That explains why some of them stink? "Metamucil" for your regular scheduled program!
Now I've gone to far. LOL


Think the ground hogidea learning to be patient is good.

oh yeah Think "filler"..... thats what commercials are for they gotta lot of those too, but like you said "Guys, it's TV." That is why real hunting is more funner!

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this is not the old west, you just can't go around cleaning up the streets with a gun. Even though somtimes thats exactly whats needed-Attorney General Russert
Im just a peckerwood that lives in the hills with too many guns There's going to be more shooting, more people are going to die. I didn't start it, but I mean to see it through I'm going to find them, burn their playhouse down Exercise my right to bear arms You don't understand how serious this is. They killed my dog-Bob Lee Swagger

I quit watching the hunting channel. Anybody can sit in a stand and shoot the animals as they come in to bait or a food plot. I mean what is the sport in that, it is not even hunting. Where I live you got to go out and get em. The big muley bucks are smart and wiley, they did not get big by being stupid. They are so smart you might never ever get a shot at one, but hey thats called HUNTING. You got to move quiet and stelthley in the bush, you got to know where they are, what their patterns are, which way the wind is blowing, and on and on. All the stuff that someone sitting in a blind over a food plot hardly has to worry about.
Saw a video on a bear hunt that was done up here in Canada and I almost had to barff. They were using dogs to hunt cubs. Had one little guy up a tree, shot him badly, he fell from the tree still alive and the dogs rushed in and started biting the poor thing on the balls and snout. After they dispatched the little guy they drug the bear out by his ears. Now a bear has to be pretty small to do that. Then the guide opened his cake hole and said, "If there brown their down". The whole thing made me sick. This is the kind of stuff that gives ammo to the anties.

Cheers & Tighter Groups: Eaglesnester

What gets me is the guys who show up at a ranch/farm/what have you. The guide who has been scouting all year sets them up in a stand that they all but know the buck will pass through and the guys hunt is done in 2 hours. Then once the buck is down they fist pump and make themselves look like a horses @ss and try to make you believe they have really accomplished something. Anyone can pay for someone to find them a deer and then show up to pull the trigger....

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Sako 75 .260 Rem.
Browning Acera .30-06
Browning BLR '81 .308 Win.
Browning A-Bolt Medallion .25-06
Browning T-Bolt Target .22 WMR
Browning Gold Evolve Euro Sporting 12 Gauge
Browning BT-99 12 Gauge
Browning BPS 12 Gauge
Ruger 10/22 International

What if there is no guide, outfitter, or money involved, but you do basically the same thing? I have gone hunting at several places, with friends or family, or a "friend of a friend" where I show up, someone shows me where my stand is and the next morning I go out and hunt from that location. It's not exactly what I would prefer, but in today's world where public land is badly over-hunted and private land becomes more fragmented and harder to gain access to, year after year, the options are pretty limited. It is "easy" hunting, when the deer show up, but do you think our fore-fathers hiked ten miles through the swamp and over the mountain to get their deer? Not if they knew one was poking his head into the cornfield down the road every afternoon, they didn't.

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"For my part, I prefer a sensible median between trying to shoot an animal across a township and getting close enough to ram the rifle muzzle down its throat." - Jack O'Connor

broomjm,

I think I need to clarify a little bit. I dont have any problems with hunting from a stand (I do it regularly). What you have described is also not a problem in my eyes. What I am against are these multiple hundred/thousand acre private farms where a guide is scouting and feeding deer close to daily for the first 9 months of the year and they KNOW where a specific deer, not just a deer, but a specific buck will end up walking through between the hours of X and Y 90% of the time. Then one of these hosts shows up to play hunter, slaps some money on the table (off camera of course) and shoots said deer and then expects us to look at him like the Great White Hunter.

Im more impressed with a man who shoots a doe from a stand that he has taken time to scout for and searched for game trails/natural funneling points on his own than I will ever be with someone who shoots a 160"+ buck he has no time invested in, just $$$.

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Sako 75 .260 Rem.
Browning Acera .30-06
Browning BLR '81 .308 Win.
Browning A-Bolt Medallion .25-06
Browning T-Bolt Target .22 WMR
Browning Gold Evolve Euro Sporting 12 Gauge
Browning BT-99 12 Gauge
Browning BPS 12 Gauge
Ruger 10/22 International

Should I take your statements to mean that you are against guided hunts? Have you ever been on a guided hunt? I have.

My first year hunting in NC, I killed 2 does and saw no legal bucks. This year, I saw and passed on one legal buck 1 hour into the hunt, and lost a second buck from the same stand 30 minutes later. I saw no more legal bucks after that, and didn't even get a chance at a decent doe or 2. Just because you pay for someone to "find" deer for you, doesn't mean you will see a deer that you can shoot.

While TV shows make those set-ups look so easy, it isn't really as it seems. How many hours do you think they sit on an average hunt before they get something on camera? My big beef with the TV shows is the lack of shooting and tracking skills demonstrated by the "Expert" hosts.

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"I don't drink or smoke, I spend my money on gunpowder and gasoline."

I think most, if not all of us, would prefer to have the time and property where we could scout out our own area and hunt entirely on our own terms. For me, that would mean hunting from improvised ground blinds, still-hunting through thick swamps and spending time in tree stands. On the limited property I do have access to, I really enjoy trying to pic k it apart and figure out the best ways to hunt it.

In the last two years I have taken 2 deer from areas that are exclusively mine while the rest have come from private property where I'm "told" where to go. I'm not complaining, mind you, but that's how the landowner on that place does things and I'm not going to argue when it helps fill up the freezer each fall.

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"For my part, I prefer a sensible median between trying to shoot an animal across a township and getting close enough to ram the rifle muzzle down its throat." - Jack O'Connor

I don't think anyone really takes them too seriously. They're just entertainment. Sort of like "Married with Children".... And just about as realistic.

I personally think it's an ethics question. Each one of us has certain goals in hunting as well as life in general. The difference is how we go about achieving those goals. To me a monster buck shot while tethered to a tree would be pretty meaningless as opposed to one that took a lot of pre-planning, legwork, and time spent. If the end result is only to have a rack on the wall, you can buy reproductions from a taxidermist, save all that time and effort and make up a good story to go with it. I have been on guided hunts, but none where all the deer were known by name, number or B.C. score. HD1

I've been involved in three ways to hunt down here.
1.In late December, I have two customers come in to the ranch. I feed them, take them to their stands, and if successful, I help clean the animal. This happens on pastures that aren't leased by other hunters.
These guys expect to be pampered a little bit, But they truely appreciate the effort made and while we don't talk business,,, we don't have to because we both know I expect this effort to help better our business relationship..

2. I enjoy hunting our lease with my son and grandsons more than anything. We also have good friends to enjoy camping with. Since we are out there most every week-end, we know where the bucks are moving and whether there are any worth shooting this year. The day my grandson shoots his first anything, will be a great hunt. He's just too little and we don't want to rush him into it. As long as he enjoys the great outdoors, that's all that counts.

3. I will also be on a guided mule deer hunt this year. I expect to be pampered a bit and let the guide do the work, and trust me, there is a lot of work involved. His job lasts all year, not just during season.
This is a real treat for me and my son. I know the outfitter is taking me to where the big bucks are, because he knows and I don't. That's why I'm paying him. I already told him that if he puts me on a big buck that is just not quit what I wanted, I would pass on it. But I know he will do everything possible to make this a successful hunt. That is what makes him a successful outfitter, and me a satisfied customer.
Have I done the work necessary to earn this big buck?... No, but I'm running out of time in my life, and I want one.
This gives me the reason to be with old friends, and talk about past hunts
together. That is the true meaning of hunting to me. Hope we can do it everyyear.

Good luck to all and remember to watch out for all the other idiots!

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Throw another log on the fire

I enjoy the hunting shows - guess its to see the animals more than anything.

Can relate to the South and West Texas ranch hunting. Been there - done that. Never had a guide looking over my shoulder judging the animal and determining which to shoot. Usually, given directions to the stand, wished good luck and sent on my way. Some ranches had feeders, some didn't. Sometimes saw trophy bucks, usually the common 6 or 8 point.

Haven't popped a cap on a deer for several years now. Like TPV says, more interested in letting the grandson do the shooting as I coach him on hunting and the outdoors, instilling appreciation for the outdoors and animals in it.

Been on many guided hunts from Canada to southern Texas, including the Rocky Mountain states. Mostly horseback, but a few with 4WD vehicles on ranch trails. All of these hunts have been good, whether game was taken or not. Just being in the great outdoors with a rifle slung on a shoulder or skulking through the woods have been experiences I wouldn't trade.

I'll be joining TPV in that guided West Texas mule deer hunt next week. If I don't take a deer it won't be the end of the world. Being outdoors with good companions with that rifle will be worth the costs.
There's an old saying - don't criticize until you've walked a mile in the other guys shoes.

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"Keep Off The Ridgeline!"

"Firearms only have two enemies - rust and politicans" author unknown

Well put Kdub !!! HD1

I stopped watching hunting shows simply because I couldnt endure one more minute of wondering how long it takes for a superstar hunter to click the safety off (noting that the clicking-the-safety-off segment is dubbed in and not part of the actual hunt).

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"Salvation is of the Lord" Jonah 2:9

First of all, thank you Kdub, for putting it all into proper perspective for us...very well said!

I too am annoyed by all of the obvious post-shot dubbing that is done to show how the safety was clicked off, how the deer was "found", 4 different camera angles on the shooter as the shot was "fired", etc. For young, naive people who have not actually hunted very much, they're going to buy a lot of that crap and blow good chances at harvesting an animal, trying to do it like the hunting "pro" on TV! Then, if they get a deer, they're going to think they should jump up and down and hoot n' holler, like they just scored a touchdown, or something.

I had the unmitigated joy of literally watching my daughter (from 20 feet away) line up her sights and shoot at and harvest her first deer. She didn't cock the hammer until she was ready to shoot, took her time and stayed calm enough to make it happen. She didn't talk for 5 minutes before she shot about what a super deer it was and she dang sure didn't run around the woods screaming like a fool after the shot! Without any coaching from anyone, she was happy and excited, but still showed the reverence and appreciation for the outdoors that Kdub expressed so well in his post.

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"For my part, I prefer a sensible median between trying to shoot an animal across a township and getting close enough to ram the rifle muzzle down its throat." - Jack O'Connor

The one "Hunting" show I enjoyed watching was "North to Alaska" with Larry Csonka. Even though it focused more on fishing, he did from time to time go out hunting for brown bear, caribou etc. & he did not always come back successful. He always portrayed the hunting experience realistically, at least that's how I saw it. Unfortunately I don't get the Versus network anymore because Directv had to drop it.

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