First of all, the Campbell Outdoor Challenge is a filming competition not a hunting competition. Last year, the first and second place prizes were won by hunter/cameramen teams who had successfully harvested two does on film. The team that manged to get the only successful buck harvest on film actually took third. In this competition, the cameraman has the ability to make a significant amount more points than the hunter can possibly make. Also, the $13,000 in prizes is split among the top three teams in the competition. With a $3,750.oo entry fee, the best anyone can hope for, is to actually be able to pay for their trip, and therefore, get a free hunt out of the deal.
Now, my biggest problem with the WHA is the fact that ALL of the "hunting" is going to have to be in enclosures. Animals injected with the Xylazine/Telazol mixture are not safe for human consumption for at least thirty days.This makesfree range "hunting" impossible as you could not be sure that the drugged animal would not be legally harvested by another hunter in the area. The drugs that are used are prohibited for unlicensed individuals to use and therefore, the entire operation is going to have to be supervised by a veterinarian. I don't know about you guys, but I've been hunting since I was eight years old and have never once had my own vet accompany me on one of my hunts. Maybe you have. These things in my mind completely separate the WHA's way of "hunting" completely separate from the hunting thatwe have all grown up doing. If the WHA would promote their "sport" as something else other that hunting, it would not bother me as much as it does. Simply put, it's nothing like real-world hunting.
As far as your comparison of this with Bassmasters, I do understand your point. However, to me, the fact that Bassmasters tournaments are held on public water, where every Tom, Dick, and Harry can, and do fish makes them a legitimate challenge. The best of the best are going to come out on top, consistently catching more and bigger fish than the average person, though they have no real advantage over them, except experience, patience, and the drive to be there. The darting of pen raised deer in small enclosures is not something that everybody has access to. The deer are not pressured and, truth be known, in many cases, will probably tame, at least to some extent. This is not the hunting that everyone has access to and will give extremely unrealistic expectations of hunting to newcomers. And yes, I realize that the majority of other hunting shows now on the air are filmed in enclosures and are not realistic. I don't like them either.