The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

I was just watching The Sportsman Channel specifically the show 'Hickory Creek Outdoor Adventure' (makers of the Draw-Loc), and the hunter was on a spot and stalk for a Whitetail Doe.

They spotted a doe in thick cover and proceeded to get closer. The doe moved a bit to a "semi-clearing'. It was very obvious from the cameraman's point of view that the vitals were behind some brush and the shooter did not have a shot.

What did the shooter do? Tried to punch it through the brush! You heard the arrow fly through the sticks and the deer took off. They ended up kicking the deer when they were trailing it ("we let her lay for about an hour then started tracking, and still we kicked her up"), so obviously the shot did not hit the deer ideally and most likely it was due to the arrow going through the bush.

I cannot believe that they would even show the shot! In my opinion, the shooter did not have a shot.

What do you guys/gals think? Do you consider shooting through brush 'unethical' (Not to mention unsafe!)? I do. You never know what direction that arrow is going to go after it hits a limb.

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

I agree. I DO NOT shoot through brush. It is hard enough sometimes to shoot through an "open place" without hitting an unseen limb. When you hit a limb you never know where your arrow will go. I hit one I didn't see one time and I still haven't found that arrow [:'(], but I did find a feather off it. ;)

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

Things like that are not good for the younger or new hunters. They see people on TV and just assume that its ok to do the same tactics...

Starting out with bad habits isn't good...

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

Just wanted to take a quick second to let you know that after this quarter Hickory Creek's Outdoor Adventures will no longer be airing on The Sportsman Channel.

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

Very bad decision on the hunter's part!!

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

It doesn't take hardly a small twig and your arrow is pointed in another direction. Always look for clear shots. It seems to me that they would have done what other bad outdoor shows do, edit the footage and make it look good even if they have to rifle shoot a deer for a ghood recovery scene. I have heard many rumors about that sort of thing especially duning high fence hunts, it just sucks that they would even put something of that sort on TV especially with the scrutiny that hunting as a whole is always under. My 2 cents for what its worth.

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

Shooting through brush is obviously a bone head thing to do. however, the camera man, unless he was right over the shooters shoulder, had a very different view than the archer, the archer might have thought he had a clear path, sounds like not totally clear.

--Bob

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

I'm w/ Bob H on this.

It sounds like a shot that should NOT have been taken. But it is quite possible that the shooter had a totaly different view.

Did they ever recover the deer? Many deer are wounded and not recovered each year but I don't think that part of hunting should be on TV. IMO.

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

[:@]

Things like this are not good for any hunters. I can't imagine anything that peta like better than to see crap like this on t.v. It just reaffirms their position[:'(]

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

What some people won't do to get some film footage. Hope not many anti's saw this one.

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

ya this is a big no no with an arrow. too many things can go wrong. I know this is unacceptable no matter how large the animal is but to shoot through the bush at a doe yet thats the part i don't understand. I will repeat even if its a big deer its not acceptable but the fact the deer was a doe yet that really burns me. All the hunter had to do was wait another 15-20 minutes and another doe probably would have came by. I know when i am filling my rifle antlerless tag i won't take a shot unless the doe is real close and the shot is fool proof. We often see so many does why take a low percentage shot when u will have plenty of better oportunities.

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

I know a few videos that show some marginal hits. I'm not opposed to showing these if the archer had a good shot at it, unlike this situation, they usually show the archer talking about leaving the animal over night or for 3-5 hours or more. Then tracking it, finding it and talking about the shot and how they sometimes go wrong but how to "make it right" by waiting the proper amount of time.

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

Keith Warren is another one, the "Chevy Sporstman" show. Just about a week ago he tried to thread an arrow through a bunch of thick brush to a bedded buck, and killed the nicest tree branch ever. And then , shortly after that, he "stalks" with-in about 10 yards of a buck that is bedded in some alfalfa and passes on the shot "because he never had a shot", good lord Keith, you just tried to shoot through brush, a little bit of alfalfa won't affect your flight as much as tree limbs will!!!!He actually made the right choice for a change;) Then he "stalks" another buck that is in thick brush, makes the shot, hit the shoulder and only got about half the arrow penetration, but finds the arrow and has blood the full length, so he then starts bragging up his mech. broadheads and how great they penetrated. Does he think that we're not watching!! He makes many poor judgements while bow hunting, and in my opinion, should just use a rifle to hunt with!!
Plus, about a year ago, he was filmed shooting a head on shot on some kind of sheep, don't remember the distance, but it was a long shot, but he made that shot unbelievably! He then remarks that "it was the only shot that I was going to get". Well, hello Keith, if it's not a quality shot, then don't take it!! Sheeess! I'm glad Ford isn't his sponsor, I'd have to buy a new truck:D

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

The best one was Billy Bob and his Buddy shooting elk on a game farm. It starts with his buddy shooting an elk when it offered a broadside shot at 70 yards.

I thought that was long until Billy Bob himself up and shoots one at 90 yards. Damned if they did not kill both of them, but it makes you wonder about the shots that got edited.

Don't ask me what the name of the show was, because I did not pay that much attention. Great entertainment, kind of like the comedy channel.

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

Howler, it's amazing that you posted this reply. When I started reading this thread, I thought to myself, "What the heck is the name of the guy that I saw on the Outdoor Channel last week who took at shot at a buck that was bedded in the middle of that rabbit patch?" That episode was a bunch of horse *%#@. First, let's think about the completely unethical attempt he made at killing a deer that was laying in an unshootable area. Second, how many trophy bucks did he see that day- fifteen? Were there ANY does on that ranch? And to walk within 15 yards of a trophy buck that was bedded in an open field, jump it, and then end up stalking and killing the same buck? Come on. That was the first time I saw his hunting show, but it sure seemed like he's about as much of a "hunter" as my mother-in-law is... Any viewer who isn't a hunter would be totally confused after watching that show.

Thank God we can all view these programs objectively and separate the quality programs/hunters from the crappy ones. [:'(][:@]

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

Greengenes, first off, welcome to the board! :)

Secondly, how did you get this information? (Maybe it's on the Sportsman channel website.... I didn't look real hard. ;):D) Are you affiliated with the Sportsman Channel?

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

Sounds like a great example, eh?
[:@]

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

I agree highly unethical shot's like that teach our young hunter's all bad hunting practices that I also agree shouldn't be aired on television.It show's disrespect for the quarey that fill our freezers every fall,so now we have a possibilityof a wounded animal that could possibly run off and die . This is a terrible example of what we as hunters need to teach our young not to do.

nubo

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

That gives the antis some good fuel. [:@] I have a friend who lost his hunting lease because a guy he invited to hunt with him did the same thing. This guy insisted he was a good safe hunter and talked a good game. My friend set him up in a tree stand and left to go get in his stand. When dark fell, he went to get his friend. He found his friend looking for what he thought was a downed deer. This guy had seen some deer move into some brush and waited for a while for them to come out. The deer had turned back with out him knowing. While he was waiting a small cow moved into the same brush. It was getting dark, and the guy saw movement in the brush and let an arrow fly. He ended up arrowing the cow. Needless to say, this guy got to buy a cow and my friend lost his hunting lease. [:'(]

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

i learned a good lesson acouple of years ago, drew up on a doe, at about 25 yards , took a shot, and hit a branch which moved the arrow to her lower leg, i track her for a bit then lost the blood trail, called my uncle out to help and he said i shot a branch i was like no way theres no branch and we argued for a bit , then he walked me up to where the doe had been, and said well whats this? with a nice broad head mark in it. lol so from now on i try and really look to see if there is even the slightest littlest branch in my way, if there is then i don't shoot.

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

We hunters always tend to give other fellow hunters the benefit of the doubt. We assume that all of the ethics and knowledge that we have, others possess as well. The fact of the matter is, this isn't always the case. My dad and I invited a guy and his 15 year old son to "doe hunt" last season, assuming that they each knew that if you aren't 100% sure of your target, you DON'T SHOOT!

Well, during the last 15 minutes of shooting light on the last day of the season, the 15 year old took a 100 yard shot at what he THOUGHT was a lone doe. One .260 shell later, he got a close up look at a button buck, which we're doing our best to protect on our hunting ground. At first, the kid's dad tried to justify the fact that the deer was a good distance away and he said, "How can you tell what you're shooting at that distance?" We explained that you can't always tell what it is when it's that far away, but if that's the case, you just DON'T SHOOT!

This is just another example that everybody's judgement isn't the same as your own...

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

camara dont shoot you evey thimg where the camera man was it might of look like it was burhsy were the hunter was standing thats differnt there could of been a pocket..unethailcal shots are in the eye of the beyholder. like some people shoot 20 yards at deer and people shoot 35 yards at deer its a big debate. like mathew and hoyt, fixed broadheads and mechnaical. its bowhunting there always is a debate... if we could stand together agianist anti-hunter as much as we argu with each other we wouldnt have to wonder if would be able to hunt or not in 10 years.. just my 2 cents

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

Oneidaeagle, He clearly states he heard the arrow hit brush.

Nubu, If you teach your kids what it's all about when they watch shows like this they'll say "what was that guy thinking";)
So use it as a teaching tool.

My son will be turning fourteen this this May. We watch alot of hunting shows together. This kid has become very anti high fenced hunting. Not from anything I've said either. Just from watching shows from the ranches.

RE: The Sportsman Channel - Unethical Shots
 

Nah. you plainly see that there wasn't a pocket. Plus you see the arrow hit the brush, as well as hear it. Plain and simple, the guy tried to punch the shot through. Something i would definatly not do, nor advise for any other archer.

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As a matter of fact... lets stry from the ethical side of things and focus on the logical.....

If you are target praticing, would you put the target behind a bush? No? Why? Probably because you would be worried about your arrow being deflected, and not hitting where you aimed, or worse yet, missing the target completly.

C'mon it's just not logical.

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I watched a show a few months ago, this guy was taking his son on his first hunt, the kid was like 10. first off where in the world can a 10 yr old child hunt with a rifile, so anyway there in a house stand and into the feild comes this buck i think is was an 8 pointer, around 200 yrds. so dad tells the kid put the x hairs on the shoulder and pull the trigger, first off the gun diddnt fit the kid he was having trouble holding it up,the kid says he cant really see the shoulder and diddnt want to shoot, so dad tells him its ok just pull the trigger, so the kid shoots and luckly misses. a little later out comes a smaller buck. same thing happends, now to me the kid had good ethics, not wanting to shoot cuz he wasnt shure of his target, so finnaly just around last light a doe wanders out into the field 80 90 yrds dad says go ahead and take her. so the kid aims shoots pops her in the hind quaters a total blown shoot way off the vitals the kid starts to cry and dad says don't worry its part of hunting..what the *&$@#! is that all about, the kids first hunt and now he thinks its ok to blow your shoot, man i wanted to reach right threw my tv and choke the livin crap outa that guy.some kind of hunter he is, what a rolemodel!!!!!!1