cold beers ready for him then we can get to hacking up that doe in my garage.

One thing that I think he doesn't get is that his opportunity to hunt is WAY different from the average person on here. He isn't married, has no kids, lives in a small room in a barn house so he has very little bills to pay. He doesn't have to work much to pay his bills, especially with YouTube ad revenue coming in.

This means he gets to hunt a LOT more than the average family man with a full-time, M-F job, and also gets to hunt a lot during the week. The majority of us are limited to mostly weekend hunting when we'll experience the majority of the pressure and so we get extra frustrated by the YouTubers who, without a doubt, are making that worse.

My opinion is that if he was restricted to only hunting weekends for an entire deer and turkey season, he'd throw those cameras in the trash, learn a trade, make his money that way, and never tell a soul other than family and close friends about anything he kills. And he'd only kill what he is going to eat. No more of this killing 15-20 deer a season and only eating one or two.

But trust me, for those that haven't met him, he's a very nice guy and a great friend. I wish he'd put the cameras down, as well as every YouTuber, but I'm afraid this social media hunting is only going to get worse and it's only going to cause more issues.
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Great post. I still think he let the fame of YouTube get the best off him. Sounds like I was right.
 
tdt5446 said:
I am not one that posts a lot on here, so if that disqualifies my opinion, just scroll past this post.
I love to come here and read the posts, I love to deer hunt, even though I haven't hunted much due to health issues in the last several years. I had to cancel an out of state trip yesterday for that reason. However, I have been blessed with a lot of success in the woods, and on the water as I love to fish as well. I have never been one to try to age a deer before I pulled the trigger or let go of the string, I am a firm believer that the trophy lives between the Hunter's ears not the deer's. If it is a legal kill, congratulations and enjoy the meat, and let no one else's comments bother you.
I started my deer hunting journey back when if you saw a deer track, you had a good season. If you killed something, strangers came to your house to see it, and your picture might even end up on the Woods and Waters TV show with Bill Jay and Bill Clay!

I don't know Catman, I don't Know SeekOne, and have not seen their videos. I say that to say this, if they are hunting legally and have the proper license, why be critical of their success? They put in the work, got permission or utilized public land and made it work! That is an awesome feeling, I hope that you can say it has happened to you.

I have learned a lot by reading the posts on here, I have learned a lot on my own. Nothing is more exciting than hunting a knew spot and figuring it out, and having the chance to take an animal. I say having the chance, because I have a habit of screwing up that chance on occasion.

God has given us a lot of to be thankful for, get out and enjoy those blessings while you can. Thanks for taking the time to let me do some philosophising (is that even a word), and enjoy your posts. Have a great season and my God bless you all!
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Amen brother. Hunt and let hunt. We need to stick together and support one another.
 
MidTennFisher said:
One thing that I think he doesn't get is that his opportunity to hunt is WAY different from the average person on here. He isn't married, has no kids, lives in a small room in a barn house so he has very little bills to pay.
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So he lives in his parents garage… well that explains a lot I guess. All about the killing for content, it's more important to get that like than it is to pass those button bucks he seems to always kill.
This is the thing that really pisses me off, I personally killed 6 last year. Feeding the kids being the primary reason, we only had exactly 4 lbs of burger and maybe 3lbs of steaks left at the beginning of this season. A single kid living in his parents garage shouldn't kill 20+ deer a year just because it's legal. And don't give me the "but it's DoNaTED" BS. I'd bet the hunters for the hungry programs across the nation have a hard time giving everything away, if fact I'd bet some percentage ends up in the landfill.

What a tool.
 
Gobble4me757 said:
I like catman, but he straight up gave up many spots and ruined some great ones. He's no different than other YouTube hunters in that he wants likes and subscribers. Once you start doing collaborations with others in the YouTube game, you are not doing it cause you like to film hunts but instead for the notoriety and the likes.

Do I like how he hunts though? Absolutely. He hunts like I learned how to Turkey hunt just not near as aggressively. He is respectful and works hard at it. I'd like to drink beer and catfish with him.
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So show me where he gave up some spots? I know that his videos over the last 4 or 5 years have never mentioned a name, landmark or anything that would remotely give his location away to anyone that didn't already know it.
 
I like Catman and his hunting style but you must remember he's got a different agenda and has from the beginning. His goal was more than just to learn to hunt but also to turn it into extra income at the least and a living at the best.

Anyone that wants to make a living from doing something we love to do as a hobby or sport or for recreation only will at some level disagree with their methods. I admire his dogged style of hunting hard until the bitter end. Something I can no longer do!

I don't blame him for making money but I think it distracts from the pure joy of the hunt. I like to keep that for myself.

I wish him the best because he's been pretty successful in an industry that chews you up and spits you out. I don't envy what he's trying to do.
 
Polarkraft said:
So he lives in his parents garage… well that explains a lot I guess. All about the killing for content, it's more important to get that like than it is to pass those button bucks he seems to always kill.
This is the thing that really pisses me off, I personally killed 6 last year. Feeding the kids being the primary reason, we only had exactly 4 lbs of burger and maybe 3lbs of steaks left at the beginning of this season. A single kid living in his parents garage shouldn't kill 20+ deer a year just because it's legal. And don't give me the "but it's DoNaTED" BS. I'd bet the hunters for the hungry programs across the nation have a hard time giving everything away, if fact I'd bet some percentage ends up in the landfill.

What a tool.
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I don't have a dog in this hunt but best I remember he was killing a ton of deer even before YT. As many different properties as I imagine he's hunting he's not even making any sort of dent in the population. I've killed well over 10 deer a year for quite a few years now and I might eat one full deer a year. I can assure you that I'm not a tool nor would you label me one if we knew each other personally. I don't know the guy from Adam but I'd be willing to bet that much like me he just loves slinging arrows at does moreso than he's just purely killing for content.
 

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