unethical shots

[PAPA BEAR]

i was just wondering if anyone else has been noticing the increased unethical shots on the hunting shows on the outdoor channel? this is not a good thing.i was floored to watch a well known host shoot at a rhino when it was totally quartered towards him with a compound bow and he still shot behind the shoulder'''unreal'''.the antis watch these shows also and trust me when i say this...they will use this against all hunters.the people who make these shows need to step up and get it right.just my two cents....larry

[ozy clint]

your right, these people are role models whether they like it or not. just like sports stars are.

[Bakes168]

I totally agree, I've seen some CRAZY shots on tv at times. I usually have to turn the tv off.

Zack

[Autumnarcher]

Its not just on the Disneyland hunting programs. I see it done on 3D courses, and too many are thinking that if they can hit the rings at any angle on a 3D, then it must be a good shot in the woods. Same goes for unethical shot distances. Too many bowhunters think long shots are ok at game just because they can make them on a foam deer.

It applies to everyone too, i've seen it with trad and modern shooters, although its much much less within the trad community. Then we have guys like Tred Barta taking long shots, bad angles etc, portraying a "shoot at any cost" attitude.

I have taught IBEP for 14 years, and I am in full agreement that the ONLY ethtical high perentage shots in bowhunting are broadside and slight quartering away. Sure, you can kill animal with other angles, but the odds of a poor outcome go way up. To me, its not responsible and is not respectful of the game to take anything but high percentage kill shots.

Even when we stick to those guidelines, things can and do go wrong. Taking an iffy shot dramatically increases the odds of that happening.

I also think that the long distance mentality on the 3D course is resulting in increased wounding loss in the field.

I wish more of these "hunting" shows would push that message. We would have a lot less wounding loss.

[maxfit]

Does Jim Shockey actually take the shot..? Or does he wait for it to turn? All i have seen is the draw then...break for commercial.

[Bear Heart]

I say save the long shots for small game.  You either hit it or you don't.  Who wouldn't boast if they hit a rabbit at 30 plus yards.

[nurayb]

Isn't Shockey doing a "green" hunt on that rhino?  I do agree that alot of bad shots are taken on these "hunting" shows.  But realistically, most of the people on these shows are a bunch of bozos.

[hunt it]

Don't forget all this crap is edited and spliced hundred times over. There is one shot on Gary Bogners big five video where if you pause and zoom you can see he shot clean over cape buff. Next frame is a kill shot of him and buff???

[foamkiller]

Remember also that the camera angle and the hunter's angle are not always the same. When you are watching a treestand shot the two are closer together than they might be on a ground hunt.

[buckeye_hunter]

I have seen an increase over the last 3-4 months

[NorthernCaliforniaHunter]

Cheap video cameras, empty channel slots on cable, viola! Crap hunters with even less ethics making a grip on national t.v. But let me ask you this: how well would those networks do if they actually filmed hunts, the way you and I know them? What if they actually showed the hunter going home empty handed frequently? What if it focused on the benefits of just being outdoors and enjoying time with friends and family? Would you watch? I probably wouldn't, but that's still not to say they shouldn't get the fantasy right! Geez!  

[KentuckyTJ]

Originally posted by maxfit:
Does Jim Shockey actually take the shot..? Or does he wait for it to turn? All i have seen is the draw then...break for commercial.

Draw??? Jim Shockey is a gun hunter he doesn't draw.

[Andrew Wesley]

i've been around the "upscale" hunting show guys a lot because of my family's company... and i can tell you that most of those guys are arrogant, self centered jerks. nothing they do suprises me. and what it comes down to is what they think their rating will do.. if they take some far out impossible shot they think it will help their ratings because they think they have to have a kill at the end of the show.
these people get lost in the media world and forget that they are sportsman.

[ron w]

Alot of 3-D's have "taught" folks to take shots that in the real world would not be good. As far filming this stuff there is a show on now that shows film crews competeing filming "hunts"!! Then you wonder how this crap gets on TV.

[BTH]

I've seen that one as well with the rhino. That was a dart hunt, not looking for a fatal shot with a broadhead tipped arrow, but looking to get the tranquilizer dart in the animal. That is a whole 'nother subject of course but that is one of the ways the manage the rhino herd is to have hunters pay to dart them so they can look at their health and such. Take a look at the tip of the arrow next time you see the cut...it is on at the beginning of each of his shows, if we're talking the same guy. I am defending this particular guy, again if we're talking the same guy, as I think he's one of the good ones.  

Now some of the others, yes, I've seen some pretty poor shot decisions made in the name of getting that kill on video.

But, here we are again moaning about something that is not trad archery/trad bowhunting related. I'll bet this'll get pulled as soon as a mod sees it.

[Jason Hansen]

I'm feeling the same way and don't watch the shows like I used to.  I've had more enjoyment with "traditional bowhunting" DVDs, versus the other well-known ones, or TV personalities.  With the traditional bowhunting DVDs, you hardly hear about what "class" the buck is, or what the G2 length is, but more so family values and bringing in our youth to the enjoyment of the outdoors.  They seem to have more appreciation for the animal, instead of what they are sporting in headgear.  One of the best in my opinion, is "Primal Dreams"!

[dragon rider]

On the plus side, I've been at a number of 3D shoots with trad hunters who look at a target placement and say "I'd never take this shot at anything that was alive" so I don't think many of the trad guys are losing the distinction between targets and living animals.

[Sam McMichael]

I don't watch any hunting shows. The public airing of a hunting kill takes the magic out of the moment. This is especially true when unethical shots are taken. Also, we are most often judged by what people see us do, and all hunters are "seen" as unethical when an ant-hunter sees one person screw up. So, it would suit me if there was no coverage at all of hunting on TV. Besides, hunting stories are more fun when shared by a close group of buddies, preferably around a blazing camp fire with a glass of smooth single malt scotch in hand.

[Sam McMichael]

Did I say ant-hunter above? Should be anti-hunter. Now you know why I'm not a writer.

[rascal]

Unfortunately this behaviour isnt only reserved for the self centered, ratings hungry, results oriented TV crowd.  Ive seen more and more of this among what commonly passes for "Hunters".  Seems the popular attitude is that if you dont bring home the biggest then you arent much of a hunter.  Im sure this is a dual edge sword in that it drives the programming we see on TV as well as drives hunters to adopt what they come to accept as a sort of standard of success.  

For my part I hunt because I love to hunt, sometimes I manage to take an animal while Im at it.  I get limited opportunities due to my equipment as well as my personal limitations on range and taking only high percentage shots.  I try to encourage people that hunt with me to adopt a similar attitude and if they cross the line and break what I consider ethical hunting standards they likely will not hunt with me again.  As a further step I simply refuse to watch the steaming load of HollyWood crap that passes for hunting on TV.  If you really want it to change then hit em where it hurts and refuse to watch or buy videos or support their sponsors and advertisers.