RE: Is filming hunts becoming "Old Hat"?
I agree Jeff. People can only watch so much TV and watch so many videos before they've quite simply had enough. Back in the day all we had was TNN on Sunday mornings to watch Buckmasters and that was about it. Now we've got multiple networks of nothing but outdoor programming all being funded by the same industry that, according to reports, is shrinking in size and the amount of money being dumped into it. Combine that with the fact that our economy as a whole is experiencing some hard times and people are cutting back on the "extra" spending in life like that extra set of hunting clothes or new bow, I don't know how the industry as a whole can sustain this type of growth for much longer. I personally have cut back on my hunting spending dramatically for this year, and I know others have as well. Businesses only have so much money in their advertising budgets and they are going to be forced to allocate it differently for maximum reach.
Most TV shows are selling sponsorships starting between 10K and 20K/year depending on what channel they're on, etc. Start hanging your hat on 5 or 6 shows and all of a sudden that's a lot of dough missing from your bread basket. Not to mention print ads are running you a couple grand PER ISSUE, and their subscriber numbers are holding steady at best, if not shrinking in some cases.
When this little boom of "I want to be the next hunting TV show star" is over and the dust settles the top dogs are still going to be here, but I think a lot of the little guys are going to suffer. Just my opinion though, I could be wrong.