Average Joe vs. The Big Names
06-18-2008, 05:29 PM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Winnipeg, Mb, Canada
Posts: 1,309
RE: Average Joe vs. The Big Names
There is another way to look at some of these shows. First I'm against any fenced or as they say canned hunts. Now the other way to look at these hunts..... I love watching NFL football as well as golf. I'll never forget some of the Montana/Rice touchdowns I've seen or some of the many incredible shots I've seen made on the PGA tour. One thing I do know is everyone of these professional athletes have an entire staff to keep them at the top of their game. Everything from dieticians, physio guys, trainers, sports psycologists, and the list goes on and on. I remember a Sports Illustrated article that discussed Joe Montana's staff of 17 that travelled with him. The individuals on these hunting shows are also professional and so also have their staffs that keep them at the top of their game. This includes outfitters that benefit from setting them up so that they are successful. ("as seen on", is incredible advertising for an outfitter). We have to keep this in mind when watching these shows. To say, "if I was set up like that, I could harvest a buck like that too", is overly simplistic. Offer $25-30 K to an established outfitter and see what kind of buck you can harvest because I'm sure that the residual income they make by setting up a popular TV hunter is more than that. Big bucks are consistantly harvested across North America by individuals willing to "put time in", to their hunting (scouting,land and herd management, time in the bush,etc.). And at times harvested by complete novist (A friend of one of my hunting buddies came out with us last fall andonly the second day he had ever been whitetail hunting harvested a buck that scored just over 186 after deductions. Hey, many of us on this forum cantell stories like that). Hunting shows are entertainment, no different than Monday Night football.Watching them is entertainment and not the reason why we go hunting.Comparing my hunting to the hunting done on TV is not possible. Do you really think that when the TV host says, "it's the last day of the hunt", it really is? (maybe so but no way for us to really know and what would the reasons be for the comment....think of the outfitter's perspective). We watch the shows and post on sites like this because we love the activity. In fact for some of us it's a way of life.Hunting shows are produced as all TV is and is only a reflection of what life really is. Each fall, when my freezer is full, I'm as good as any you see on TV (as are the rest of you dedicated whitetail hunters that harvest and respect the wild). We just lack the production staffs.
06-18-2008, 05:58 PM
#13
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Flora, IL
Posts: 1,239
RE: Average Joe vs. The Big Names
Most of the guys dont have to pay big bucks to hunt "big bucks". Most of the farms and ranches save their best animals for these guys to takein exchange asadvertisment. They may make it look easy on t.v. but it is real work. They have to stay ahead of the competition which is plentiful. They are on the road all year promoting their sponsersnot just during hunting season. They do miss and screw up but it just isnt shown. I am very much with you on its getting old. I use to be glued to the outdoor channel but the shows are very predictible and hunting is not. I cant remember the last time I watcheda hunting show. I am all about killing big deer but its not the reality of hunting. You can increase your chances by management and location but as you saidits not a guarntee for the average joe.
06-18-2008, 06:11 PM
#14
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ponce de Leon Florida USA
Posts: 10,079
RE: Average Joe vs. The Big Names
Truth is that if you tried to make a living filming hunts with 110 or 120 inch bucks that you would not have a alot of sales for your product. People want to see the 180 + inch racks. Sort of like Playboy going to a bunch of A cup models.
06-18-2008, 06:53 PM
#15
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Huntin' In Colorado
Posts: 2,910
RE: Average Joe vs. The Big Names
To me it's like all other sports, I can take it or leave it, but I'm not gonna go out of my way to watch it. I think some of the guys are great hunters and would stand out in a crowd of average Joes. I think I stand out in a crowd of average Joes. I hunt with a lot of average Joes and they are not die hards like a lot of us are. Face it, a lot of us think about hunting every single day and do our best to get better at it. Throw a few of us into a city slicker elk camp and we will be muchmore productive than just average Joes. And trust me those camps are out there. I see them every year. Even back when I deer hunted in Texas and Oklahoma, there were guys like us that obsessed with it and there were the guys that got there rifle and bows out a week before season. Those are average Joes. I think a lot of us on this site would hold our own against anyone else if we had access to the same ranches as the "PRO"s". JMHO
06-18-2008, 07:15 PM
#16
Super Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Seagrove N.C. USA
Posts: 7,281
RE: Average Joe vs. The Big Names
ORIGINAL: SouthernStrut56
Does anybody else get sick of seeing these big name hunters holding up 200 class monster bucks, or is it just me? Not to be a bad sport, because I'm not one at all, but I think if any of us on here had the time, money, and resources to travel the continent and pay big bucks for guides at the best farms and ranches, we could kill anything they do. Am I right? If so, why are we constantly drawn to watching videos of hunts like this? There's really not much to 'em. They fly 2000 miles for a guide to put them in a monster buck honey-hole where the buck/doe ratio is probably 5:1, sit for probably an hour, and this gigantic corn fed deer steps out and says "Hey, there's too many bucks here and I have nowhere else to go! Shoot me please." End of hunt, followed by a grand dramatic story. I wanna see a show on the outdoor channel of nothing but average hunters killing average deer. I wanna see a group of does run out, bust a hunter, and ruin his hunt. I know it may not be as exciting with no names, unsuccessful hunts, and smaller deer, but it would be a TRUE reality show that more people would relate to and more than likely learn more from. Real hunters videoing real hunting. The average joe has spent countless hours in the woods scouting, tracking, patterning, planting fields, learning about his/her surroundings, and coming up short on many many hunts. When they do kill that buck they've been after, it's a wonderful blessing and a great sense of accomplishment, no matter the deer's score. I'm sorry but paying tons of money to have someone put you on a monster buck doesn't even compare to killing a 120 class 8 point you've been hunting, patterning, and scouting on your own for an entire season or more. I know MOST of these big names earned their stardom through these same means, but now they try and teach us average joes things we've taught ourselves over the years, just by making a good shot on a monster with the direction of the farm or ranch owners. The only thing I learn when watching these monster buck videos is how to smile real big in a picture and how to tell a grand story. The only way to become as good as these guys appear to be, is through experience. I wanna see that on television, not a 5 minute hunt followed by a "Tip of the Day." I wanna see what I see when I go into the woods scouting and going through logic in my mind on where to set up.
All that being said, gimme some feedback. Is it just me? And if you have a picture of an average deer or any deer that you're proud of, let's see it, no matter what the size. First kill, first buck, first 8 point, anything. After all, without us average joes hunting would be nothing.
Does anybody else get sick of seeing these big name hunters holding up 200 class monster bucks, or is it just me? Not to be a bad sport, because I'm not one at all, but I think if any of us on here had the time, money, and resources to travel the continent and pay big bucks for guides at the best farms and ranches, we could kill anything they do. Am I right? If so, why are we constantly drawn to watching videos of hunts like this? There's really not much to 'em. They fly 2000 miles for a guide to put them in a monster buck honey-hole where the buck/doe ratio is probably 5:1, sit for probably an hour, and this gigantic corn fed deer steps out and says "Hey, there's too many bucks here and I have nowhere else to go! Shoot me please." End of hunt, followed by a grand dramatic story. I wanna see a show on the outdoor channel of nothing but average hunters killing average deer. I wanna see a group of does run out, bust a hunter, and ruin his hunt. I know it may not be as exciting with no names, unsuccessful hunts, and smaller deer, but it would be a TRUE reality show that more people would relate to and more than likely learn more from. Real hunters videoing real hunting. The average joe has spent countless hours in the woods scouting, tracking, patterning, planting fields, learning about his/her surroundings, and coming up short on many many hunts. When they do kill that buck they've been after, it's a wonderful blessing and a great sense of accomplishment, no matter the deer's score. I'm sorry but paying tons of money to have someone put you on a monster buck doesn't even compare to killing a 120 class 8 point you've been hunting, patterning, and scouting on your own for an entire season or more. I know MOST of these big names earned their stardom through these same means, but now they try and teach us average joes things we've taught ourselves over the years, just by making a good shot on a monster with the direction of the farm or ranch owners. The only thing I learn when watching these monster buck videos is how to smile real big in a picture and how to tell a grand story. The only way to become as good as these guys appear to be, is through experience. I wanna see that on television, not a 5 minute hunt followed by a "Tip of the Day." I wanna see what I see when I go into the woods scouting and going through logic in my mind on where to set up.
All that being said, gimme some feedback. Is it just me? And if you have a picture of an average deer or any deer that you're proud of, let's see it, no matter what the size. First kill, first buck, first 8 point, anything. After all, without us average joes hunting would be nothing.
I would like to see a show , where they take a regular hunter that doesn't have big $$
Or all the advantages that the TV hunters have.
Just take a reguler Joe or Jane, and give him or her all the things that the TV hunters have, and
Make a hunting show that way.
Then let the reguler Joe or Jane keep all the goodies.
After all the reguler Joe or Jane has to pay house payments and buy food for their family.
They just couldn't be able to aford these things in a lifetime.
JMHO Nothing more nothing less
06-18-2008, 07:51 PM
#17
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Southeast PA
Posts: 1,490
RE: Average Joe vs. The Big Names
I have to admit I like watching most of the shows like Primos and The Drury's. I hate the Jack Brittenham (sp) fenced whitetail shows. Another thing I can't stand is when they film the recovery like it's the first time they are walking up on the downed animal. Come on give me a break, either film the real recovery or roll the cameras after they recovered the deer. Enough of the staged recoveries!!
06-18-2008, 08:25 PM
#18
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,526
RE: Average Joe vs. The Big Names
I don't watch too many of the hunting shows, although I do like Tred Barta and Jim Shockey.
I can't really fault these guys too much though, they are just trying to makea living hunting so they are hunting where the big bucks are. To get the big ones you have to be where they are.....I'm afraid that I am not in too many of those areas, but I do manage to get a deer or two every year.
I think these shows typically appeal to the occasional hunter types, not really the obsessed hunters, and sad to say but the occasionals probably out number the obsessed.
I can't really fault these guys too much though, they are just trying to makea living hunting so they are hunting where the big bucks are. To get the big ones you have to be where they are.....I'm afraid that I am not in too many of those areas, but I do manage to get a deer or two every year.
I think these shows typically appeal to the occasional hunter types, not really the obsessed hunters, and sad to say but the occasionals probably out number the obsessed.
06-18-2008, 09:24 PM
#19
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Michigan
Posts: 1,288
RE: Average Joe vs. The Big Names
ORIGINAL: gbrownlee
I once met a guy in Kansas about 3 years ago who was, from what i gathered looking at his trophy room, probabaly the best bow hunter I will ever meet. The guy has killed over40 P&Y bucks in 35 years of bow hunting. He has killed 18 deer over 160" and 3 over 200" between Colorado and Kansas, all on land he scouted, managed and hunted. Talk about someone worth listening to. This guy was simply amazing. He had his entire 100 yard driveway lined on both sides with the "small" sheds (<140") and a bunch of huge ones in his trophy room. He is the guy who should have a show, all on his own land, showing all the time that he spent in the feild,before during and after season.I know he was hunting big buck country, but he knew so much about management and so much about patterning deer it was unbelievable. I hope i meet him again someday and try and learn a few of his tricks.
I once met a guy in Kansas about 3 years ago who was, from what i gathered looking at his trophy room, probabaly the best bow hunter I will ever meet. The guy has killed over40 P&Y bucks in 35 years of bow hunting. He has killed 18 deer over 160" and 3 over 200" between Colorado and Kansas, all on land he scouted, managed and hunted. Talk about someone worth listening to. This guy was simply amazing. He had his entire 100 yard driveway lined on both sides with the "small" sheds (<140") and a bunch of huge ones in his trophy room. He is the guy who should have a show, all on his own land, showing all the time that he spent in the feild,before during and after season.I know he was hunting big buck country, but he knew so much about management and so much about patterning deer it was unbelievable. I hope i meet him again someday and try and learn a few of his tricks.
06-18-2008, 09:54 PM
#20
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 3,145
RE: Average Joe vs. The Big Names
Do you really think that when the TV host says, "it's the last day of the hunt", it really is?
Seriously, even though Montana had a staff of 17 looking after him, he still had to make his own plays on the field. No one stocked the other team up the night before with a bunch of slobs or did any advance video scouting of the other teams private practices(that's Tom Brady). As for golf, I know for certain that being equipped exactly the same as a PGA professional is not going to give you a PGA-quality result. Any Joe with a modicum of shooting skill could produce the same bucks the TV guys do given the same support. In a way, that puts WWE one step up from the hunting shows.