Hunting Shows

[mobowhunter]

Well it's 10 degrees this morning in SW Missouri, I am setting in the house watching some bow hunting shows I have recorded on the DVR and a thought came to mind. This may have been before, but I will ask again if it has. Do you think that bow hunting shows are detrimental to new bow hunters. Do you think they raise the expectations so high that new bow hunters loose interest if they don't experience the same action that these shows project on TV?
Most of us realize that it takes months to film these shows. Host's may set in stands for weeks before getting a shot at a good buck. But very few ever reveal this fact. I know this happened to me the first elk trip I made to Colorado. When I made my first trip elk hunting I had watched elk hunting shows for months before. It looked so easy, just a few blows on a cow call and get ready. I knew in the back of my head it couldn't be so easy, but I just couldn't make myself believe that. Well after a week of hunting, hearing bulls bugle and cows call, I got fairly close to one 5X5 bull. He came down a creek bottom about 80 yards out. I thought to myself, this is it, finally, just a couple of calls on a cow call and he is mine. We after a dozen calls on a cow call I barely got him to stop let along move in my direction. I have been 2 more times and I know what to expect now. My brother-in-law Rick, is a good example of this too. My other brother-in-law Herman hunt together quite a bit, we had been talking about bow hunting and got Rick all fired up about it. He bought a bow, got it all set up, practiced and when the season rolled around was in a stand hunting with us. He hunted one season and sold his bow. He just didn't have the patience or we had built up bow hunting to the point that it just didn't meet his expectations. What do you all think?

[Buckshot06]

I do believe to some extent they can be but it depends on the nature of the hunter('s). Some shows make it look so easy to go out and harvest a trophy animal every time out. On the other hand I give credit to the ones that show real world action and that their not superhuman. The missed shots and bad shot placement do to nerves or other mishaps and then showing what to do when this happens, those are the good ones IMO, these aren't the ones your talking about. Those shows that have allot of footage of really high quality animals and seem to fill there tag every time out can be bad for a new hunter('s) who think this is what they will see in the woods. They also wouldn't sell any videos if the film was 2hrs long with one missed shot at an animal either. I myself have used them as a training tool for myself, my son, and family members to show shot placement. I look at distance, tree stand height, and location of the stand for some ideas I can use when placing my stands up. It all comes down to experience though. For the new hunter('s) who really want that trophy of a life time I think use these to boost there morale during times of seeing no animals.

[BT]

Jan 15, 2009 12:52:30 GMT -5 mobowhunter said:

Well it's 10 degrees this morning in SW Missouri, I am setting in the house watching some bow hunting shows I have recorded on the DVR and a thought came to mind. This may have been before, but I will ask again if it has. Do you think that bow hunting shows are detrimental to new bow hunters. Do you think they raise the expectations so high that new bow hunters loose interest if they don't experience the same action that these shows project on TV?

I hate the new (for the most part) hunting shows
You absolutely correct in your observations I believe.
Hot dogging and set ups are the worst things to show others as being "what the pro's do"
The Pro's (many) are anything but

Most of us realize that it takes months to film these shows. Host's may set in stands for weeks before getting a shot at a good buck. But very few ever reveal this fact. I know this happened to me the first elk trip I made to Colorado. When I made my first trip elk hunting I had watched elk hunting shows for months before. It looked so easy, just a few blows on a cow call and get ready. I knew in the back of my head it couldn't be so easy, but I just couldn't make myself believe that. Well after a week of hunting, hearing bulls bugle and cows call, I got fairly close to one 5X5 bull. He came down a creek bottom about 80 yards out. I thought to myself, this is it, finally, just a couple of calls on a cow call and he is mine. We after a dozen calls on a cow call I barely got him to stop let along move in my direction. I have been 2 more times and I know what to expect now. My brother-in-law Rick, is a good example of this too. My other brother-in-law Herman hunt together quite a bit, we had been talking about bow hunting and got Rick all fired up about it. He bought a bow, got it all set up, practiced and when the season rolled around was in a stand hunting with us. He hunted one season and sold his bow. He just didn't have the patience or we had built up bow hunting to the point that it just didn't meet his expectations. What do you all think?

This is what killed my kids
(in combination with my anal self attempting to make them perfect )
My kids would watch me watching a tape and got the idea that if you did the prep work, it was like going to the grocery store
Gawd!....do I ever wish I would have kept those tapes hidden and my mouth shut till they knew the real deal

[nkybuck]

Another thing you have to remember is what these shows have become. A sponsor driven industry its all about who's killing what with who's equipment. I myself read articles in bowhunting magazines during the off season to keep myself excited about the upcoming season they are a not quite as glamorized as most shows and usually are a whole lot more informative.

[BT]

Jan 15, 2009 14:21:43 GMT -5 nkybuck said:

Another thing you have to remember is what these shows have become. A sponsor driven industry its all about who's killing what with who's equipment. I myself read articles in bowhunting magazines during the off season to keep myself excited about the upcoming season they are a not quite as glamorized as most shows and usually are a whole lot more informative.

You hit the nail right on the head!
It's not the hunter anymore....it's the product.

[Buckshot06]

Jan 15, 2009 14:27:09 GMT -5 BT said:

Jan 15, 2009 14:21:43 GMT -5 nkybuck said:

Another thing you have to remember is what these shows have become. A sponsor driven industry its all about who's killing what with who's equipment. I myself read articles in bowhunting magazines during the off season to keep myself excited about the upcoming season they are a not quite as glamorized as most shows and usually are a whole lot more informative.

You hit the nail right on the head!
It's not the hunter anymore....it's the product.

That is correct

I was mostly referring to videos purchased with no commercials. I have also noticed if you watch some not all videos close enough the BH they said they used wasn't even on the arrow they shot but the BH is on a broken arrow upon recovery of the animal. I know all the tricks they use in order to get the shot and most of the time the animal is already in the truck and the shot filmed the following day. It is a money game with winner shelling out the most $$$.

[mobowhunter]

Glad I'm not the only one. I watch them but it just entertainment. Most of the places they hunt the average guy couldn't afford to go to anyway. And I'm not picking on any one show, but for the first 5 minutes of one of them, all the professionals on the show, and there must have been 20 of them it seemed like, all had to say they were shooting a specific PSE bow. Man that in it's self about turns me off on a PSE. Way to commercialized.

[SPIKER]

And you don't get that cool soundtrack music while you spend your day in the tree. No narration, no commercials.

Your not on a ranch with 160 class Whitetails running in packs past raised platforms.

Just you, your bow, and nature, with squirrels as your only audience.

Same thing with fishing...these are activities that only certain people really get the knack for, and stick with it because they appreciate the "little" things.

The things that don't include shooting a P$Y BUCK, or the State record Walleye. These are things that while they may be an incredible bonus, they are not the end all of the experience.

I can't smell the woods on TV. I can't see, and hear all the things going on around me with the distracting commentary, and endless product plugging.

This year NY had record hunting license sales. They attributed it to the returning service men who now that they had experience with weapons, felt that hunting would be an option for them now.

But, statistics have shown with past wars that these guys usually don't stick with it because they weren't brought up in that culture. It's a lot different when you are sitting in a tree with frost forming on you , and your equipment than sitting on a couch watching Tred Barta wound animals, and take bad shots.. ...

[oldfarmsblueman]

I watch some of the shows and usually end up with a sick
feeling in my gut.It's 98%bs and sponsors $$$$.I know I
will hunt my hole life (47 years already) and never see a
140 + deer where I hunt.BUT I would love to get one of
the water walking TV deer hunters to come where I hunt
in Ct and do the things they want you to believe anyone
can do.I think the little guy that isn't from Texas Mexico
or the bread basket of our country should be just a proud
with what ever they get as long as its done with the proper
attitude.I grew up in the New England deer camp area.
Where your dad went to a camp in Maine, Vermont or New
Hampshire.It was tough hunting but a way of life.I miss
the old Red green or white checkered wool cloths 30-30's
and sporterized Military rifles.You walked,sat and dragged
your deer.You didn't call your caddy to pick up and dress
your deer for you.But this is what we have and it's not going
to change.I am still happy with my little Conn. deer that I
study track and harvest(I hate that word) :-[I harvest potatoes
not deer :-[JMO

[BT]

I really enjoyed the Videos from 20 years back (or more)
The Barry Wensel and Bob Folkrod types that were hunting PA woods with a camcorder.
That was fun and that was real.
And they had real fun too....none of the later advertisement space for rent stuff that is the norm today.
I don't like self promoters either....
People that talk about themselves in the third person or refer to themselves more than the game animal that they are hunting.
I can't really explain what I am trying to say in that respect but I bet some of you know just what I am saying