This photo, taken from a CBS newscast in Indianapolis last week, shows Outdoor Life columnist Don Mulligan. Mulligan says he is cautious of appearing on anything but newscasts these days, because he believes the quality and motives of most hunting shows are quite suspect. (Photo contributed)

 

I’ve always enjoyed watching hunting shows. A stack of about 100 old VHS tapes in my office proves it. Some of the really old ones are eerily insightful, while others are just plain hilarious. Army-issue camouflage, plastic-wheeled compound bows and scratchy soundtracks were standard issue in most of them.

    But despite the  poor production quality and inferior gear the “old” guys used, they were often far better hunters and more ethical than most of today’s video hunters.

    The unbelievable explosion of dedicated outdoor television stations has prompted way too many guys to buy mid-grade video cameras and make a show. Their motives range from shameless self-promotion to transparent product schlepping. And they have a lot of places to make fools of themselves these days.

    There is partial programming on ESPN 2, and a couple local cable outlets that broadcast the occasional outdoor show, but they are just the tip of the iceberg. The Men’s Outdoor and Recreation channel, Versus (formerly OLN), the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman channel all broadcast outdoor television shows 24 hours a day. Versus has diversified some, but still devotes most of its air time to hunting and fishing.

    That is a lot of time to fill and, as a result, there are a lot of really bad outdoor television shows making it to the airwaves these days. Seasoned outdoorsmen and women see all of the really bad programming for what it is, but I fear we aren’t the only ones watching.

    New hunters looking for advice, or worse, the non-hunting public can’t escape the avalanche of new shows and 24-hour stations. If they stumble across some of the stuff I’ve seen recently, and believe that is the way we all hunt, there’s eventually going to be trouble.

 

    There are hundreds of the “me and my buddy went hunting” shows that make me cringe, but one is clearly worse than the rest of them. “Giant Whitetails” on the Men’s Outdoor and Recreation channel makes a mockery of fair chase, ethics, morals and about every other value most hunters learned as children. 

    My attempts to contact the producers of the show to question their methods went unanswered.

    Like most other shows, “Giant Whitetails” is all about selling outdoor products, usually through insincere endorsements by their self-assigned “pro” staff. That is the way the business works, with shows typically paying the channel a fee to air their programming. The goofballs who make the show try to cover their costs with endorsements and free stuff. Most of them not only don’t make any money, they typically lose it.

    That need to stop losing money or manufacture 15 minutes of fame for themselves leads to a complete disregard for production quality and common decency. 

    Most of them film in either high-fenced ranches or with guides that walk them right up to game that is suspiciously oblivious to the entourage of people in the filming crew. Shooters pass on ethical shots to make sure the camera is in position, and claim success when the camera clearly shows a poorly placed arrow or bullet.

    The next camera shot after a poorly placed shot is always of the shooter and dead animal, as if the viewer didn’t just see the deer get stuck in the gut. That lack of honesty and truth spills over into the shameless schlepping of products throughout the entire show. Anytime a show does a “product spotlight,” know that they are getting some free stuff for mentioning the gear.

    And I understand that in a lot of states it is legal to hunt over bait, but are we really supposed to believe a shooter is excited about shooting a big buck standing under a feeder with 20 other deer? While I think it is their business if they want to kill stuff that way, I wish they would realize the non-hunting public finds the practice distasteful.  Most hunters would never hunt that way, let alone consider any game taken under those circumstances a trophy.

    Then there are the problems with production and editing. When the person on camera has a blackened face, it is because the camera is facing the sun. When their dialogue is muffled or drowned out by rainfall or wind, it is because the speaker isn’t microphoned correctly. And do we really need to show the world any more hunters with mullets and big belt buckles? 

    The good news is that there are still a few shows worth watching. “Quality Whitetails” is an excellent program that includes important information along with well-placed hunting scenes. It is produced by the Quality Deer Management folks, a non-profit organization dedicated to better deer herds through science. 

    Ducks Unlimited also produces an excellent show.

      It’s still fun to watch outdoor programs — just be cautious of believing anything they show or say. When a show is blatantly unethical, take a minute to e-mail the television station that aired it. Let them know their programming damages the good reputation of hunters, fishermen and the outdoor sports..