Good Hunting Shows

[Solid Snake]

We all know there's not too many good hunting shows out there these days with the high fence hunting and all the other unethical crap that goes on. Heck I watched a show the other day where this chic was hunting Ostrich's in Africa (I think) and she couldn't get close enough to shoot one with her bow so the guide slowly drove his Jeep close to them and she crept beside the vehicle and shot one - the guide said it would work b/c the birds are used to vehicles!!! Might as well just run the damn thing over!

Anyway, I have been watching a show called Meat Eater on the Sportsmans Channel with Steven Rinella and it's a great show I think. He has great ideals about hunting and respects the animals. I've been a fan of Steven Rinella since I saw his old show in the Travel channel called The Wild Within. He takes you along for the entire hunt from preparation to dinner. It's on Sundays at 9. There's another show after it called Dead Meat that's pretty good too.

[lightsoutcalls]

  I seldom get a chance to watch much TV.  I check the outdoor channel now and then, but generally end up turning the channel rather than watching.  I'm not interested in watching hours of people riding 4 wheelers or show where people driving super modified jeeps and such speed the soil erosion process by "rock crawling".  Although I love to fish, I can't sit still and watch someone else fish.
  I don't much care for watching people hunt ranches in Texas where they pass up a deer that would be a trophy to most guys to be able to shoot a monster from a hunt house stand on a big food plot.   I also don't care to watch the show's where they have watched a certain buck four years on trail camera and have 3 sets of sheds from him.....
  If folks like these shows, have at it.  I haven't had a chance to watch the ones you mentioned.  I suspect that most people that hunt for meat and a chance to outwit any given animal in that animal's backyard would probably like to see hunts filmed on public land with hunters that evidence more maturity than a kid in junior high.  Hunts where they focus more on the preparation and techniques than the products they're wearing, using or carrying around. 
   I generally end up watching the History channel when I have a chance to prop my feet up for an hour or more.  Good hunting shows ARE hard to come by.

[bird]

Good Hunting Show

Isn't that an oxymoron?

[deerhunt1988]

Would be nice if there was a turkey hunting show that didn't rely on pop-up blinds or decoys. That is a rare breed now days though.

[870FaceLift]

I used to enjoy watching Arrow Affliction a few years back when Chris Brackett was the host.  He was a little out there, but a heck of an archer.  I agree with what others have posted though and try to stay away from watching the new mainstream stuff.  I can't relate to a lot of the scenarios they hunt in and my wallet can't afford all the products they try to promote as "must haves."

[Gut_Pile]

I am with a lot of people here being that I don't watch a lot of tv shows on the outdoor channel anymore. But to me it seems crazy how people bash these hunting show folks for pushing a sponsors product. It cost more than $1 million to have a show on the outdoor channel. Even more for prime time. People have to get sponsors to help pay for the slot on the channel. A lot of these sponsorships come with contracts and they have to mention these products. It is a business folks. Plain and simple. And I can actually only think of a few shows where folks actually shoot high fenced deer, a lot of folks see a big deer and think high fence. Not the case.

Also I see a lot of comments about people wanting to see people hunt public land. What sponsor would help pay for a hunting show of someone shooting a 6 pointer or a doe on public land when they could sponsor another guy who is going to go outfitter to outfitter and have a good chance of putting some big deer on the ground.

[guesswho]

If Walter Parrot and Chuck Jones still had a show I'd proably still watch.  But I have to take todays hunting shows in moderation.

[Solid Snake]

I am with a lot of people here being that I don't watch a lot of tv shows on the outdoor channel anymore. But to me it seems crazy how people bash these hunting show folks for pushing a sponsors product. It cost more than $1 million to have a show on the outdoor channel. Even more for prime time. People have to get sponsors to help pay for the slot on the channel. A lot of these sponsorships come with contracts and they have to mention these products. It is a business folks. Plain and simple. And I can actually only think of a few shows where folks actually shoot high fenced deer, a lot of folks see a big deer and think high fence. Not the case.

Also I see a lot of comments about people wanting to see people hunt public land. What sponsor would help pay for a hunting show of someone shooting a 6 pointer or a doe on public land when they could sponsor another guy who is going to go outfitter to outfitter and have a good chance of putting some big deer on the ground.

I don't really care for shows that have a hunter with a guide looking at a ton of huge bucks. It's not entertaining to me at all. A lot of shows just show the hunter killing the animal and grabbing it by the antlers congratulating each other for a couple seconds then they go off to kill something else.

That's why I like watching Steven Rinella, he goes off to Alaska a lot and hunts really hard for his animal. He then spends time usually showing how to gut and process the animal properly, and always eats what he kills the same evening back at camp. It's a good show. I would rather watch him kill a doe and eat it then some guy with a guide sitting in a treehouse kill a monster buck.

[lightsoutcalls]

I am with a lot of people here being that I don't watch a lot of tv shows on the outdoor channel anymore. But to me it seems crazy how people bash these hunting show folks for pushing a sponsors product. It cost more than $1 million to have a show on the outdoor channel. Even more for prime time. People have to get sponsors to help pay for the slot on the channel. A lot of these sponsorships come with contracts and they have to mention these products. It is a business folks. Plain and simple. And I can actually only think of a few shows where folks actually shoot high fenced deer, a lot of folks see a big deer and think high fence. Not the case.

Also I see a lot of comments about people wanting to see people hunt public land. What sponsor would help pay for a hunting show of someone shooting a 6 pointer or a doe on public land when they could sponsor another guy who is going to go outfitter to outfitter and have a good chance of putting some big deer on the ground.

  I'm not trying to kick the poo, but I think you may be missing the point.  Many people that actually hunt to fill their freezer don't care who is making money off of what product.  If we want "personalities" we can watch reality TV shows.  The idea behind wanting to see public land hunts is to see if the "personalities" can get the job done with the same odds that the real people (buying the products that pay their checks) are up against.  How often do you watch a hunting show that doesn't promote an outfitter?  That doesn't mean that they are hunting inside a fence, but they are likely hunting an area that is monitored by trail cameras to increase their odds on a drop in hunt.  To many of us, that kind of hunt isn't a reality, and honestly, isn't near the challenge that we look for in hunting that doe or 6 pointer on public land.  It's never a sure thing, even for the "personalities" that go to a "ranch" and hunt with a guide that knows the place like the back of his hand.  I get that.  Throw those same tv hunters in on a piece of public ground where other hunters have access to... where there are more unknowns and see how well they perform.  Reality for most of us isn't putting a 12 point or a Boone and Crockett this that or the other on the wall everytime we go hunt.  
 Just my personal opinion, but most of the tv hunters have no appeal to me.  Hunting with any one of them in a realistic setting would likely be a blast, and something many could learn from.  It would be nice to see more of them get a chance to share their insights into hunting rather than trying to make a weekly infomercial dotted by a few minutes of hunting action here and there.  That's why I'd rather watch American Pickers or something...

[stinkpickle]

A lot of the shows are boring, and I'm sick of the whole "extreme" this, "extreme" that crap!  I only bother DVR'ing a handful anymore.  I still watch Turkey Call, Turkey Thugs, and Primos Truth.  I really enjoy Blood Brothers TV, though.  It promotes Cherokee Sports decoys, but not overly so, and the featured hunters are real people with real day jobs.

[Gut_Pile]

I understand the part of of wanting to see how people hunt and wanting to see people work hard for their kill and enjoy it just like we all do. My point was that it has become a business and hunts like that aren't going to happen bc of the money it takes to make one of these shows. Sponsors want the biggest and the best shot with their product so they can make more money. Simple as that. I was just stating a fact rather than arguing. I too like to watch real uncut hunts like we so much of here. But as far as tv goes its just not going to happen.

[lightsoutcalls]

I'm with you.  It just loses its appeal to me (the shows) when it becomes more about the products than the hunt. I agree that the sponsors are there to make a profit rather than produce a show that really draws the viewer to provide a quality, informative hunting experience. 

[drenalinld]

If Walter Parrot and Chuck Jones still had a show I'd proably still watch.  But I have to take todays hunting shows in moderation.

That' a big 10-4! I liked those two a lot. Apparently when Knight and Hale used up their contacts for new hunting ground they sent them packing. I would share a turkey camp with you and those two any day!

[870FaceLift]

I understand the need for sponsors to help absorb costs, but my point is this:
In 1986, my uncle killed a 201 1/8 typical buck in Ohio.  It is tied with the Jerman buck for our state record typical, but was never officially registered (my uncle's preference).  My uncle killed this buck after truly scouting him for years with old-school traditional archery equipment - the same stuff he had used for years.  He did use an estrus product that he dabbed on a cotton ball and hung from a limb.  From the moment that buck hit the papers, every hunting company in the world was calling him to push for his promotion of their products.  He never took one penny and only endorsed the scent that he used.  Companies still call him to this day! 
I like to buy the latest and greatest, too, but I hate hearing people talk about how you absolutely have to have product x to harvest a nice animal.  My biggest peeve is scent-free products.  USE THE WIND AND BE SMART ABOUT YOUR ENTRY/EXIT.
Point is, most TV hunting shows have become watching a trophy animal get killed by a quirky man with an exaggerated drawl or a pretty blonde with enhanced "features".  They spray themselves down and hunt over a beautifully manacured plot.  Don't get me wrong, I still watch from time to time. But I do so knowing that I will likely never see hunting scenarios that you or I will face without paying a lot of money. 

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

Drury's, Bill Winke and Lakosky's always have my attention.

They hunt using fundamental techniques that will make you a better hunter regardless of where you hunt.

They also pursue hunting to a level that many recreational hunters cannot understand and perhaps alienate some because of the disenchantment some experience from knowing they will never hunt such pristine territories.  

There is some value in shows despite the strong presence of t&a these days but there is plenty of junk out there.