mule659 Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 Ok I am not trying to offend anyone here...I have been around the forums a while and have never been negative in any way but here is my gripe lol. I have seen Craig Morgan on the Hunter's Specialties dvd's and shows and it seems to me he naver manages to make good hits on his deer. I know we all make bad hits and it is part of bowhunting and I'm sure somewhere there is footage of him making great shots but it drives me nuts that simply because of who he is they put him on there bad hits or not. I dont care who you are you should care enough about the animal you are hunting to practice and be able to put the arrow on the mark. Look at Blake Shelton when he is with Realtree...that guy can shoot and makes good shots on his deer ( and hogs lol ) Now as I stated I know we all make bad hits and am sure that Craig has made good ones and Blake and every other celebrity that hunts has made bad ones but it really upsets me the amount to exposure he gets on these dvd's and shows when he always seems to spine or gut shoot his deer. I just dont think it's right to send the message that it's ok for him not to prepare for the hunt and the shot because he's a celebrity...I know that is not the message they are trying to get across but that is how it looks to me. Anyway offer your thoughts or tell me to shut up lol...any way I just needed to get my gripe on about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWSmith Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 Mike, If anyone in history suffers from HSO(hunting show overload) it's got to be me. Hunting shows make up about 95% of what I watch on TV. I've seen so many I can remember shows that they are playing right now...that I swear were on last year and some of them even from 2 years ago! My point is I've seen literally thousands of bow shots over that time and only about 50-60% of them are what we would call in the perfect spot. Yeah it does seem that a fair share of Craigs shots are off the mark. I do think that they/he should at least make a point of saying so as to not give the wrong impression. Over the years though I've noticed alot more people on shows start waiting until the next day to go after a deer if they believe thier shot was in the slightest bit marginal or the deer did'nt fall on camera. I've got to give it to the industry as a whole that does show the correct message to the public. I even watched a show recently where the hunter rushed the shot and hit the deer in the hind quarter. He did say that it was a bad shot right away...but suprisingly, and lucky for the hunter, the deer slowly walked 10 yds away and on camera fell over dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mule659 Posted September 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 Yeah I think that's a big point of what gets to me is that instead of saying "Oh I shot that deer in the spine" or "I got shot that deer and thats a bad hit" shows in general will say "man I hit him and he dropped...perfect shot" when in fact it is not. I guess all that is getting me is that people on camera are afraid the fess up and admit they are human hunters and make bad hits...I would also like to see them enforce the fact that we should strive to de better than they did in that exact instance and practice practice practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Givan Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 I have the last three HS dvd's and Craig Morgan is on them all. The first two videos Craig did make good shots on both deer. On the other one I have, he shoots two deer, one he spine shoots, and the other he shoots in front of the shoulder. Both were real bad shots. Everyone makes bad shots but if happens alot, they definitely need to pracrice more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoyt03 Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 Man get over it it's real hunting that stuff happens. Since your referring to Road trips how about waddell spining that deer last week, then marginal hit on that elk a few weeks ago, and another marginal hit on another whitetail. It happens to everyone. Do you really want to watch a video where everything is so perfect people get the idead of that's how hunting is. It's already perfect enough that they sit in a tree and 5 minutes later 20 deer come by one being a giant buck. Or hit the horns and 2 minutes later a giant comes in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 Yeah I think that's a big point of what gets to me is that instead of saying "Oh I shot that deer in the spine" or "I got shot that deer and thats a bad hit" shows in general will say "man I hit him and he dropped...perfect shot" when in fact it is not. I guess all that is getting me is that people on camera are afraid the fess up and admit they are human hunters and make bad hits...I would also like to see them enforce the fact that we should strive to de better than they did in that exact instance and practice practice practice. I dont thinka spine shot is a bad shot. Not a shot i take but it has the same end result a quick recovery without a loss of the deer. I have shot a couple of deer in the spine and I have recovered them just fine. I have also shot a couple of deer in the gut not what i was aiming for and I prcatice alot, so to asume that these guys dont practice alot I would say cant be true. I know if I were a celbrity and was hunting on camera dont think I would want to hurt my career by haphazardly shooting deer do you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthewjr83 Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 I also have the HS dvds and i agree with you all are saying that bad shots do happen, even if you practice all the time. Things are going to happen. But how we prepare during practice will make the chances decrease. With that being said, no matter if you are pulling 80 lbs or 40 lbs, a well placed shot will get the shot done. Why am i saying this.... Well if you notice on this years HS dvd Mr. Morgan seems to struggle everytime he pulls his bow back. You shouldn't have to arch the bow way above your head to pull it back. Decreasing the poundage would help make you make a nice smooth draw and allow your muscle to use less strenght pulling it back allowing you to hold longer on a deer for the "perfect shot". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mule659 Posted September 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2008 Man get over it it's real hunting that stuff happens. Since your referring to Road trips how about waddell spining that deer last week, then marginal hit on that elk a few weeks ago, and another marginal hit on another whitetail. It happens to everyone. Do you really want to watch a video where everything is so perfect people get the idead of that's how hunting is. It's already perfect enough that they sit in a tree and 5 minutes later 20 deer come by one being a giant buck. Or hit the horns and 2 minutes later a giant comes in. The reality of hunting is not trying to play off a bad shot like it was a good one. As I said I know everyone makes bad hits...we have all done it. However, instead of saying "oh man that was a great shot but maybe a little far back so lets give him all night" why not be honest and say "well I messed up and made a gut shot but hey thats hunting and we got to try and be better" there is no excuse for trying to play off a bad hit and it makes "pro hunters" look bad when they do. Believe me I know about real hunting and making bad hits I have done it as has anyone who has bowhunted much...I just wish all shows would be honest about "real hunting" and fess up when they goof up like your average guy and not feed crap to the viewers about the mistakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted September 14, 2008 Report Share Posted September 14, 2008 I can't help but think of Eddie Salter's shot on an early monsterbucks. The shot was in the rump, but the deer was quartering away. Waddel and Greg Miller (I believe) helped retrieve it the next day. Eddie didn't pretend. He knew he made a bad shot and you could actually see the worry in his face. He was so happy to find it the next day. That's real hunting and I thank RT for avoiding the sugar coating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWSmith Posted September 14, 2008 Report Share Posted September 14, 2008 I can't help but think of Eddie Salter's shot on an early monsterbucks. The shot was in the rump, but the deer was quartering away. Waddel and Greg Miller (I believe) helped retrieve it the next day. Eddie didn't pretend. He knew he made a bad shot and you could actually see the worry in his face. He was so happy to find it the next day. That's real hunting and I thank RT for avoiding the sugar coating. I remember that show the buck was "Woody". Shortly after taking the shot Eddie said "I hope we find that deer". I believe the point of this entire thread is that practice will increase your chances of Knowing you will recover an animal...Instead of hoping you do. We know that Eddie Salter can shoot well...we also know that things happen to everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamphunter Posted September 14, 2008 Report Share Posted September 14, 2008 Did you guys watch the show where Bob Foulkrod shot 3 animals in the arctic? The caribou, the Musk Ox, and the grizzly? It was aired yesterday...I am a HUGE Bob Foulkrod fan, have followed him since his early days with PSE, and Dan Fitzgerald, and even want to attend his bowhunting school in Pennsylvania, but he took a shot at a running grizzly to my amazement. He did kill it with the one shot (or so it appeared when aired), but Stan Potts commented that he made a nice shot and Foulkrod replied that is why he practices for those. He obviously felt he could make the shot, but man.....it was wide open arctic grizzly, and the ebar had ran quite a distance...it would have stopped and offered a shot eventually. I know I couldn't have hit a running grizzly like that. If you read his tale of the story from his website, he states the bear stopped for a quick shot.... We doubled back and around the the other side of the mountain to try to cut him off. We finally caught up to him and he was lumbering along when he suddenly stopped, turned and spotted us again as he was quartering away. He stopped long enough to present a shot at 150 yards where I put 180 grain Nosler ballistic in the boiler room. He went 50 yards and it was all over. No tracking required! No comment.... http://obsessionquest.com/obsession/hunts/detail.tpl?hunt=783259527369 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 Hey swampy, it sounds like the video and the web story don't match up. Makes one wonder??? I wouldn't think many people would encourage a running shot at a bear which is probably why the web story indicated a non-running shot (sugar coating). I watched this years HS hunting video with Craig Morgan today. Only got to his first hunt where he spine shot the buck. From the look of the shot I doubt that deer died quickly. In the past I shot a doe in just about the same area. It was paralized and couldn't get up. I quickly got down and cut the trachea putting a quick end to the suffering. Morgan stated in the video he was going to let that deer lay in the ditch, or give it some time, or something to that effect. The next scene shows him next to the dead deer. I sure hope they didn't let it lay in the ditch dieing from a spine shot (which could take some time) when they easily could have finished off the paralyzed deer quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mule659 Posted September 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 Hey guys just wanting to say I'm sorry...maybe I shouldn't have directed it just at Craig as much as hunters on tvs in general but when I posted that I had watched him make 3 bad hits in the last 3 hunts and it got me going. Hope I didn't offend anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWSmith Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 I dont think you offended anyone. All people make mistakes and it's bound to show up on TV sooner or later in people that to one extent or another are idolized. I know that most of us have looked at the hunters on video and wished we could be in thier shoes but I wonder if we could stand the scrutiny that we lay upon those in front of the cameras ourselves? We care about what we do to an extent that borders on fanatical. Most of us strive for perfection shooting even when we cant do that ourselves everytime. Why? Because it narrows the margin for error. We accept that we ourselves wont be perfect but..just maybe...Maybe we should extend that courtesy to TV hunters as well. We know that within a certain margin of error we wont have a suffering animal. All I'm asking is that TV hunters try thier best to be truthful in what they say. "Anyone can be an example of what to do or what not to do". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamphunter Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 I dont think you offended anyone. All people make mistakes and it's bound to show up on TV sooner or later in people that to one extent or another are idolized. I know that most of us have looked at the hunters on video and wished we could be in thier shoes but I wonder if we could stand the scrutiny that we lay upon those in front of the cameras ourselves? We care about what we do to an extent that borders on fanatical. Most of us strive for perfection shooting even when we cant do that ourselves everytime. Why? Because it narrows the margin for error. We accept that we ourselves wont be perfect but..just maybe...Maybe we should extend that courtesy to TV hunters as well. We know that within a certain margin of error we wont have a suffering animal. All I'm asking is that TV hunters try thier best to be truthful in what they say. "Anyone can be an example of what to do or what not to do". Well said Gary..I went back and watched the Foulkrod hunt, and it was absolutely running and Stan Potts made the comment about "that bear was on the move, nice shooting". Foulkrod responded back by saying he practices for shots like that and also comment about the barren ground arctic grizzly being over 8 ft..almost verbatum what was written in the article I posted. I have a tough time thinking it was two different animals. Again though, don't get me wrong....Foulkrod is one of my favorite hunting celebs, just think the article is a bit slanted. I think the pressure of having to kill record book animals is so great, to stay on top of the sponsors and hunting shows, sometimes the best shot doesn't present itself, and the shot is still made. I would do the same thing more than likely... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowin_in_illinois Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 .... Well if you notice on this years HS dvd Mr. Morgan seems to struggle everytime he pulls his bow back. You shouldn't have to arch the bow way above your head to pull it back..... When I first watched that hunt, and saw how he struggled...and I mean struggled...to get his bow drawn, it was a sure sign to me he hadn't been practicing. I don't care what poundage you keep your bow at, if you shoot enough with it, it won't be as difficult as it was for him. ...Do bad shots happen in bow hunting? ...you bet, but to go out there knowing you haven't been shooting is irresponsible in my opinion. In past videos, he drew his bow fine...this time he didn't. That isn't a poundage issue, it is a lack of practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mule659 Posted September 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 When I first watched that hunt, and saw how he struggled...and I mean struggled...to get his bow drawn, it was a sure sign to me he hadn't been practicing. I don't care what poundage you keep your bow at, if you shoot enough with it, it won't be as difficult as it was for him. ...Do bad shots happen in bow hunting? ...you bet, but to go out there knowing you haven't been shooting is irresponsible in my opinion. In past videos, he drew his bow fine...this time he didn't. That isn't a poundage issue, it is a lack of practice. Agreed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tink Posted October 10, 2008 Report Share Posted October 10, 2008 Craig Morgan Appointed to Grand Ole Opery today Craig made the opera today Maybe he doesn't have the time to practice? Maybe he is over bowed? It is sad when many guys on TV cannot draw a bow back the right way they Sky bust and under draw and some ever turn their head sideways to jack back the bow. the same guys who c ant draw a bow back smoothly make the bad hits and use funny Broadhead than don't go through the critter Yes we all miss...least I do.. But What is With shooting a buck in bright daylight and a midnight recovery? i have seen different deer shot and recovered Do the Camera guys figure we wont notice a 6 point turn into into a 9 point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Born4it Posted October 10, 2008 Report Share Posted October 10, 2008 Mule-I understand completely what you're saying. Everyone knows that stuff happens. Last year or the year before, Brad Farris of Primos missed 3 turkeys in a row with his bow, the closest of which was about 10 yards. Then Troy Ruiz, on the deer video, missed two or three deer. It's refreshing to see those guys do that sometimes, but only if they're humble about it. I think that's the point. Have some humility and admit you've made a bad shot. I can't say that I think this is a huge problem (and I don't think you are either), but I can definitely understand where you're coming from. Take care, Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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