Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Why do hunting shows suck so bad?

Amen. I don't have cable TV, but occasionally watch outdoor shows if I'm over at a friend's house who DOES have cable. I can't remember the names of any of the shows I've seen, but most of them range between being utterly comical and boring. Comical because of the staged whispering and "stalking." Boring because, for better than half the program, they simply show some guy sitting in a tree stand, waiting for something to happen. IMO, hunting programs would be immeasurably improved with tighter editing and, like many others on this post have remarked, by discussing rifles, loads, etc.

I suppose the reason there are so many lousy hunting shows on TV is that there are so many hunters willing to watch lousy hunting shows on TV.

It seems to me that 9 out of 10 shows are clones of one another in terms of the format. A few stand out for various reasons. Sometimes that reason is a strong personality. Jim Shockey is one that I like -- maybe because his type of hunting doesn't lend itself to sameness. He's not sitting in a tree stand in every show.

I think the biggest criticism of outdoor television is the redundant sameness that you see. But outdoor TV isn't the only TV that has that weakness. Sitcoms have their formula. Soap operas have their formula. "Reality" shows have their formula. Crime dramas have their formula. HGTV has its formula. There are exceptions in all of these, of course, as there is in outdoor TV. (D&DH TV is one of the exceptions for outdoor TV.)

My question is this: Why would we expect outdoor television to rise above the standards of other television programming?

Steve

I haven't watched a hunting show in years. Some of the poor gun handling I've seen would not make want to hunt with some of those guys.
T/C guns? Gimme a break. One of those huners, questionable I know with the initials L.W, sports a scraggly beard and hunts with T/C's has some of the pisspoor gun handling habits I've had to horror to watch. His giude must have ben in fear for his like the whole time they did the taping of the show. His muzle swept the guides, the camera crew and based on the picture on the tube as I watched, me.
I came to two conclusions. One, he would NEVER hunt with me and two, if I should be so unfortunate as to be on a hunt with him and he swept hiz muzzle across me,, he'd be wearing that scoped T/C as a hemmorhoidal suppository.
Paul B.

I can't stand watching them.

9 times out of 10- a fat, entitled guy put onto some big animal by guides who then shoots it on camera. They stand above it congratulating themselves. It catches NOTHING of the essence of hunting- which is putting in the hard work... the days in the woods you see squat, except it was a great day nonetheless... the animal that is a trophy not because of horn size but because you know you did everything right and EARNED it... etc.

Honestly, those shows make me feel bad for the animals involved. A great mature buck deserves better than to star in a snuff film.

I love the background music as well. Like watching an '80s action flick.

Or a really bad 80's porn film

I have posted this before but might as well again: The outdoor TV shows are not like regular programming in a major way that affects the product mentions.

In normal network programming, the network pays the producers of the show so much per episode or season. The network then sells advertising to pay for the show. This usually results in a variety of advertiser--and if one of the advertisers wants "product placement" in the show itself (such as people drinking a certain soft drink, or driving a certain brand of car) then they have to pay extra for it.

In outdoor TV, the producer of the show pays the network to put it on the air. The producer then has to go out and find the advertising to pay for the show--and whatever profit the producer can make.

The end result is often 3-4 advertisers, one from a gun company, one from an optics company, one from an ammo company, etc. Unlike in magazine or regaulr TV advertising, where several competing companies may advertise in the same issue or on the same show, one company normally wants exclusive rights to advertise firearms on that program. Not only that, they want everybody appearing in the show to carry that brand of firearm, and don't pay extra for it. Why should they, when hunting shows don't make all that much money anyway. and producers are often desperate for every ad dollar they can get.

The end result is often the Big Infomercial, a show actually produced and paid for by a single company like Ruger. The company actually regards such a show as, essentially, a half-hour commercial--or, if you want to look at it another way, the equivalent of a major magazine ad. The big company doesn't really care about making a profit on the show, since they regard the whole thing as advertising.

But with the smaller shows, this is why many of the same products show up in show after show. Some companies really believe in TV advertising, and some don't, preferring the Internet and/or magazines. Thompson-Center apparently believes in TV advertising, the reason so many T/C guns appear in show after show. And that is the reality of watching "free" cable TV. You are paying the cable company--and so is the producer of the hunting show. The price you pay is having to watch a lot of commercials and see hunters use the same products over and over again. In way, it really isn't any different than watching lots of Budweiser commercials on mainstream TV shows.

Red, I have no trouble in getting personal....
If one wants to put themselves in the public eye, and sell themselves as a brand, they best put on the big boy britches when it comes to criticism. Generally I like to keep things pretty civil but I have little tolerance for Keith Warren and Russell Thornberry. It's darn near laughable watching these douche bags in enclosures. I'll throw da' Nuge under the bus here too - you're one of them too Uncle Ted. Spin your mystical nonsense any way you like Ted, you're a "sportsman" when it suits you. You're the biggest whore in the industry.

I think the last show that I watched involving one of these knuckleheads, Douche Warren was responding to an email about why he thought high fences were such a good idea....."Good fences make for good neighbors" was the response. Fresh take Mr. Sportsman.

There, all better.

Except Budweiser commercials are better produced and more entertaining.:)

Well, as I read the original post to this thread and was getting ready to respond, I saw TomSmith's post above. I can't agree more nor say it any better than he does in the quote above.

Amen, brother.

5s: I believe it; they are resourceful animals.Hide under a postage stamp!I've hunted them in Montana and Colorado prairies;same kinda thing....

I read a while back about a buck in Louisiana that hid out in a culvert under a road somewhere. Not the big culverts that you could almost walk upright in, but one that was 32" in diameter.

The good news...Tonight is the Night!

Versus has hunting on tonight, the first of the season. Good, bad or indifferent I am watching.

I waved goodbye to bikes in France...jim

I always wonder about the guys on shows that get so excited after whacking a whitetail under a feeder.

I get excited when hunting, too (otherwise why do it?) But some of these guys look like they are about to drop to their knees and start treating themselves right on the spot...

Your answer is in your question. "Hunting" and "shows" don't belong in the same sentence...

Bill Heavey had a nice write up on hunting shows in this months field and stream. Check it out on the back page, will make you laugh, though Field and Stream isnt much better than cable network hunting shows anymore.

It was a sport, now it's a business.

That's enough to ruin most anything. Some mags included.

If it's not interesting or I can't learn anything from it, I go do something else.

I have no patience with boring. It's my time.

Yup. I can't stand to watch baseball, but it's fun to play.

Just a bunch of rednecks sitting in trees waiting to shoot a whitetail that happens to come walking by. If it weren't for all the manufacturers paying for their "private land" canned hunts and providing all their gear, those hosts wouldn't be doing schitt, as most of them are dumb as schitt.