clrj3514 Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 Maybe this needs to be in Deer Hunting but I know it'll get some views here. Mods, move if need be. I watch a lot of hunting shows & most hunt deer that aren't even realistic for my area. This I have no problem with this. What I have a problem with is how when a lot of these TV hunters shoot a deer their first worry is about the deer's score. A lot of them don't even act like a hunt is any good unless the deer has a huge score. I don't know about you guys but for me shooting a deer is just a bonus. These people make me sick with some of their actions. Enjoy the hunt. If the deer is one you want to shoot why worry about the score? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkoholic Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 It is sad to see what deer hunting has become. It is no longer about the experience, the need or want to feed oneself, but instead has become a matter of inches of bone, pumped up by high protein forage. The hunting shows are not the real world for most of us and I think we should be glad about that. If the only reason you hunt is to measure inches of antler, then I feel sorry for you. Do I dream of a record book buck? You betcha, but, it is the experience, the journey, that makes the day afield worth it. Of course, the steaks on the grill are pretty good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 Pretty sad, but its a big money game at that level. Its becoming an agricultural endeavor too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruttinbuc Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 It is to the point off ridiculous when you see all this hype with emphasis on the trophy rather than the experience. A lot of areas in the country can't compete in producing big bucks for obvious reasons. Television is in the ad business and like everything else pimps the latest and greatest in gizmo, gadget and supplement. The competition sells the dream of big bucks and puts a number on it whether it be dollars or inches of antler. It has run a muck and is a far cry from a simpler time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okiedog Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 You also have to realize that alot of the scenes you are watching are staged for filming. There is not alot of first recovery emotions captured. A bunch of the time when they "trail and find thier deer" it has already been found once before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92xj Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 Too each their own. They hunt their way, you hunt your way. No biggie. What a lot of people dont seem to realize is that these people are doing their career, there food on the table for their family (not in meat form, but household income). I absolutely gurantee you that if your household income depending on you killing the biggest buck you could, you would try and kill the biggest one and worry about the score. We as the normal everyday HOBBY hunter have different thoughts and need out of our deer hunting adventures. More folks should be open to others opinions about how they hunt and their priorities in the woods. We are a family of outdoorsman and need to support each other in anyway we can. Unless they break the law and poach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clrj3514 Posted September 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 Too each their own. They hunt their way, you hunt your way. No biggie. What a lot of people dont seem to realize is that these people are doing their career, there food on the table for their family (not in meat form, but household income). I absolutely gurantee you that if your household income depending on you killing the biggest buck you could, you would try and kill the biggest one and worry about the score. We as the normal everyday HOBBY hunter have different thoughts and need out of our deer hunting adventures. More folks should be open to others opinions about how they hunt and their priorities in the woods. We are a family of outdoorsman and need to support each other in anyway we can. Unless they break the law and poach. Oh I understand this completely and I do watch & support their shows, this is just one of those things that irks me. IMO the shows would be enhanced by including a human element. And I dunno how to put multiple quotes in a post so @okiedog, isn't that a shame? We don't get to see the hunter in them, we only get to see the business man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 my best days hunting i didn't even shoot anything. shooting isn't the only experiences you get from hanging in the woods. Ben nailed it with his post though. Prostaffer have to shoot big deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 Eventually everything has to make money in some form...I mean even religion/Christianity is used to make money and that is just plain sad. I know what you mean clrj....I will say the Archers Choice is one of my fav. shows...they seem more about the hunt, less about the score...I can't stand the shows where they have beautiful bucks right there and they "decide to pass because it's not big enough." Well to the rest of us, that'd be a trophy here....lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Givan Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 The business of growing big deer, shooting big deer, and making television shows about hunting big deer is a positive I think. It has improved deer management across the U.S. We have improved land and deer habitat. Deer herds are in better shape in most places than they have been for a very long time because of management done to grow bigger deer. Deer hunting has become more popular. More and more dollars are being pumped into the economy to pursue big deer. Because of all this, the position of deer hunting in American society has been strengthened IMO. If guys on tv passing 150 inch deer because they are not big enough is what it takes to do that, then thats fine with me. If deer hunting was only about putting food on the table, and the experience, and no one cared about big bucks then I doubt all of that would be true today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 "To each their own." Come on Benji!!! Sorry, couldn't get past that part..... Too each their own. They hunt their way, you hunt your way. No biggie. What a lot of people dont seem to realize is that these people are doing their career, there food on the table for their family (not in meat form, but household income). I absolutely gurantee you that if your household income depending on you killing the biggest buck you could, you would try and kill the biggest one and worry about the score. We as the normal everyday HOBBY hunter have different thoughts and need out of our deer hunting adventures. More folks should be open to others opinions about how they hunt and their priorities in the woods. We are a family of outdoorsman and need to support each other in anyway we can. Unless they break the law and poach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 Get where you are coming from on the emphasis on the scores Chris. That part has not really bothered me too much, but deer hunting on some of the television shows and the way it is played out has become too commercial imo. We recently shut the outdoor channel off, got tired of it as it seemed to be pretty well redundant for the most part. Scores on deer posted here on the forums and on deer we get pics of here at home interest me for the sole purpose of seeing how close I can guess, kinda like a game. Think it is a challenge to see how close you can get from trail cam pics and also from harvest pics, but when it comes down to it score really has no bearing on how I hunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 what you see on tv is not reality, but a business. the fun is gone when you have 2-5 extra people following you, filming everything you do. the goal of what you see on that film is there to sell products for the advertisers, not to have fun. also remember that the outfitters used are used because they have lots of big deer usually from a lightly hunted ranch, in the hopes of selling the big dollar hunts to the watchers who can afford to pay their hunting fees. i've been on both sides of the camera dozens of times as well as the outfitter selling big deer hunts. that said, it's still a challenge and a thrill on all sides of the camera. it's just a different thrill than what most hunters experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 (edited) Like what's been said I think there's a better understanding of the whitetailed deer now because of management efforts now moving foward. In my opinion, i think that breeding deer for huge antlers to put into high fence properties isn't good. it doesn't exactly follow the rules of nature and genetic evolution with respect to survival. worse than that, a negative side is that places where trophy hunting is firming established, like the midwest, places to hunt are hard to come by. everything is lease only or private. not much public ground to spread the opportunity of public participation in an American tradition. With non-resident tags being significantly more, it leaves very little alternatives. Despite all this, I think the continued existence of the whitetailed deer has very good odds. ....i only hope the better wholesome shows continue, which will help spread a true understanding of why we hunt. Edited September 26, 2011 by dbHunterNY additional thoughts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 It is sad to see what deer hunting has become. It is no longer about the experience, the need or want to feed oneself, but instead has become a matter of inches of bone, pumped up by high protein forage. The hunting shows are not the real world for most of us and I think we should be glad about that. If the only reason you hunt is to measure inches of antler, then I feel sorry for you. Do I dream of a record book buck? You betcha, but, it is the experience, the journey, that makes the day afield worth it. Of course, the steaks on the grill are pretty good too. I couldn't have said it myself. I keep threatening to start my own club and call it QDHA (Quality Deer Hunting Association). Get away from the animal husbandry and commercialization aspect of our sport and more into the quality experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 what you see on tv is not reality, but a business. the fun is gone when you have 2-5 extra people following you, filming everything you do. the goal of what you see on that film is there to sell products for the advertisers, not to have fun. also remember that the outfitters used are used because they have lots of big deer usually from a lightly hunted ranch, in the hopes of selling the big dollar hunts to the watchers who can afford to pay their hunting fees. i've been on both sides of the camera dozens of times as well as the outfitter selling big deer hunts. that said, it's still a challenge and a thrill on all sides of the camera. it's just a different thrill than what most hunters experience. Yep...well said Steve. These guys on the hunting shows are just doing what they feel like the viewer wants to see and know. Just look at how many forum members post trail cam pics asking for scores! If they don't kill a big one on camera, you won't see that footage. Only the successful hunts with the best bucks make it. The rest stays on the cutting room floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 I agree with the fact that many if not all pro hunters worry about the score of the animal. Like what was said...They count on shooting big animals to prop up their income potential and draw interest to the ranch or outfitter that is promoting that hunt. But I think it is far from reality. Trail cams have made the hunting game into something it was not 15 years ago. How many folks would watch a show that consistently shoot small animals? Fred Eichler shows his misses, shoots small deer( he is into the hunt) and some of his mistakes. I think his show is about as real as it gets. Many of the hunting shows are way too scripted. We do it as a hobby and they do it to eat. Different passions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbeck Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 Ok guys I need to weigh in on this one. The guys on tv make there living hunting that is it. They still get excited when they shoot a deer, but this is there job. I have friends that hunt with Primos and they work hard. But it is a job set up for viewers to watch. Heck I know professional golfers that work on there game 10hrs a day not for me. To me golfing and hunting is a hobby but you can't put your hobby standards on a guy that has to make a living. Heck Tim spent this past weekend in Ohio and just saw some does do you want to watch that for an hour show. Me neither the best thing is to be able to differentiate between who has to shoot good bucks and who hunts for fun. jMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted September 27, 2011 Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 Do we watch sports to see who struck out, or sacked for a 10 yard lost or for the great home runs or scoring drive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruttinbuc Posted September 27, 2011 Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 Do we watch races for the crashes or how they go about it to get to the end? :camera: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 Do we watch races for the crashes or how they go about it to get to the end? :camera: NASCAR isn't a sport......who watches that anyways :p:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruttinbuc Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 NASCAR isn't a sport......who watches that anyways :p:D Good Question!!!:eat: As for the TV people paying their bills, I'm with that. Raising the bar with the scores is their own doing. It muddles the reasons to why we hunt. Some take too the unrealistic extreme while others take it to within their expectations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan_Til_I_Die Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 First, I will unashamedly declare that I'm a trophy hunter. Score is important to me in judging a trophy, but ultimately it's about age. What gets me going is matching wits with the oldest, smartest deer in the woods. Yes, I do thoroughly enjoy just being outdoors, seeing nature first hand, and watching and studying the wildlife around me. But would I get excited about shooting a 2.5 year old 8 point buck? No. Would I get excited about someone else shooting the same deer? Yes, if it excited them. I do shoot does, but its for the meat, which I really like, and for management purposes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 First, I will unashamedly declare that I'm a trophy hunter. Score is important to me in judging a trophy, but ultimately it's about age. What gets me going is matching wits with the oldest, smartest deer in the woods. Yes, I do thoroughly enjoy just being outdoors, seeing nature first hand, and watching and studying the wildlife around me. But would I get excited about shooting a 2.5 year old 8 point buck? No. Would I get excited about someone else shooting the same deer? Yes, if it excited them. I do shoot does, but its for the meat, which I really like, and for management purposes. See! All in all it comes down to region. If the area Tex hunts is anything like the Texas hunts I see on these TV shows, a 2.5 year old 8 point is a daily sighting. I hunt 3 pieces of privately owned land and said deer would be something I would see once a season if I was lucky. So I can see why you would pass on a deer like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 NASCAR isn't a sport......who watches that anyways :p:D what? you don't watch nascar? here's what you're missing: "look, a left turn. hey, another left turn. wow, another left turn". (jeff dunham, ventriloquist. if you've not seen him, do) lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.