Hunting Shows

We are producing a new hunting show to air in 2012. I would like to get your thoughts on what makes a good show.

In my opinion too many hunting show these days are to flashy (not all of them). Make a show that has a cast, and hunts that people can relate to. Good luck with the show!

How about a show that is real. What I mean by that is a show where you travel around to different deer camps and ask if the hunters would like yall to film their hunts. Just think of all different encounters and real situations you could get on film. You could hang out in camp for a few days and It would show what fun can be had a deer camp and it offers hunters a chance to show off the work that goes into one. I'm not sure sponsors would like such a show because it would actually show that 3/4 of the crap that they sell is..well...CRAP, and is not used nor needed.

Stay away from gimmick products. It only kills your credibility. (.e. - Dumping C'Mere deer on the ground in front of your blind on a high fence ranch..) and if it's not a fair chase ranch your hunting, at least own up to that and let your viewers know.

I used to be glued to the hunting channel for years. Don't watch it much at all anymore. Reason being is that what is being shown isn't close to reality for the majority of people. Killing a 170 inch deer is a once in a lifetime opportunity for most people and on the shows they kill one a week.

Bennie Spies. So human, so fallible, no ad segments in show. Yeah, he's a bit goofy. But, even my wife likes watching Gun It. She says, "...it's like someone went with you and your brother and decided to make a show about it."

He plugged Winchester once in a pheasant hunt show only because he needed the free shells to compensate for his crap shooting skills.

As hunters, we like to see the failures and hardships, not just the killshots. My

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Thats all I got to say about that

I would think it's hard to produce a show without sponsors, that s reality. Put some real people in the show, not just paid hunters, maybe have a mixture of hunters, full time and the common guy. The common man's lease might be a good concept over the high dollar hunting ranches.
Heck I'd watch that...I'd take part in one.
Some of might remember a fishing show ( Honey Hole ), they fished a lot of small home town lakes, they fiimed one day on that lake, good or bad that was the show. Other fishing shows filmed multiple days to make themselves look like fish catchin machines. NOT REAL. I think that's what everyone wants, REALISM.

I want a show that shows hunting in south texas, when am I going to hunt any other states. Also no exotics, just whitetail and mule deer.

I appreciate all of the comments and would like to get more. I would like to come to deer camp or send one of our cameramen to film your hunt. We have misses and kill shots, we have kid hunters that have never hunted before and novice hunters. Our hunts are the working mans hunts, not the high priced hunts. Some of our hunts are filmed on our leases in North Texas.

I also want to ask you to stop by Cabela's in Fort Worth October 8, 9. I will have a booth set up in the store. I am giving away 2 hunts for kids to be filmed for our show plus Livin the Hunt TV show. The hunt I am giving away is a combo pigeon and goose hunt.. The pigeon hunt is great we took nearly 400 birds in 2 1/2 hours, and limitedo n geese in 3 hours

x2 sick to death of watching hunting shows in IA, IL, KS and MT. These "professionals" can pattern deer when they're out in the middle of bean fields all summer, sure, but try and do that with a cagey old Pineywoods buck. Ain't gonna happen.

90 views and only 10 post. Please more feed back. your thoughts and ideals. I will not be offended in any way.

Along with ideas already posted, I'd have to say "groom" your production. To many videos are swamped with all sorts of music, hunter has animal with -in range and is "whispering", but you can't tell what he's saying for the crappy music, Might work on "wild America" but annoying on hunting shows.

Another thing that is dumb, is editing where he the hunter(s) is in the background talking over the hunt and even worse when the sound is so bad it sounds like they are in a bathroom stall at Wal Mart!

I like the "On Your Own" show, guy comes across likable, you hear the "woods" not the music, simple program with normal things a hunter encounters, like other hunters, missed opportunities ect tra. on public land.

Basically a "hunt'n show", without all the "Hollywood"

Make it real! None of the fake do overs and cameras filming from outside stand after the shot, don't walk up on animal four times before you get it right, no hope we can find it when you have already cleaned up the blood for the camera, some real excitement even if you have to bleep it out better than the crap on tv today

Now that is good stuff and that is how we are producing the show.

X1000... BMD said it best..

Plus like the others have said regarding hunting TEXAS!! I don't care about IL, MO, or any other state. I don't care if it's a high fence or low fence, say it ahead of time. But what I'd like to see more than anything(going back to BMD and REAL) is some hunts on public land.. National Forrest, or Type II land in Good O'l East TX.

I was a regular hunting show guy not anymore. Out of a 30 minute show you get 10 minutes of hunting, and over 20 advertising some product.. No BUENO!! Now they had to get a HOT chic to hunt with them so we'll watch. I enjoy the eye candy(Tiffany) but I'd actually like to learn something to become either a better hunter or woodsman.

Get some hot chicks to go hunting on your show. No man will change the channel. That is why Lee & Tiffany do so well. She is gorgeous.

Just watch the the shows on any of the hunting channels and the vast majority of them are what you do NOT want to be like. To many shows these days of folks who have no business doing a hunting show. They just get a camera and immediately think they can do a pro's job and it turns out sounding and looking like . Poor camera work and even worse when they open their mouth to speak. Most of them refuse to face the fact that they are in to make money and hunt for free. Pattern a show after the Primos guys, any of the Mossy Oak shows, Bass Pro Shops Real Hunting or one along these lines and you will have a great show. Pattern it after most of the rest of them and it won't be worth viewing IMO.

I am just a down home country boy from North Central Texas. Most of our hunts are done in Texas. We do have a few hunts from New Mexico we may air. I was speaking with a well known Outdoor Celebrity last night, he almost did a show that aired only Texas hunts. We are going to try to stay true to Texas.

Subtitles would be nice when the hunter is whispering into the camera. If a deer 10 yards away can't hear him, neither can I.

Personally I would watch a Texas only hunting show. Doesn't matter what the game would be as long as it's in Texas. Like others I'm not going to Wisc, Iowa, Nebraska anytime soon to hunt so I like to see and learn about the state I hunt in

Obviously it has to be REAL. I hate it when they show the buck standing in the field at dawn and then flash back to the hunter and it looks like it's 3pm. Also not too sure how others would feel about it but not every whitetail buck has to be a 150+ buck. I like it when they shoot does, and smaller management bucks to me that's what is realistic.

I also like the idea of letting other people participate. I got away from watching hunting shows because I was tired of the pro hunters shooting another 150+ deer. Take kids, veterans, or maybe do some hunts on smaller ranches or leases with real Texas Hunters no guides or pro hunters. I think people would relate better to real life situations. If a show was like that I would look past all the sponsors

I like a hunting show to show more than hunting. The experience at camp, bbqing and all of the fun stuff. That makes me want to be there and makes me think of being at camp with the guys. It really gets old just to see somebody sit in a stand or a tree and wait for something to walk out...same ol song and dance. More humor is always good too, alot of hunting shows are quiet and get boring...just keep it real.

Unfortunately, they wouldn't be able to broadcast most hunting camps on T.V. (according to the other thread). There was a show many years ago with a few Texas guys that was really good. They were strictly bow hunters from what I recall. Don't remember the show name, but one of the hunters was Matt Moore or something like that.

Just looked it up. It was called "closing the distance"
*edit again*

Just turned on the outdoor channel and a show is on called "Dominate Bucks". It looks like they are doing what I just suggested. But they added a twist where the winner of the home footage could win a hunt and be on tv

Maybe you could have a segment for viewers to send in their footage. Seems that many on here know what they don't like, maybe they could shoot some footage and you could air it???

How about more deer hunting and less talking!!

Filming in Deer Camps would not be a problem as long as I meet the production guidelines I can air those type of shows.

Let's see....no cussing, no beer in pics etc. Sounds like a lot of camps are that way. Maybe you could video the hunters showing how they prepare their kill for the table. ( cooking method/seasonings etc. ) a good field dressing clip would be good for beginners, but they won't allow that either.

What's it cost to get a show on tv? Isn't it like 10k an episode????

Real hunting shots, no reenactment after the kill.

And what ever you do don't use the term "Trophy Caliber" in describing the show in the TV/Cable listings. I have seen "Join us for a trophy caliber mule deer hunt in New Mexico", "Join us for a trophy caliber whitetail hunt in Iowa", etc. I saw one the other day, "Join us for a trophy caliber duck hunt in Louisiana." What is a "trophy caliber" duck, a 20 pounder?
What is next a "Trophy caliber prarie dog hunt in the Texas Panhandle"?
Do a show for the common man. Like others have said, show average Joe's fire pit in front to the cabin they built out of what ever they had or the $300 travel trailer they gutted and put bunk beds in and a table with a coleman stove on for making coffee not a 3-story log cabin with 50 exotic mounts on the walls.

I wish they would replay the kill shot a few times, like they replay touchdown catches or knockouts.

Especially on bow kills. I like to see the arrow flight and shot placement. Slow motion replays would be very cool.

Keep the subtitles to a limit and do more voice overs.

I know you have to have sponsors to do a show like that but if I see another product with Bone Collector on it I will .
In our camp we have a coffee pot from Bass Pro, Coleman stove and lantern, outdoor cook stove from Harbor Freight, lights in our blinds from Northern Tool, generator from Camping World, deer rifle from Savage, shotguns by Remington, shot shells by Remington & Winchester, Spotlight by Cyclops, flashlights, turkey calls, varmit calls, grunt calls, sleeping bags, game cams, memory chips, I have a Yamaha Rhino, it has a roof from Extreme Metal Products, it has a Benz Silent Rider muffler, etc. etc. My point is, pick one of your sponsors and you could do a show about a hunt by the common man and by the way he actually uses Mr. Sponsor's product.

Only 2 I watch is Eastman's and Primos. If you produce something similar to them, you should do fine.

Show a variety of species taken in a variety of places. I don't care for the shows that only hunt whitetail in one state. I like to see do it yourself hunts on public land too. One pet peeve of mine is having a camera set up behind the animal and showing the hunter saying "There it is" as if he was really walking up on it for the 1st time.

Eastmans is a pretty good show. I just watched one with Guy Eastman in Nevada. Thing I hate about this show is that they say "DIY" on public land. I would like to know how many people are scouting for the animals they kill. It's not like they drew a tag, went into an area without watching it( or having someone else watching it) through out the year and kill a monster. They know where the animals are before hitting the "hot" spot.

ALl of the comments have been great. We cant show beer or foul language, but we can show more kill shot replays and slow motion shots. I agree with all of yall on what will make a better show. We have been working on this for years and want it to be the best it can. We are working on a new trailer for the show I will post it later for your viewing. I would like your comments on the trailer, and what yall think will make it better.

I really enjoyed "Wild Within" on the Travel Channel. I thought it took an intelligent, unapologetic approach to hunting for meat. There were no product plugs on the show either. It was one that I set time aside just to catch it.
Obviously someone didn't agree me because the show is no longer on the network.

i think you should do a couple of shows hunting public land cause there is a lot of hunters that dont have a lease they hunt public land and hope for the best show how you would scout the place what signs you would look for where you would hang your stand and why that is true hunting to me and if you dont get a kill thats fine its the hunt not the kill thats were memories are made sorta like a poor mans show lol

Must be hunting East Texas.

I would like to see more whisper talking, chit chatting while they are in the stand telling exactly what they are doing.

I have some footage from the Sabine National Forest. Oneof those days of not seeing anything. Real hunting, I also have footage where I just asked a farmer if I could set a bow blind in his pasture that hogs destroyed.

Well,not to be glib but IMO the best "hunting" show is the one not made. Real hunting and TV don't mix because hunting is highly personal and mostly solitary-not a spectator sport.

That said,the shows have gotten worse and worse as time goes on-rock music,staged shots,fake emotion, and products,products,products.

My current pet peeve is the tendency to talk about the filming/cameraman challenges now as if filming is just a part of the hunt. I don't give a crap about the cameraman,low light,deer came from wrong way, and a hundred other excuses why the hunt didn't work out to get the deer killed and/or on film. They are like hunting shows about making a hunting show now. Ridiculous.

I was watching an unknown or not as popular hunting show the other day and I swear I saw a tag in the deers ear. They didn't show the recovery just the dude with the buck and the tag was gone.

Hunting shows are for bored nimrods.