Why do you watch hunting shows?

[Mike Belt]

A general consensus around here would be that most people don't like hunting shows. With that being said, there sure are a lot of people on here watching them. My reasons for not liking or agreeing with them are:

1. I don't doubt that many of the TV personalities may be good hunters but the fact is that in order to film deer hunts (and sell that film) they must have a lot of film of those hunts with deer kills on them. For that reason I don't really call what they're doing hunting but rather shooting. There's no way they'd have time to scout, hang stands, and be that productive in all the areas they hunt and film.

2. I don't like the terminology they use in describing their hits or just what they did to the deer. I still wonder just how high you get when you smoke a deer.

3. I don't agree with many of them when they say they made a great shot when I see their arrows hit too high, too far back, or too far forward. When they drop one in their tracks they "slam" their audience with how great a shot that was when they actually made a very poor shot missing the vitals completely.

4. I can't believe grown people go through all the antics they do after the shot...and how those antics are taught to their kids.

5. I can't believe that over 75% of the deer they kill are on the last day at last light.

and last but not least....

6. A 30 minute show contains 10 minutes of hunting and 20 minutes of commercials.

With all that negativity I still watch a bunch of shows. I've learned to record them so that I can fast forward through all their commercials. I can watch 6 half hour shows in an hour or so. Why do I watch them????? They could edit out everything in them except the actual hit, the location of the hit, and the deer's response to the hit. That's what I home in on. That's basically the only thing I come away with from watching these shows.

 

[KENBOB10]

I don't watch any of them. I would rather watch flies mate.

 

[BSK]

I don't watch any of them. I would rather watch flies mate.

I don't watch any hunting shows anymore. But I am totally mesmerized by watching video of big bucks wandering through the woods. I could watch hours of that on a Discovery Channel program.

 

[Mossy Oak]

I watch them for their entertainment value. I just like to see big bucks.

 

[morgancountry]

I just record them, skip the commercials, watch the deer and the shot.

 

[Diehard Hunter]

Because I am not sleepy yet, there is nothing else on TV, I have all my chores done, and the wife said no. Then, I might watch Spirit of the wild with Uncle Ted.

 

[KENBOB10]

I don't watch any of them. I would rather watch flies mate.

I don't watch any hunting shows anymore. But I am totally mesmerized by watching video of big bucks wandering through the woods. I could watch hours of that on a Discovery Channel program.

Yep, that's a whole different ballgame right there.

 

[turkeyhunter]

There are only a select few that I can watch now days. I have started watching hunting on utube. I love the amatures videos much more than the tv shows. If there was a hunting show that strictly showed only video clips sent in by real ordinary hunters I would watch! I think the tn.deer family should start our own production.

 

[Lost Lake]

Sometimes I catch them as I'm flipping channels and like BSK said, I can watch big buck footage all day long. I understand the problems and obstacles with filming hunts and what I believe is their target audience, but I can't really watch and definitely can't listen to them. Everybody and their Mamas are professionals nowadays it seems. Their business, not mine. To each his own.

 

[MattR]

I don't really watch them too much. The only hunting show I watch is honey brake duck hunting and thats because my old squad leader is a guide there.

 

[AT Hiker]

I will you tube search hunting shows on my apple TV, nothing like watching self filmed hunting shows IMO.

 

[Hunter 257W]

I don't watch them except for the rare occasion where I'm going through the channels to set my TV to channel 3 so I can watch a DVD.

 

[infoman jr.]

I watch Midwest Whitetail on the net every week and also watch Whitetail Properties on Tuesday evenings. They're pretty good shows.

 

[easy45]

I watch them to see the big deer and there are a few of the shows I enjoy

 

[Lawrence]

I like to see the kill
and thats all
I watch with the tv on mute until the shot

 

[hitek7]

I watch them because no matter how many deer I have seen get killed, it never gets old, just like seeing it. Every now and then I will catch a good show. I will watch most of the Drury stuff and a couple others. Could not care less about watching someone shoot something in Africa though...

 

[woodsman87]

I think they are ridiculous. And they are negative for begginer hunters in a way that begginers could think they have oppurtunities to kill 150 class bucks with archery everytime they go hunting. Some are worse than others.
I am like most of you, I like the cheaply made ones when it looks like they are hunting somewhere in the southeast (not Texas) and they shoot like a 120" 8 point in the hardwoods, a small foodplot, or in a thicket.
All they do are trying to sell their products and get the outfitter more clients on the property that they are hunting.

 

[bowhunterfanatic]

I watch them for entertainment. As crappy as some of the shows are they are still better than most other garbage on tv. I love watching giant free roaming whitetails fall victim to an arrow no matter how unrealistic the show is.

 

[MUP]

I record them too Mike....and wide open thru the commercials, and some of the hunt, just to see the deer walk thru.

 

[TN RDG RNR]

Only if I feel like laughing. Haven't watched a hunting show in close to 5 years, reminds me of the WWF only not as entertaining.

 

[RUGER]

I watch them because I am in front of the tv when they are on and I like to deer hunt and in turn I like to watch it.

 

[Bone Collector]

I quit watching them a while ago. Mainly for all the negative reasons listed in this thread. Partly because we cancelled a sports package and with it went the outdoor channel.

I used to watch Endless Season and Just killin time. Both originally were a couple of good ol boys (one set in VA the other in AL)hunting mountains/farms in VA and just farms in AL for deer and turkey. when they started they were about what i wanted them to be. average guys hunting places that I could see myself hunting. Unfortunately as time went on, the trips to TX, OH, and KS started popping up and the commercials got more frequent..... So needless to say when we cancelled the package i wasn't too upset.

 

[Harvester]

I watch them because season is not open and I need a fix on seeing big bucks. Just passing time till it opens.

 

[catman529]

I prefer hunting videos and shows on YouTube. You get everything from big buck ranch informercial type shows to homemade fair chase public land hunts. I like it when a hunter admits he made a bad shot too.

Last night I watched two episodes of Bowhunt or Die. Not the best but definitely good deer hunting entertainment. They have some good footage and its not all on some high dollar outfitter.

 

[hunttherut]

Stricly entertainment

 

[Tomahawk]

1. I don't doubt that many of the TV personalities may be good hunters but the fact is that in order to film deer hunts (and sell that film) they must have a lot of film of those hunts with deer kills on them. For that reason I don't really call what they're doing hunting but rather shooting. There's no way they'd have time to scout, hang stands, and be that productive in all the areas they hunt and film.

Over the past 3 years I have hunted the same property during a particular week with many (and I mean many) of the hunting show productions. My first thought was "man, I've certainly picked the right property" but that first year didn't turn out too great for me or the others. The 2nd year, I was the only person to kill a buck (148 8 pointer) that week and was the only one that wasn't filming. None of the production crews put anything down. Last year, once again the tv crews struck out but they did get video of good bucks just not in shooting range.

Here is what I discovered with my experience around these guys. Some were complete A-holes and some were as cool as they come but all of them did just the same as me and did their homework with aerial maps and questions about the area with the land manager/guides. We all chose our own spots to actually hunt, however there were other paid hunters that did not. (Those hunters just wanted the spot picked for them.) Now it would be great to actually scout on foot but what bonehead would let hunters go walking thru the woods during season. It amazes me how many people scout during season, with the exception of just acquiring the land and needing to see it firsthand. We just used well marked aerial maps and asked about actual terrain features that surrounded the pre-hung stands. You could bring your own climber if you wanted to but the crews were handcuffed in that they needed double set ups or at least a tree that could take another stand with the pre existing stand.

One thing that we did differently was after my 5 day hunt I was back to TN hunting. They on the other hand were constantly on the phone trying to find out where the best buck movement was (Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Kansas etc...) in which they would get to hunt for free in exchange for putting property on their show. In fact most only stuck around 2-3 days before moving to the next land. If you (most of us) were able to jump around from great farm to great farm through out the mid-west then I'm sure most would have great numbers of encounters as well.

This is all free range deer. No special areas of abundant deer but certainly great numbers considering its Pike county IL. (where I hunted with them). I'm not saying there isn't an outfitter that has been watching a particular deer and tries his best to put tv crew on it but hey that's good for his business, can't blame him.

I agree with most of your other points, however just to point out, I too kill the majority of my big bucks at last light or very near to it. Of all the big bucks I've killed none of them have ever been in the early morning. Give me middle of the day and late afternoon every time. One last note, as far as commercials, it's television... it's how they get paid. No worse than watching football with a ton of commercials.

 

[BSK]

I have no interest in seeing the kill shots (the actual hunting), but I love seeing the deer.

 

[Brisco Darlin]

i don't watch them anymore. I did use to like the Dan Fitzgerald tapes back in the day.

 

[BSK]

I think they are ridiculous. And they are negative for begginer hunters in a way that begginers could think they have oppurtunities to kill 150 class bucks with archery everytime they go hunting. Some are worse than others.

Thankfully, more and more I'm hearing hunters talk about how ridiculously fake these TV hunting shows are (which is true most of the time). However, what really worries me, and confirms what I've been saying for years--that the human mind is easily influenced at the subconscious level by repeated exposure to particular ideas/images--is that although hunters are finally CONCIOUSLY understanding these shows are garbage, many hunters have become obsessed with filming their own hunts. This rapidly growing desire to emulate is, in my opinion, an indication that the "message" of TV hunting shows have sunk in much deeper than many of us want to admit. Now I fully understand that some who film their hunts are simply trying to record the experience, but listening/reading many of the conversations that go one about filming hunts, and sadly looking at much of what is on YouTube and other internet websites, makes it clear that many are emulating exactly what they see on TV. This is ESPECIALLY true of the younger generation of hunters.

To me, a very disturbing trend...

 

[deerhunter10]

nothing better on to watch when I do watch them. but its not to often.