Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Gut Shots on Film

I just don't understand putting a poor shot out there for people to see. If you make a bad shot don't let everyone (especially those people who are against us) see it. I will occasionally watch a show and half the time I think If I was a sponsor I'd pull my sponsorship.

Certainly no shortage of shytty shots on youtube.

I can't even watch the northeast deer tracking videos anymore. It is all about putting a bullet anywhere in the deer because they are easier to track when they are bleeding.

Oh, I'm with ya, but the insatiable drive for "content" and the animal somehow, potentially getting turfed far exceeds any worry about exposure as a half-a$$ed archer or marksman, chalking it up to "well, we've all been there".

I quit watching the hunting shows long ago because of this same BS.

I also have no respect for "professional" TV hunters that scour social media until someone screws up and posts a trail cam pic of a monster trophy buck and then they move in and try to lease up the land surrounding the property where the buck is hanging out.

I remember the TV shows but tired of the constant sales propaganda so I called DirecTV several years ago and stopped paying for the outdoor channel

Lotsa junk out there made by apprentice level hunters on both TV and youtube. I can't do the TV thing at all.

I do watch an occasional youtube hunting channel, where I feel I can learn something and see some interesting country. If I wanted to learn about woodworking for example, I wouldn't watch a youtube channel to watch a chitty carpenter hack out something crappy.

When it comes to hunting, I want to see the country, watch good stalks to within sane ranges, with hosts that aren't annoying, and good shots on the game they are after. In most cases, I could care less if they actually kill something.

I suspect, especially on videos of long range shooting, that many “gut shots” and misses are edited out! memtb

I called direct in 2020 and told them to send me boxes if they wanted their junk back. I have been free from propaganda since. ;-)

I suspect the reason people put video of those poor shots out for other people to see is that's all they got from their trip so they have to show it. That doesn't excuse the poor shooting and/or taking risky shots, but they have a deadline (length of trip), budget, and often only 1 tag per hunter (or budget for one animal when not limited by tag availability). They've put themselves in a position where they HAVE to produce video content, so they do, apparently thinking bad content is better for their purposes than no content.

I agree that the sponsors should be paying more attention and pulling sponsorships when needed.

What really gets me is....

"After reviewing the footage the hit looked a little far back, so we are going to do the right thing and leave the elk over night and follow up on the trail first thing in the morning. It will be cool enough so the meat will be ok."

As they are archery hunting in short sleeves with green grass everywhere, and the film shows the sun high in the sky the next day following the trail 100 yards to their stiffened up and soured "absolute giant".

And high-fiveing, back slapping, and hugging, " we put in the hard work, we got it done, a great hunt!"

I think that I saw the exact show to which you refer! Either that, or it’s happened many times! I know that I’ve made some comments, while in utter disbelief, about this to my wife!

Also, the videos showing all of the backslapping concerning the great shot, done while the sun was pretty high in the sky. Only to open the next scene in pitch darkness as they approached the downed animal! Just how damned far away was the animal ……when the great shot was made! memtb

I have several times seen "hunting" shows where the animal they shoot at is NOT the same animal they walk up to. Close, but no cigar! Once, the first animal shot at showed an obvious hit, so one wonders how many animals they actually shot to make the video.

I loved the "reality" Alaska show segment when Kirchner shoots a wolf out on the Fox River flats., rides over, and loads it across the saddle. Long range, obviously, and a helluva good shot, because by the time he rides his horse over there, the wolf has rigor mortis. Of course, it was the next day, or at least hours later so as to get the camera crew down there and "re-enact" it.

I was impressed the horse stood for it tho.

Have we done this before? Tracker Randy Flannery from Danforth told me personally he puts up a “wall of lead” at deer knowing if he hits it he can find it. I know jumping deer is fast and in thick cover is hard shooting. I think it happens a lot around here.

knowing if he hits it he can find it.

That right there is a whole week's worth of stall horse pucky. IMO.

Unless he's using dogs.

Thats kind of the dirty little secret in hunting big-woods deer. And before videos and social media, it was generally unspoken.

An episode of Meateater that I watched recently comes to mind. Steve Rinella and his partner were on a ranch in South Texas hunting whitetails. They rattled in a buck, the guy took a straight on shot with his bow, hit the deer through the chest and it appeared to be a short recovery. On pretty much any other hunting show they would be high-fiving and celebrating the kill. Not Rinella, he was obviously very upset about him intentionally taking that shot.

After watching a few of the Maine tracking "hunting" videos I see why they prefer a pump gun. Shuck and luck shootin'.

My spidey senses tells me you are correct on the DLS.

I haven't seen quite as much of this stuff on the shows as some of you seem to. Many of the shots I have seen were placed just fine, though I have no clue why many huntrrs on the shows (especially whitetail hunters) wait an hour after what was obviously a well placed shot, before following up and getting to the animal.

I won't defend the slob shots/scenes that I have seen, as they could for sure be edited and cleaned up but taking anything 'bad' out and bowing down to appease the anti-hunters likely isn't a good option either.

When I watch hunting shows, it is for the different scenery and seeing the animals. Ignore the rest of the BS.

When I was hunting in Africa the first time. They let it be known that a renown Hunter/Writer had hunted there a few times.

Being curious I had to ask what he was really like and how did he shoot? Being a gunwriter and all.

Stated he was a dear friend, but would only say " that he always got his animals" with a smirk and would not go much further. One of the PH's told me later that he was not a very good shot.