What do you want...

[need2hunt]

In a hunting show?? What are your likes and dislikes of what you see, and what do you think needs to be added?

[wtnhunt]

Real footage whatever that may be. No cut/added in just for video shots, including the fake surprise shots when the hunter finds the deer/animal they killed. None of this "great shot" stuff when it was clearly not a great shot, huge turnoff to me in a show. More explanation on why the hunter chose the place they are hunting. Less emphasis on the production(music and graphics) and more on the animal and hunter. More thoughts, but not a lot of time right now.

[Ravin R10 man]

very few I will watch anymore, like William said above, fake hunting action / cutaways...poor camera footage...Im seeing more marginal shots, that "we" have to go back to camp and look at the footage...DUH...it was a poor shot

[HUNTINGMAN]

More do it yourself type of hunts,no guide finding the deer for you. I want to see the scouting,the stand placement and why and the work us regular guys have to put into hunting. I don't want to see these rich guys get taken to a stand in a pre scouted area and told to shoot that one,I want to see does and small bucks fall also,not just the monster bucks that get killed all the time. I want to see harvest that the regular hunters take that don't have a place with worldclass deer running around,a small 8 or even a 4 pointer are trophys to.

[mikebohio]

pretty much agree with whats been posted so far

[redkneck]

pretty much agree with whats been posted so far

+1

Shows like "the crush" where they're passing up 4.5 y/o 150 class bucks have gotten to be a real turn-off to me. I just can't identify with it. I like to see folks get out and find success and take great satisfaction in tagging their trophy be it a doe, or a 100" 7pt, as long as it's real.

[fly]

I've read several articles that indicate hunting shows are about the entertainment industry (not the hunting industry). I just got DirectTV and have been watching some shows. Some are pretty good, others not so much. I don't even remember the names, but I know what I like, and it's the real hunting as everyone has said. If I were in the business here's the show I would make:

It would be centered towards the average hunter that has public ground access or possibly small (under 300 acres) of private land to hunt. 95% of hunters don't see 130+ inch deer each trip. The first segment of the show would focus on examining maps and the time spent scouting and figuring out where to hang a stand or place a blind. The second would be the hunt and shots of the animals seen and shot at. The third segment shows the tracking and recovery (if a deer was shot). If a shot was not taken then the third segment would discuss why they beilieve deer were not seen, what they would have done differently, and possibly some footage of the sunrise / birds chirping / other things that make hunting more than killing.

I'd probably go bankrupt with a show like this, but this is what I would like to watch.

[huntnfish]

Definitely no high fence hunting shows. Fair chase is the only way to go.

[RangerClay]

I want to see does and small bucks fall also,not just the monster bucks that get killed all the time. I want to see harvest that the regular hunters take that don't have a place with worldclass deer running around,a small 8 or even a 4 pointer are trophys to.

+1

Shows like "the crush" where they're passing up 4.5 y/o 150 class bucks have gotten to be a real turn-off to me. I just can't identify with it. I like to see folks get out and find success and take great satisfaction in tagging their trophy be it a doe, or a 100" 7pt, as long as it's real.

AMEN!!!

I want to see less Quailty Deer Management and more Quality Deer Hunting. More emphasis on families hunting together. Shaun300 posted some great pics from his hunting camp this past fall. I would pay to watch a show about that week in camp.

[redkneck]

AMEN!!!

I want to see less Quailty Deer Management and more Quality Deer Hunting. More emphasis on families hunting together. Shaun300 posted some great pics from his hunting camp this past fall. I would pay to watch a show about that week in camp.

I bet you a reality show about a deer camp would have high ratings, lol.

[MUDRUNNER]

These guys pretty well have it covered. I want to see a more informative show...Deer and Deer Hunting comes to mind. I would like to see the whole process from pre season scouting, to hanging stands (and why they hung it where they did), hunting, harvesting, and recovery. Some information I would like to see during the hunt is things like wind speed, temperature, date, moon phase, and even barometric pressure. After recovery it would also be nice to see a model of where the shot impacted and exited and how far the animal traveled before expiring. All of this is real world information that the viewers can benefit from in their own hunts.

I don't care for guided hunts much either...if nothing else is on I'll watch them, but prefer private and public land hunts. No offense to any Texans here, but please no Texas rifle hunts. A 250 yard rifle shot on a buck in a baited sondero just doesn't appeal to me. Especially when two guys are sitting in a tower blind talking in normal voices and there are 30 deer around them not spooked at all. The David morris shows are the worst at this.

[Tominator]

Might want to do a search on this Gary. This exact same thread came up not too long ago, and there's been at least 2 or 3 prior to that. Might help you out if you're looking for something specific.

Pretty much agree with what's been posted.

I hate the fake scenes, fake blood trails, fake shots, fake after interview things, fake, fake, fake, I don't care for the fake stuff.

Really hate the heavy metal guitar thrashing too. Who was the first knucklehead to think that was appealing?

[wtnhunt]

Think some of what I did not finish was mentioned above already. Randy Oitker mentioned at one time I think about trying to put together a show with footage from non pro's. I would watch a show like that over the big production shows that seem to come off in some cases as nothing more than infomercials for their sponsors. Get back to REAL. That's what it should be about.

And Chris is right, there have been several threads on this topic over the years, never hurts to ask though. Sounds like you are trying to get some input from those who actually view, think that is a good idea that more should follow.

[Dawg]

I agree with what has been posted so far. I seldom watch any hunting shows anymore, I'd rather watch someone catching largemouth bass.

[GWSmith]

Like others have said the fake cutaways definitely turn me, and the TV, off. We know the camera is not outside the ground blind and we're not watching the actual drawing and shot of the bow...when the deer is @ 15 yds. looking in your direction. Another definite dislike is the constant bickering/jousting between co-hosts/spouses.

Likes are great camera footage(heartland bowhunter) and family interaction(family traditions w/haley heath). With real emotion(fred eichler).

Involving the viewer by having them send in their name to be selected for a future hunt, in their area, on each show would probably never happen but it would be very interesting to watch how those shows turned out!

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

Likes:

Adults who act their age

Kids who act their age

Information about the why's and where's of the setup

Show everything, even the misses and blown opportunities

Hunt a variety of ways and locations with a variety of weapons

Do some public land and some private land

Try something really different like hunting deer with dogs

Dislikes:

Overacting or over reacting

Obviously staged scenes

Showing too much camp time, cutting up, hijinks, and other fluff

Blatantly pimping a product (I know, the sponsors want to see their stuff on the air, but don't cross the line into ad nauseum)

[dbHunterNY]

You can only put so much in a 30 minute show or so much footage on a DVD. I think that it's good to show scenes in camp and stuff throughout the whole process, while giving a brief explaination of what and why. Some don't like that, but I think the same old sequence of a big deer stepping out into a field, hunter shoots it, then recovery of perfect approach gets old. Most deer that are shot on film, in the average Joe's eyes, is not going to have ground shrinkage. Instead I think they tend to blow up when approaching from a realistic angle. I find some behind the scenes stuff to be just as interesting as the hunting. For example on the extreme end of showing this type of footage, Jim Shockey's The Professionals is a great show. I really like it because that's what it's supposed to be. I do think when some of this was mixed into a hunting show it's only good. I also think that you can run too much footage, far too close on a trophy that it takes away from the mystery of the animal. The animal is next to some plants instead of in a setting. Unlike the hunter at times you as the viewer see every inch of bone and know exactly what the hunter is going to walk up on. When the recovery happens, you think "...uh yup. there's the deer again" instead of "oh wow look at that!"

[Nut]

Real footage whatever that may be. No cut/added in just for video shots, including the fake surprise shots when the hunter finds the deer/animal they killed. None of this "great shot" stuff when it was clearly not a great shot, huge turnoff to me in a show. More explanation on why the hunter chose the place they are hunting. Less emphasis on the production(music and graphics) and more on the animal and hunter. More thoughts, but not a lot of time right now.

Ditto from me. There is no music in the woods except the sounds of nature. If the hunter is whispering at least put up some close captioning so we can understand.

[clrj3514]

Shows like "the crush" where they're passing up 4.5 y/o 150 class bucks have gotten to be a real turn-off to me. I just can't identify with it. I like to see folks get out and find success and take great satisfaction in tagging their trophy be it a doe, or a 100" 7pt, as long as it's real.

Yes! I enjoy these shows, but they are freakishly unrealistic to me. My Daddy & I are constantly yelling SHOOT, SHOOT, SHOOT at the TV! I'd like to see them come down here to NC where I hunt and try to get the kinda footage they're used to getting.

As far as marginal shots go, many of these TV personalities say there waiting on a "perfect broadside shot". In real-life hunting situations that doesn't happen very often. While they're waiting on these perfect shots, they turn down many great angles. Then as the deer prepares to leave, they take crappy shots.

Also, these people putting these stands on the side of a wide open tree & snatching all around to grab their weapon and shooting the 160" buck that hasn't even noticed. Where does this happen?!?!?

And that's what really grinds my gears!

[clrj3514]

Likes:

Adults who act their age

Kids who act their age

Information about the why's and where's of the setup

Show everything, even the misses and blown opportunities

Hunt a variety of ways and locations with a variety of weapons

Do some public land and some private land

Try something really different like hunting deer with dogs

Dislikes:

Overacting or over reacting

Obviously staged scenes

Showing too much camp time, cutting up, hijinks, and other fluff

Blatantly pimping a product (I know, the sponsors want to see their stuff on the air, but don't cross the line into ad nauseum)

Overlooked this before my original reply, but yes! Trying something different like hunting with dogs would be awesome! Pretty much all hunters from around here hunt with dogs. That would show all these "nay-sayers" how fun it is & that these dogs love it!

[swohiodave]

I agree about the music, lately i have seen a lot of shows playing some rap or heavy metal in between scenes and it just does not fit in with the show. I like the shows that show real guys setting up their seasons. I agree with others that it gets old watching guys pass up 150 inch deer and talk about how they are not good enough. That gets old!

[ruttinbuc]

I can agree to most of what has been written here. I don't mind some of the things that help a show move along. A little is better than a lot. None would make it really boring. I think some of the music is to put you to sleep while others it to keep you awake. The subject the same, the story lines need change.

Way too much copycatting too. If hunter X shoots a moose hunter a,b,c, has to go shoot one. Like the caribou love fest every year. No one daring to be different makes it the same old stuff. It all looks alike. I wonder if this helped the decision for ESPN to cancel outdoor programming.

I have some ideas that would work, but I won't expose them here.

[texastrophies]

A show I enjoy is On Your Own Adventures. No guides, no outfitters, do it yourself on public land hunts. Not a kill every show and not Boone & Crockett animals every kill. Kind of like what your average hunter does.

What I can't stand is the bowhunter setting in a tree stand in comes the huge buck, and then it get shots right at the end of the show, after you sit through 25 minutes of commercials either paid or part of the show.

[buckee]

Man, talk about whiners and complainers eh..LOL. Heck, I'd be happy if I could just get some hunting shows. It wasn't that long ago that all we had was "Wild Kingdom"...LOL

I think the out-takes are needed for a quality production. You just can't capture everything you want unless you had 5 cameramen following you around. And even then you'd probably want to add things later, just to make it more interesting.

I realize you are pressed for time when making videos, and a good blood trailing takes up a lot of that, but it is good to see it, and I always love that excitement of spotting your deer laying there after a hard tracking job.

I also love the silence of the moment instead of loud music, when preparing for and making the shot .

[miketruax]

I absolutely love watching kids hunt, especially first hunts, here in Michigan we have Michigan out of doors which has some pretty good hunting on it, not great production but real quality hunts focused on the people and the experience not so much the size of the buck, you can watch past episodes on thier web site. I think that shows like the crush have thier place, to show what is possible but it is unrealistic for most of us. Also the Professionals is a fantastic program. I am pretty happy to watch most any hunting show though.