Traditional bowhunter television

[RonD]

Excellent information, Sidmand!

[Wild Bill MCP 808]

Count me in there should be a market fit somewhere for traditional hunting. I have seen a lot worse productions on the tube. How many people pan for gold now days. That show is a hit. The simplicity of the stick and string is a natural lure. I hope someone with the means kicks it off.

Wild Bill

[Hummer3T]

yup

[eagleone]

Good point Wild Bill

[Burnsie]

Originally posted by Wild Bill MCP 808:
Count me in there should be a market fit somewhere for traditional hunting. I have seen a lot worse productions on the tube. How many people pan for gold now days. That show is a hit. The simplicity of the stick and string is a natural lure. I hope someone with the means kicks it off.

Wild Bill

The problem with these type of shows is that actually finding gold becomes an insignificant part of the show.  The whole thing becomes a drama about personalities fighting and bickering all the time.  Your new wash plant falling over and smashing your bull dozer.  Spend a whole episode fretting over how your going to get enough money to keep things running for another week...etc etc.
They can turn almost any mundane activity into a reality TV joke, I guess that's what sells. I wouldn't want to see those type of tactics used to keep a Traditional show afloat.

[Robert Armstrong]

I think there is a need.

[goobersan]

I would suggest starting on youtube or a website. There's a couple brewing shows(Chop & Brew, and Brewing T.V.) that are internet only. Gain an audience from there and you may have sponsors coming to you. With the support from Tradgang and other traditional sites you could end up with plenty of donations. I'm sure we'd help out with advertising too. Good luck    

[kill shot]

This is starting to sound like a good idea Josh.

[Stumpkiller]

If you do get a sponsor and spot please don't whisper.  I'm up to about eight seconds of whispering before I switch to another channel.  

Overdub or just let the footage speak for itself.

 

[Broke N Arrow]

The nay sayers told columbus the world was flat too..if ole ben franklin hadn't stood out in the rain with a kit we'd still be reading by candle light.. We as trad shooters/hunters need our passion to be out there for the world to see..more people need to see what we are all about..and get courious enough about the trad culture to wanna try a simpler way..Its not about the competition and all the fancy equipment..its the fellowship and storys told around a campfire with good friends and making memories..Im tired of all the wheely shows and their 180s racks..that aint real life...people expect it to happen that way when they go out hunting and it doesnt so they spend more money and it still doesnt happen..its not about big racks and expensive equipment..the traditional way is so much more than that and someone should be telling/showing the world what they are missing..it would'nt have to be too high tec for me cuze most of us trad people aren't too high tec to begin with...

[14mpg]

When there are shows showing 400 yard rifle shots and "hunts" on private land *cough* -fenced deer farms- *cough* why would anyone need something else? (sarcasm included)

[tarponnut]

There is definitely a market for it. I would just film some shows and see what happens.
I like the Youtube to start idea.
I film all of my hunts. Getting hog and small game harvests on video takes time and effort but it's fun effort. (Youtube Channel: Jim Dussias or True South Adventures, or just search traditional bowhunting)
The art is in the editing, that is what makes the shows watchable, or not.
It takes some initial start up capital but what doesn't?

[tarponnut]

As to the naysayers(you are certainly entitled to your opinion), how many members did Trad Gang start with? There are over 40,000 members now!
Also, 150K is a lot of money to me, but to some it's not.
Might point is, you don't need to be a millionaire to have a hunting show(probably just several like-minded investors/sponsors).

[Sam McMichael]

I am not fond of hunting shows of any type. For me, it is a personal thing, and the moment of truth is just not open to public view. I understand that MANY do not share my view.

However, for those that do like this programming, it would be nice to know that a show about trad archery done by trad archers/hunters could serve our small niche of the hunting world well.

In my view, it would need to more broad than just a hunting theme. I would include segments about trad archery including clips from some of the proficient shooters at significant 3D events, highlights of bowyers, both the large corporate manufactures and the smaller one man shops. (People need to know how well the tackle works as well as how beautiful it can be). Tuning would be important subject matter. Segments featuring game cookery would be nice. I could go on and on about interesting features, but you get the picture. Traditional philosophy and lifestyle would be self evident without having to hammer it into viewers. Lastly, include the girls. There are many women who are just as pretty and feminine as anybody could want but can hold their own on any competition range or hunting camp. (I sure hope this does not come across as a sexist remark - it sure isn't intended that way.) We do live in an interesting world that many others might appreciate.

Maybe cost will be prohibitive, but you never know till you try! How do other projects find funding? They knock on a helluva lot of doors.

Hey, I think I could talk myself into becoming a fan of such a show!

[KentuckyTJ]

Sam, your thoughts on the traditional philosophy is exactly why Duck Dynasty is the most watched show on TV. Rednecks and Religious life is hot right now.

[Manitoba Stickflinger]

I too have been disappointed in the type of hunting shows on TV in the past few years. That said, I do enjoy the quality of footage, camera angles, and artistic use of of focusses and editing.

What's nice to watch? Redneck with an handy cam all shaky and low definition...or.... a well filmed and edited show that properly portrays what we do? The problem lies in getting quality footage (especially when hunting with a stick) and the costs that go along with it.

I've thought of this for years...even have a whole bunch of hunts recorded, but none of TV production quality. For anyone who has tried, you know how tough it is to get a good hunt on film, as well as what it would take to consistently get more good footage.

Money...is the key ingredient here. Good footage means quality equipment, tons of time, a payed camera man (or a bunch of experienced guys with time to donate), and costs covered for good hunts. Now no-one here wants to see advertising...without that you have no money...hence no show. Find a really rich person that just wants to spend money and it's all figured out!

Not to be the guy to rain on the parade here, but I am! Any TV quality production will cost lots of money...unfortunately that what it comes down to. Strapping a POV camera to your head and bow will likely not make the cut...nor will the footage self edited by your lap top. Just trying to be a realist here!

[Altiman94]

I would love to see a hunting show come out that showcased more of the life of a bow hunter than just the actual hunting.  I do enjoy watching Fred Eichler in his traditional hunts.  He's usually spooled up when I'm shooting in the basement or toying with things down there.  I also purchased one of the Wensel bros. videos and they showcase the meaning of bow hunting more than some of the others I've seen.  But, it would be nice to have a weekly TV show/pod cast.

[kill shot]

Still wishing out loud. Thinking about running an add in the local newspaper: Wanted, someone to dump a boat load of money on me to make the world a better place.

[JamesKerr]

I would love to see one get started!

[oxnam]

Without enough investors to make the episode/content available for "free", someone has to pay for it in time and/or money.  

A web presence is relatively inexpensive but the cost of the time and effort involved in planning, traveling, hunting, filming, editing, etc, is high.

On top of the cost, all of the extra headaches of video production can take the fun out of an enjoyable experience very quickly.  If you have to pay out of your own pocket and dedicate the limited hours after work and on the weekends, most would expect a pay off at some point.

So someone has to pay to make it worth it.  It can be investors, sponsors, or consumers.  With our market being a small niche, investors and sponsors will be limited, and investors are going to want all their money back and more anyway.  This leaves us with the consumer having to pay for the content.  We all like free, so signing up to pay for unknown content isn't very likely.  So if someone made the initial investment of time and money to produce enough quality material to establish their credibility, how much would you be willing to pay for a 20 minute episode broadcast/streamed over the internet?

If that number is high enough with enough volume, I don't think there would be too much difficulty in getting it started.

I would love to do it if it would pay enough