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

He’s got more club bucks on his wall than I have ever seen. I guess to be more clear that guy said he mounts them in their attitude when he first fired; most are turning to look over their shoulder. This suggests he stalked them close. To me it’s the idea of missing the first one then firing away. A good hit on the first one I usually mark and watch them then listen for the crash. If I don’t hear that I sit and wait then flag my shot position and go to the spot they were when I shot and flag that then track as needed with flags until I find it. Up there in some of that mess maybe if I thought I hit it I’d keep letting it fly too. He surely could run the action on that old Marlin 336. He threw that 30-30 up to his shoulder and showed me. Fastest I’ve ever seen anyone run a gun. It never left his shoulder while he cycled it. Guess I’d have to see it all in action to really form my opinion. I will say a northern Maine WT buck dressing out better than 250 lbs is quite a formidable creature to successfully track so credit is definitely due on that piece.

I'll admit that whacking a deer you have tracked several times is very commonplace. My point remains that these guys shooting 5,7, 9, 11 times (or putting up a wall of lead) at a buck drives me nuts. I just watched some video where the guy emptied 3 magazines, called his buddy to tell him he wounded a deer, and then tracked it and finished it off. In my mind the deer deserves better than that.

I'll back-track a bit.....

If an animal is hit first shot and leaving, with the hunter not knowing for sure if it is a "good shot", or near no-go boundary lines, etc., "putting up a wall of lead", however crass that sounds, is indeed what is called for.

Keep shooting until the animal is down or out of sight.

I agree with that.

There's not many deer tracks in the snow in the north woods. And if those guys slow a deer down at all they will catch up to it.

Here in the East we can't afford to bump an animal. Too many property lines and too many hunters. In Archery season I like to give them a half hour. In rifle I don't worry about that

That is the proper way to shoot a levergun

I can accept a gut shot it happens. But killing a buck just so you have a video to post on YouTube is low life BS.

I seen that. Rinella is a cool dude. He's like, the heck you doing you idiot? Lol

Nothing wrong with that I guess, if it works for you.

Archery or rifle though, if I am 100% confident it was a solid hit, I immediately followup. With one exception (rifle shot doe antelope) I have never had an issue doing so. I have bumped deer that I was blood trailing for sure, but they weren't hit where I wanted. I absolutely will wait a while if the hit didn't give the warm and fuzzy.

More than they’ll ever admit. An acquaintance films for one of the big long range shows. Says there is a good bit of missing edited out, and a number of gut shot critters taken in the name of long range “shooting”. It’s not hunting, regardless of what the folks on the long range forum here would tell you.

I was at a ranch a few years ago hunting and at the same time, the crew of perhaps the best known long range show on tv was there. They ended up getting into a little pissing match with the guide. The guide got them on an elk at around 350 or so yards and they insisted they needed to back out to at least 750 yards, preferably more, before they’d film the shot. The guide held his ground, they didn’t take the shot. Long story short, they ended up leaving and moving on for a ranch that would allow them to properly experience their wet dreams.

Go to YouTube and watch “The Real Gunsmith” Randy Selby. He has a few videos about this very subject and has been calling out the long range guys using target bullets for a long time! He’s not the most articulate person but I agree with him 100%! It is the hunter’s responsibility to the animals to take them as humanely as possible.

Probably no more than game spooked by someone trying to get closer.

Good for the guide! Phuggin’ douche bags.

And the two are not equitable.

Saw a “channel” on YouTube today that the dingbats have footage of shooting a big buck in the hindquarter with a bow on their “intro/highlight reel”. So everyone gets to see it every time they tune in. 🤦‍♂️

Fairly professional editing and filming along with high end gear and some expensive and exotic trips makes me think that these dudes weren’t just Joe Shmoe from the tire shop filming with his phone either.

I'm one that doesn't mind naming names. My buddy up in the Oklahoma Panhandle town of Knowles worked for Texaco, and was a hunting machine. This was back when Kansas still had the landowner tags. He pumped wells for Texaco in OK and KS and knew every landowner up there, and this was when SW KS was just starting to get famous for big whitetails. He gathered up some landowner tags every year and started guiding on a very small basis and I got to help him for about 4 years. One year Bill Jordan and Michael Waddell showed up. Suffice it to say Jordan was an [bleep], and Waddell was a smartass punk and [bleep] as well. They both thought their schittt was ice cream and there weren't enough spoons to go around. Another time Jackie Bushman hunted with him and he was a great guy but quite the goofball. He passed up trying to get closer to a 170 class whitetail in a wheat field and shot a 150 class buck instead because he had better film footage.

Another time Larry Weishuhn hunted Texas sandhills mule deer with us. He wouldn't walk/stalk at all and wanted to hang out around a water hole. He wound up shooting a 160 class muley due to his lazyasssedness. A couple of the Buck Commander dudes hunted aoudad with us. One of them was Jep Robertson, and he hunted his butt off and killed a really nice ram. Can't remember the other guy's name.

Most of the TV hunters are living proof if you have the money to buy the air time, you can have a hunting show irregardless how good or bad your show is. Put those guys on a piece of property where they have to figure out everything themselves and they'd starve to death.

Amen!


Bill Jordan and Waddell live up the road a piece from me. Another friend of mine films for them. Jordan is a nice guy but can’t hit the broadside of a barn with a bow. When he does connect with a rifle or bow he has his own post-kill crew come in and pretty up the buck for the walk up shots. They actually “groom” the deer. Mop up the blood, clean it up, brush the hair AND insert some sort of taxidermist supplied “contact lens” that make the eyes appear fresh…not glazed over. Crazy!

David Blanton is a dang good hunter and one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met. I can’t say enough about him. Great person, just a wonderful soul.

The other hunter mentioned. Fake personality. Would chase your wife back in the day and try and convince you it was in your best interest. He elk hunted one time on the ranch I frequent and took a very nice bull. Scentlock paid for the hunt, every penny of the $18K hunt. His only obligation was to cover the guide’s tip. I know the guide personally, see him every year. The guide was tipped by him $125 ( he told me $125 one time, $145 a second time). Ten percent of the hunt would have been $1,800. Pissed him off naturally. Every year I see him or hunt with him he always says “If you see Mike, tell him I said to kiss my ass!”

Nick Mundt is part of that crew. Very nice person. Very intense hunter. My friend guided him to a 340’ish 6x. He told me he was one of the hardest hunters he’s ever guided. “Never ever give up” attitude. He’s been guiding for elk there over 40 years, so that says a lot.

We have a number of film crews shoot hunts in our county and I’ve seen em all. Some are pathetically incompetent. Many years ago two turkey call manufacturers came to shoot whitetail hunts. Neither knew which end of the gun went bang, nor how to scout for a stand location.

They can’t compare to the pro bass fishermen though for pure arrogance. The absolute worst…..with the exception of Hank Parker and Bill Dance. Both are true gentlemen who would do anything to help you.

You do know one of the deer show guys you see every week is gay as can be don’t you? People in the industry call him “The Rump Ranger”. 😆

Who might the "Rump Ranger" be?

I am admittedly not the best tipper, though I would tip better than that assuming the hunt went well.

That said, your friend holds a permanent grudge due to a bad tip? Or, was your friend's wife and/or the fake personality also involved? I am reading your post as in the bad tip was all in all what pissed off your friend/guide.