Ethics and Hunting Shows: Opinions
 

Would like to see what others think about this issue. Was watching Closing the Distance at noon today and the hunter made a terrible shot on a whitetail. The shot selection was good, broadside, head down, front leg extended at twenty five yards. He hit it way back in the paunch. There was no question about it as it was dusk and the lumina nock really worked. He then turned to the camera and said that looked like a marginal shot we' ll wait till dark, sneak out of here and come back in the morning. They found the deer the next am 75 yards from where he shot it. They then discussed how they figured a marginal shot, went home and looked at the tape and were sure it was marginal and the importance of waiting to trail game when a marginal shot is made.

I' ll start. I see nothing wrong with putting this on television when handled in this manner. The guy admitted immediately it was less than perfect and everything was explained. We are all human and it happens, as long as they don' t try to cover it up I think they can educate both hunters and non hunters. It does make me sick to my stomach when one of the so called pros makes a bad shot, starts pumping his fist and saying great shot, great shot. I think the only thing they could have done different in this episode would have been to say that after watching the tape it was a BAD shot because there was nothing marginal about it.

RE: Ethics and Hunting Shows: Opinions
 

I agree 100% with you. Marginal or bad shot can happen to everyone, it' s what we do to correct or ensure the outcome is positive, i whats important. I too have watched video' s or shows where they say the great shot, show the fist pumping celebration and wondered why. I would have hung my head and felt aweful with that poor shot. They rarely show the guy stewing or talking about the proper way to handle a track of a marginal or bad shot animal...it almost appears that they wait a hour and find the deer. Those that hunt or experienced these situations, know that is not the case, but too many others who haven' t experienced this, do not. Unreal expectations!!!!

RE: Ethics and Hunting Shows: Opinions
 

I have no problems with the way they put their show together. Bad shots will happen, and the most important part of hunting is recovery in my opinion. They did what they felt was the right steps to recovering that deer, and it paid out in the end. If it was an area polluted with coyotes, I would of probably been out in a couple of hours with a spotting scope or dogs if they were legal, and tried to find the deer.

I do hate how some shows yell and congradulate each other right after a shot that looks marginal. However, this is what happens in true life. I' m sure a lot of people feel that just getting the shot in an animal is the big part of the hunt. Sometimes they try and doctor it up for the show, but it doesn' t work out too well because we aren' t an ignorant bunch, well, the majority of us I hope!

We took an outdoor channel film crew out hunting this summer, and my first of two shots was a little far back, and the second shot dropped the caribou in his tracks. That shot a little back too. They said they would edit the first shot and just show the second. In your opinions, would you rather see both shots, or just the kill shot? They can cover up any evidence of the first shot with digital editing, so it would look like a one shot kill. What do people want, quick kills or honosty?

RE: Ethics and Hunting Shows: Opinions
 

I agree,we all make a bad shot at one time or the other,no question.it would make us hunters feel better if they would say something like " Wow I made a bad hit there,we will wait till morning or a few hrs to try and track this deer.
that would be BAD TV for those that don' t really know what they are talking about.
I watched a show the other day that took a bad hit,they said they waited an hr. before tracking,when they found the deer it was so stiff they couldn' t even turn the head to look at the horns.you could look at the light and see it was the next day.
it would have been a lot better if they had said that.
JMHO;and my 2 cents,there are 98 more!;):D

RE: Ethics and Hunting Shows: Opinions
 

I have absolutely no problem with the show in question. Bad hits happen. I would rather watch a show thats honest about it and presents the proper course of action to take in the event of a bad hit than a show that trys to BS me into believing a hit was better than it really was. And believe me I have seen far too many of the latter.

RE: Ethics and Hunting Shows: Opinions
 

Arctic, to answer your question, Id rather see the whole honest shot sequence. As its been stated, everyone misses. Yours would teach the lesson of staying focused,keeping your witts about you,turning bad to good, and finishing the job. Ill take honestly anyday, and thats the reason why Ive still never watched a hunting video. Yours could make me change my tune. Id like to see it.

RE: Ethics and Hunting Shows: Opinions
 

Arctic, ditto to fletchead on the honesty issue. I think there is a valuable lesson to be learned there. Honesty is never a bad thing.

RE: Ethics and Hunting Shows: Opinions
 

I' ve come to absolutely hate hunting shows and videos over the past 10 years. Won' t hardly watch them. So I' ve never seen this particular show and don' t know anything about it. Never even heard of it before. But you' ve just made me an instant fan.

I wish all hunting show stars and producers (usually one and the same) had the stones to admit they don' t know good shot selection from a hole in the ground. Or, if they do know, that they readily throw ethics to the winds and take poor shots trying to show a ' successful' hunt on TV. Or won' t even give the impression that you can make a bad shot with their sponsor' s products.

I don' t know if it' s shown in my area, but I' ll keep an eye out for Closing the Distance. I' d like to see it.

RE: Ethics and Hunting Shows: Opinions
 

It sounds like they handled a less than desirable situation in a respectful and appropriate manner. In all honesty I find their approach to be refreshing considering some of the hunting show garbage behavior that normally occurs. It is interesting that this topic popped up today as I was watching a promo video for a very well known company' s products and there were some less than perfect shots taken with no admission of it.:(

RE: Ethics and Hunting Shows: Opinions
 

We live in the boonies and cable tv is not available to us but I have witnessed this on videos.
I don' t see anything wrong with the way it was presented if the ' bad' shot was addressed. I do believe these people should go into the hunters responsibility to harvest quickly and cleanly for the sake of the animal. I have seen too many that basically shrugged the marginal/bad shot off as an ' oh well, we' ll get it in the morning' . Our prey deserves more than that and we as hunters are responsible for more than that.
I could live without the fist pumping altogether.

RE: Ethics and Hunting Shows: Opinions
 

I think it is fine to show these type of shots as long as the shooter admits that the shot was bad and they handle the situation properly. This will teach alot of hunters the proper methods for trailing these deer. When they show a bad shot and the shooter says great shot and they get right down and walk over to the deer this is not teaching anything but bad hunting. They should spend more time showing hunters what to do after all types of shots and less time showing us how to plant huge food plots on acres and acres of property that most of us don' t have. Just my opinion...........

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RE: Ethics and Hunting Shows: Opinions
 

mez, good post! I agree with your thoughts on this also.

If you bowhunt long enough, you will for one reason or another, eventually make a marginal hit.

The way these guys handled it was textbook perfect.

If there is ANY doubt on a hit, 99.999% of the time waiting is the answer.

And someone else made comment about some of the shows having guys congratulating each other after very poor hits.

I personally find this very troubling.

I don`t expect a hunter to cut his own throat after a bad hit, but IMO it is certainly not cause for celebration. Maybe giving thank`s after the recovery!

RE: Ethics and Hunting Shows: Opinions
 

WELL . . . I have made bad shots before and they are not pleasing to me.[:@] and at least one time though we tracked the deer for more than 10 hours without recovering it . . . it was quite unsettling.

That said, I' ll defend the shows a bit because I believe they have a good reason for doing what they do. I get a thrill watching every shot, the hit, the animal' s reaction and the recovery; I try to learn from each of them. There are too many anti' s around and most wouldn' t bother the watch the shot, the hit or anything else about the hunt. I am convinced that it serves no purpose to give them any clues or fodder for their rhetoric.

I truely believe they are doing the best they can to put the hunting sport in a favorable light. So I don' t accept creative editing, a lack of ethics, embarrasment, or the argument that these guys and their hunts are distasteful or sickening. They . . . like each and every one of us . . . are capable of making bad shots. I would be less than thrilled if they made a big deal out of a bad shot on TV.

I too watched the episode on ' Closing the Distance' and followed the arrow into the intestinal section of the deer. I think they presented it in good taste without overdoing it. As for guys pumping their fists at a good shot when it was obviously bad . . . I accept it for what it they' re doing to prevent harm to the hunting sports.

RE: Ethics and Hunting Shows: Opinions
 

Know this is the wrong board, but the topic applies.

I' ve watched several episodes of Billy Gianquinto' s (sp) show on OLN. They almost NEVER actually kill a duck dead. 90% hit the water very much alive. They seem to be shooting at fairly long range most of the time.

And yes, it does bother me.

The deer situation described does not. Sounds like everything was done right, and bad stuff will always happen.

Now if it was a pattern of shooting at questionable distances, that would be another story!


BK

RE: Ethics and Hunting Shows: Opinions
 

Sounds like they took a bad situation and used it as a chance to show new hunters what you SHOULD do when you have a bad shot.