TV hunting shows, good or bad for the sport?
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JoshuaN
New member
The thing about this sport is anyone has the ability to go buy an electronic call I did the same thing but since I've tried hand calls I'm hooked on them and I can guarantee I'll get more coyote than they will simply because of the education they are providing.
I'm new to this sport and I have yet to call anything in but I'm going to stick with it because I'm so intrigued by the act of luring in the predator. Hoping one day I'll be able to share wisdom with others but for now it's all about absorbing as much as I can at this point.
I've literally gone off the deep end putting together my arsenal of tools and next weekend I'm hoping to call in and put down more than one. Here is Utah the pressure is very high due to the $50 per bounty but I think a lot of these folks won't stick with it because it's not something you just go out and easily do.
I'm new to this sport and I have yet to call anything in but I'm going to stick with it because I'm so intrigued by the act of luring in the predator. Hoping one day I'll be able to share wisdom with others but for now it's all about absorbing as much as I can at this point.
I've literally gone off the deep end putting together my arsenal of tools and next weekend I'm hoping to call in and put down more than one. Here is Utah the pressure is very high due to the $50 per bounty but I think a lot of these folks won't stick with it because it's not something you just go out and easily do.
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jglynn
New member
I have mixed feeling with the shows.
Myself, I like to watch them. Im not all about the bang flop stuff but I like to wtach the coyotes when they are in view and try and read what they are going to do and think about what i would do in the situation. Plus, i just like to see coyotes.
On the other hand, now that it is on tv, everyone wants to do it!! And that makes it harder on us guys that do it year round every year. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry wants to be a coyote hunter and get a Foxpro and a gun for Christmas and go out and a$$ up alot of coyotes. Then in 6 months when they cant even buy a coyote, more less call one in, they sell off their stuff and move on.
The good thing about this is a man can get some good stuff cheap when they get frustrated and quit... haha.
Myself, I like to watch them. Im not all about the bang flop stuff but I like to wtach the coyotes when they are in view and try and read what they are going to do and think about what i would do in the situation. Plus, i just like to see coyotes.
On the other hand, now that it is on tv, everyone wants to do it!! And that makes it harder on us guys that do it year round every year. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry wants to be a coyote hunter and get a Foxpro and a gun for Christmas and go out and a$$ up alot of coyotes. Then in 6 months when they cant even buy a coyote, more less call one in, they sell off their stuff and move on.
The good thing about this is a man can get some good stuff cheap when they get frustrated and quit... haha.
Ks Yote Junkie
New member
Redfrog this is the truth! LOL
A guy watches a pred hunting show and gets all excited and takes his rent money and buys a Foxpro and a gun and a truck and a GPS and camo and scent control and a turkey seat and he goes calling. Calls for three days and sees nothing.
A guy watches a pred hunting show and gets all excited and takes his rent money and buys a Foxpro and a gun and a truck and a GPS and camo and scent control and a turkey seat and he goes calling. Calls for three days and sees nothing.
Chupathingy
New member
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JoshuaN
New member
Originally Posted By: ChupathingyOriginally Posted By: JoshuaNThe thing about this sport is anyone has the ability to go buy an electronic call I did the same thing but since I've tried hand calls I'm hooked on them and I can guarantee I'll get more coyote than they will simply because of the education they are providing.
I'm new to this sport and I have yet to call anything in but I'm going to stick with it because I'm so intrigued by the act of luring in the predator. Hoping one day I'll be able to share wisdom with others but for now it's all about absorbing as much as I can at this point.
I've literally gone off the deep end putting together my arsenal of tools and next weekend I'm hoping to call in and put down more than one. Here is Utah the pressure is very high due to the $50 per bounty but I think a lot of these folks won't stick with it because it's not something you just go out and easily do.
Joshua, worry less about your arsenal of tools and focus more on honing your knowledge and field craft. That is where your success or failure will stem from.
Chupa
Thanks for the tip Chupa. My arsenal of tools are the basics really like a gun, camo, and yeah I bought the Cabela's 'yote quick stand but only because it's badass and works great for carrying my gear, but the deep end includes all my reloading equipment. I didn't even have a decent pair of boots so I had to get me some. It's all stuff that will last me for years of fun to come so it's money well spent. I've had to learn a lot but it was a personal choice for the reloading and it was a great choice because I really enjoy knowing I manufactured my rounds.
I'm new to this sport and I have yet to call anything in but I'm going to stick with it because I'm so intrigued by the act of luring in the predator. Hoping one day I'll be able to share wisdom with others but for now it's all about absorbing as much as I can at this point.
I've literally gone off the deep end putting together my arsenal of tools and next weekend I'm hoping to call in and put down more than one. Here is Utah the pressure is very high due to the $50 per bounty but I think a lot of these folks won't stick with it because it's not something you just go out and easily do.
Joshua, worry less about your arsenal of tools and focus more on honing your knowledge and field craft. That is where your success or failure will stem from.
Chupa
Thanks for the tip Chupa. My arsenal of tools are the basics really like a gun, camo, and yeah I bought the Cabela's 'yote quick stand but only because it's badass and works great for carrying my gear, but the deep end includes all my reloading equipment. I didn't even have a decent pair of boots so I had to get me some. It's all stuff that will last me for years of fun to come so it's money well spent. I've had to learn a lot but it was a personal choice for the reloading and it was a great choice because I really enjoy knowing I manufactured my rounds.
Chupathingy
New member
Originally Posted By: hunter44the hunting shows to me are for entertainment only don't get to watch too often because i am in the field hunting can't get enough
I love this answer!
Chupa
I love this answer!
Chupa
cawilson82
New member
Here's my take on it. I see people say these shows are good for the sport. Well they are not. They are good for people that make money from the sport nothing more. In reality the shows have increased the number of hunters that is not really a good thing as it has created a lot of azzed up coyotes and makes land harder to gain access to. One thing people don't understand was there wasn't a whole lot of fuss from the anti when there wasn't any tv shows about it or websites and the Facebook where they got to see it all the time.
Aggiehunter03
New member
Originally Posted By: cawilson82Here's my take on it. I see people say these shows are good for the sport. Well they are not. They are good for people that make money from the sport nothing more. In reality the shows have increased the number of hunters that is not really a good thing as it has created a lot of azzed up coyotes and makes land harder to gain access to. One thing people don't understand was there wasn't a whole lot of fuss from the anti when there wasn't any tv shows about it or websites and the Facebook where they got to see it all the time.
Hadn't really thought about it being bad for the sport form that viewpoint but that makes sense. ALthough it is growing the sport, the antis see it more often on tv, the innernets and Facepalm and gets their organic cotton panties all bunched into their cracks.
Hadn't really thought about it being bad for the sport form that viewpoint but that makes sense. ALthough it is growing the sport, the antis see it more often on tv, the innernets and Facepalm and gets their organic cotton panties all bunched into their cracks.
SouthTXBowhunter
New member
I've gone back and forth on the issue of hunting TV - sometimes liking it and sometimes not. I make my living from hunting and I see the problems it's created as well as the benefits it's provided, on an almost daily basis. I've come to the conclusion that it's unfair to lump "hunting shows" into a single category and address them that way. There ARE some great ones out there; but there are a lot more bad ones. The good ones benefit hunting sports and the bad ones don't. Overall, though, I think that having our own channels, dedicated to hunting and fishing, are a good thing; because they give our sports mainstream validity in the face of the war being waged on us by the antis. The fact that these channels exist and thrive make it very hard for the antis to argue that hunters amount to a 'small fringe group' of the population and non-hunters that are not particularly inclined one way or another see that that we truly are large group of outdoorsmen participating in a very popular and growing sport. In the long run, I think that the existence of these shows (in spite of some of the goofy personalities and antics) will help to insure that the antis remain the fringe group of nutcases, in the eyes of the general public, rather than hunters.
Full disclosure - I'm a cameraman and guide for a very popular and long-running bowhunting show on the Outdoor Channel.
All these hunting shows are businesses - just like a construction company, an electrician, a barber or an oil company. Their goal is to make money, just like any business. Plain and simple. The cost to film a show and produce it for TV is astronomical. This means, to turn a profit, they have to sell stuff. I was always in the camp of people wondering why these shows didn't take the opportunity to "teach" and "inform" more than they do, using their platform to educate; until I got involved with one. The hard truth is that the viewers drive the show and they won't tune in for instructional or informative content. Basically, the viewership is pretty shallow - unfortunately. There are very few viewers that will sit and watch a show with any real information in it. All they want to see is, "Bang, flop, Bang! flop" These are the viewers that buy the products that fund the channel and the shows. Sadly, it says more about the 'average' hunter than it says about the people on the screen or those producing the show or running the channel. I know several guys that would LOVE to produce shows that are really geared towards the serious hunter but they aren't financially viable. There have been some efforts in the past but they fell flat and were financial disasters that didn't even make it to air. Keep in mind that no matter what you produce, you still have to SELL that show to the network; and, if the network doesn't pick it up (because they don't feel it will sell advertising) then the producers of the show are out the cost of the hunting, the video and the production work - that can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Contrary to what many people think, the shows you see on the Outdoor Channel, Sportsman's Channel, Pursuit Channel are all independently produced on someone's personal 'dime' and then sold to the network.
The complaints that TV shows have ruined or hurt predator hunting, because it's attracted new interest, are about as selfish as it gets. There's no doubt that there are a ton more people calling and educating predators and making good ground harder to find but SO WHAT? Jeez. For Christ's sake, did you think that something as fun as predator hunting was going to stay a private club forever? There are plenty of animals out there for everyone. The way I look at it, it may make it harder to find ground but IF you're good at producing results, and polite and respectful of the property, you shouldn't have that much trouble finding ground. Many of the yahoos who watch hunting TV and run out to jump into the sport will lose ground about as fast as they get it - leaving plenty of ground available from landowners that are, now, being "choosy" about who they grant access. It benefits those that deserve access and hurts those that don't. Is it inconvenient? Sure. Is it bad? I don't think so. Gaining publicity and generating a conversation on the benefits of predator management is a GOOD thing. We are providing a beneficial service to landowners and game species, one that has (long) been scientifically proven and embraced by biologists. We have the scientific and ethical and moral high ground; and the conversation is an easy one to win. The inconveniences notwithstanding, I don't mind it at all.
Granted, "Dog Soldier" is AWFUL and the Jerry Springer analogy is perfect. Lol! I could sure do without that one. Although, if you pay attention, he is pretty realistic - he'll hunt for days and be lucky to kill 3 coyotes to make the episode. Lol! He's really not very good and uses all the talking and BS to fill the space.
Full disclosure - I'm a cameraman and guide for a very popular and long-running bowhunting show on the Outdoor Channel.
All these hunting shows are businesses - just like a construction company, an electrician, a barber or an oil company. Their goal is to make money, just like any business. Plain and simple. The cost to film a show and produce it for TV is astronomical. This means, to turn a profit, they have to sell stuff. I was always in the camp of people wondering why these shows didn't take the opportunity to "teach" and "inform" more than they do, using their platform to educate; until I got involved with one. The hard truth is that the viewers drive the show and they won't tune in for instructional or informative content. Basically, the viewership is pretty shallow - unfortunately. There are very few viewers that will sit and watch a show with any real information in it. All they want to see is, "Bang, flop, Bang! flop" These are the viewers that buy the products that fund the channel and the shows. Sadly, it says more about the 'average' hunter than it says about the people on the screen or those producing the show or running the channel. I know several guys that would LOVE to produce shows that are really geared towards the serious hunter but they aren't financially viable. There have been some efforts in the past but they fell flat and were financial disasters that didn't even make it to air. Keep in mind that no matter what you produce, you still have to SELL that show to the network; and, if the network doesn't pick it up (because they don't feel it will sell advertising) then the producers of the show are out the cost of the hunting, the video and the production work - that can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Contrary to what many people think, the shows you see on the Outdoor Channel, Sportsman's Channel, Pursuit Channel are all independently produced on someone's personal 'dime' and then sold to the network.
The complaints that TV shows have ruined or hurt predator hunting, because it's attracted new interest, are about as selfish as it gets. There's no doubt that there are a ton more people calling and educating predators and making good ground harder to find but SO WHAT? Jeez. For Christ's sake, did you think that something as fun as predator hunting was going to stay a private club forever? There are plenty of animals out there for everyone. The way I look at it, it may make it harder to find ground but IF you're good at producing results, and polite and respectful of the property, you shouldn't have that much trouble finding ground. Many of the yahoos who watch hunting TV and run out to jump into the sport will lose ground about as fast as they get it - leaving plenty of ground available from landowners that are, now, being "choosy" about who they grant access. It benefits those that deserve access and hurts those that don't. Is it inconvenient? Sure. Is it bad? I don't think so. Gaining publicity and generating a conversation on the benefits of predator management is a GOOD thing. We are providing a beneficial service to landowners and game species, one that has (long) been scientifically proven and embraced by biologists. We have the scientific and ethical and moral high ground; and the conversation is an easy one to win. The inconveniences notwithstanding, I don't mind it at all.
Granted, "Dog Soldier" is AWFUL and the Jerry Springer analogy is perfect. Lol! I could sure do without that one. Although, if you pay attention, he is pretty realistic - he'll hunt for days and be lucky to kill 3 coyotes to make the episode. Lol! He's really not very good and uses all the talking and BS to fill the space.
SlickerThanSnot
New member
Quote:
Granted, "Dog Soldier" is AWFUL and the Jerry Springer analogy is perfect. Lol! I could sure do without that one. Although, if you pay attention, he is pretty realistic - he'll hunt for days and be lucky to kill 3 coyotes to make the episode. Lol! He's really not very good and uses all the talking and BS to fill the space.
Granted, "Dog Soldier" is AWFUL and the Jerry Springer analogy is perfect. Lol! I could sure do without that one. Although, if you pay attention, he is pretty realistic - he'll hunt for days and be lucky to kill 3 coyotes to make the episode. Lol! He's really not very good and uses all the talking and BS to fill the space.
JoshuaN
New member
Originally Posted By: SlickerThanSnotQuote:
Granted, "Dog Soldier" is AWFUL and the Jerry Springer analogy is perfect. Lol! I could sure do without that one. Although, if you pay attention, he is pretty realistic - he'll hunt for days and be lucky to kill 3 coyotes to make the episode. Lol! He's really not very good and uses all the talking and BS to fill the space.
But he rose up through the ranks to become 'Dog Soldier'. I did use his 'Signature' diaphragm call from an unnamed company to pull in my first coyote ever though.
I look forward to watching all the predator shows to be honest and wish I had connections to get some free gear once in awhile. Maybe someday....
Granted, "Dog Soldier" is AWFUL and the Jerry Springer analogy is perfect. Lol! I could sure do without that one. Although, if you pay attention, he is pretty realistic - he'll hunt for days and be lucky to kill 3 coyotes to make the episode. Lol! He's really not very good and uses all the talking and BS to fill the space.
But he rose up through the ranks to become 'Dog Soldier'. I did use his 'Signature' diaphragm call from an unnamed company to pull in my first coyote ever though.
I look forward to watching all the predator shows to be honest and wish I had connections to get some free gear once in awhile. Maybe someday....
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I am mixed about it because I honestly went there wanting to "learn" and learned nothing. It was sit, everyone saying they were on a stand for 20 seconds to a min and got a awesome double coming in. Don't get me wrong, I do watch them because I honestly like the sport(same reason I watch the NFL etc) but I don't really watch the NFL to learn how to play the game of football. Its just something to pass the time during the work week so that I can get my "fix" until Sunday's when I go out for a few stands
ChrisRobinson
New member
-Are predator hunting shows bad for the sport? No
-Will all non-industry related recreational predator hunters ever fully understand why? Most likely no.
-Does growth trump the inherent negatives brought on by TV for the overall well being and strength of the sport? Yes
-Will all of us have to adapt? Inevitably yes with or without TV
-Will all non-industry related recreational predator hunters ever fully understand why? Most likely no.
-Does growth trump the inherent negatives brought on by TV for the overall well being and strength of the sport? Yes
-Will all of us have to adapt? Inevitably yes with or without TV
lyotehunter
New member
what i find bad is with all the people that claim to be experts and the shows their are a lot of people that never hunted are hunting now.when i started in the late 60's you never seen another person hardly.now you find tracks or other people and the ranchers are not the same.it will probably get where everyone wants money to hunt.which is one thing that i have always loved about hunting coyotes is the freedom and solitude. the good part is someone is making a lot of money.this part will make it so people without wealth wont be able to hunt them just like deer,elk,sheep,bear,etc.this would not have happened so soon without TV. so it is not really bad i guess but it caused more people sooner than later to start hunting coyotes.it is pretty hard to go and kill and skin 40plus coyotes in 3 days anymore,[maybe on private land that i once could have hunted without paying more than helping the owner]
iowa roger
New member
First let me say I am old (78)and not able to hunt anymore. I do enjoy reading here the posts from the fine folks on here.
I have done a lot of hunting and trapping in my lifetime.
It has always bothed me to take a life of any living creature.Seeing someone jump up and down, whoop,holler and celebrate their kill is repulsive to me.These folks don't seem to just be content to get these creatures for food or just to control their numbers as in the preditors as in varmints.
It seems that there is a continous collision coarse between wild creatures and civilization. This seems to be unavoidable, it seems to get worse as time goes on. I have seen a lot of change in my lifetime here in Iowa.
Farmers in this area keep their farm cats locked up at night or the coyotes will dine on them. It seems like changes in the available food sources have changed the foraging habits of our preditors.
The TV shows to me try to put a gloss on the hunting aspect of all hunting, be into large game hunting or preditor huning. There is a lot of hard work goes into it before making most hunts successful. These shows don't seem to show that to any extent.
It would be better if how it really is would be shown more. I am not an anti hunting of any kind, done a lot of it myself in my younger years.It does bother me to see the wanton killing of creatures and see their killing being celebrated with dances and yeehaaas over the taking of their lives.
It seems there is not an easy answer to it all. TV shows sometimes are in poor taste is seems to me.
Thanks for reading a rant from an old geezer here.
I have done a lot of hunting and trapping in my lifetime.
It has always bothed me to take a life of any living creature.Seeing someone jump up and down, whoop,holler and celebrate their kill is repulsive to me.These folks don't seem to just be content to get these creatures for food or just to control their numbers as in the preditors as in varmints.
It seems that there is a continous collision coarse between wild creatures and civilization. This seems to be unavoidable, it seems to get worse as time goes on. I have seen a lot of change in my lifetime here in Iowa.
Farmers in this area keep their farm cats locked up at night or the coyotes will dine on them. It seems like changes in the available food sources have changed the foraging habits of our preditors.
The TV shows to me try to put a gloss on the hunting aspect of all hunting, be into large game hunting or preditor huning. There is a lot of hard work goes into it before making most hunts successful. These shows don't seem to show that to any extent.
It would be better if how it really is would be shown more. I am not an anti hunting of any kind, done a lot of it myself in my younger years.It does bother me to see the wanton killing of creatures and see their killing being celebrated with dances and yeehaaas over the taking of their lives.
It seems there is not an easy answer to it all. TV shows sometimes are in poor taste is seems to me.
Thanks for reading a rant from an old geezer here.
skinney
Director
Originally Posted By: iowa rogerIt does bother me to see the wanton killing of creatures and see their killing being celebrated with dances and yeehaaas over the taking of their lives.
It seems there is not an easy answer to it all. TV shows sometimes are in poor taste is seems to me.
Thanks for reading a rant from an old geezer here.
I respect your opinion on the subject... but you also have to take into consideration each persons attitude and personality, just because one guy takes a knee in the endzone, don't mean the next isn't gonna jump into the crowd, or slam it over the goal post... What I'm tryin to say is this, every hunter is different, and they are NOT celebrating the murder of an animal, they are celebrating the success of the hunt, the release of adrenaline that occurs when you out smart your quary... I understand some people don't like Fred Eichler, or Steve Criner, I happen to love their shows, I'll bet ya a lot of money, you would see the same response from them after taking a dog down, even IF the camera wasn't there.
It seems there is not an easy answer to it all. TV shows sometimes are in poor taste is seems to me.
Thanks for reading a rant from an old geezer here.
I respect your opinion on the subject... but you also have to take into consideration each persons attitude and personality, just because one guy takes a knee in the endzone, don't mean the next isn't gonna jump into the crowd, or slam it over the goal post... What I'm tryin to say is this, every hunter is different, and they are NOT celebrating the murder of an animal, they are celebrating the success of the hunt, the release of adrenaline that occurs when you out smart your quary... I understand some people don't like Fred Eichler, or Steve Criner, I happen to love their shows, I'll bet ya a lot of money, you would see the same response from them after taking a dog down, even IF the camera wasn't there.