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This is just a quick one…

OK, so I’ve been here with the house and the TV pretty much to myself for the last few days since Kat’s off in Dallas taking care of her mom. It’s not necessarily something to be proud of, this newfound couch potato status, but there ya go… Anyway, of course I’m watching horn porn. I know, I’ve gone on about it before, but you take the good with the bad. Or maybe not!

But good goddammit… if I see one more asshole, like the guy on Endless Season Outdoors, shoot another animal in the ass, guts, or leg at ranges way outside of reason… well, I don’t know what I’ll do except get more pissed off. I mean, really guys! Is it that damned important to get your footage on TV that you’ll show stuff like this? Sure, the guy killed the animal, but a 283 yard shot on a buck running dead away?

Sorry, but that’s just bullshit. Excuse the language if it offends you, but I’m so aggravated right now I can hardly stand myself. It’s bad enough that people still do stuff like that, but it’s inexcusable to show it to the world on television! You turn off the camera, say, “sorry, we can’t use that,” and you go on to the next hunt. Or you at least set it up as an example of what NOT to do. But to not only film the shot, but to stand around and share high fives with the hunter and camera crew afterward… that’s just wrong.

Signing off. I’ve got an email to write to the Endless Season Outdoors staff.

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liberalbutwooper

Posted July 20, 2010 at 7:36 PM

If your pansy ass cant handle the sight of a great shot by a profesional marksman maybe you need to watch Martha Stewart that may be a better suited show for you sweet brithes. Hope you did not pass out when you saw the shot. I know these guys and they are some of the most ethical hunters I know. They did not take the shot any way they got it on film. Now get your liberal ass to bed before you get in trouble.
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barbiekenrainbow cat

Posted July 20, 2010 at 8:10 PM

Okay “Debbie Downer”…Why make a big deal out of the “would haves” and “could haves”?? You COULD be out doing something productive with yourself, but instead you choose to dissect and criticize every move a hunter makes that you claim is unethical, when in reality the guy made a clean shot which in turn killed the deer. End of story.
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Phillip Loughlin

Posted July 20, 2010 at 8:19 PM

Anybody so desperate to kill a damned deer that they have to shoot it in the ass from three football fields away is an insult to the entire sport. This is exactly the kind of “trophy hunter” the HSUS and PETA would like to make the public believe is the norm.

Anybody with a nationally televised hunting program who thinks that was a “great shot” is an insult to the entire hunting telvision and video industry…. and to the viewers. We deserve better, and there is better out there.

And folks who have to stoop to ridiculous, grade school name calling to defend the indefensible… well, you’re pretty much just insulting yourself. Not much else to build on there.
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Phillip Loughlin

Posted July 20, 2010 at 9:24 PM

You mean I should do something more productive… like writing trite and foolish personal insults while hiding behind goofy, anonymous names (but still using the same IP address)? You’re probably right.

Actually, in this case the only action I’m criticizing was the stupid choice to put a 300 yard Texas Heart Shot at a running buck on national TV. There’s nothing “clean” about that shot. It was a lucky hit, and it was definitely not a clean kill. It broke the buck’s lower back, and more than likely destroyed the prime meat (hams, backstrap, tenderloins) in the process… a true waste. And for what? Another trophy head for the wall?

The “end of story” hasn’t been told yet, but as hunting continues to get bashed in the public opinion, it’s thoughtless programming like this that perpetuates the negative stereotypes that so many non-hunters hold about us… the bloodthirsty hick redneck.

That stereotype is reinforcedhand by the belligerent ignorance of your initial reply.

Point made, by the way. Further name-calling will be deleted. If you have intelligent comments, then feel free.
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Bill Koury

Posted July 21, 2010 at 6:37 AM

I didn’t see the show, but a description of a running deer straight away at 300 yards, is certainly not a shot you want to encourage anyone to take. Showing it on air, does just that.(Gee, maybe I can get lucky too!)

I wouldn’t take it, Hunter Ed instructors will tell you not to take it, the guides I know wouldn’t let you take it.

The issue isn’t whether the hunter in this case killed the deer, it’s that it was a choice of taking a high percentage wounding shot which was unecessary.

Your rant is quite justified. Give’em hell.
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Albert

Posted July 21, 2010 at 7:56 AM

I’m with you Phillip. What a complete jackhole to take a shot like that. It’s hunting people, not killing. Take your time and be SURE of your kill. While I haven’t seen that particular show, I did see a very popular one on Outdoor Channel last year that got me fired up. An ‘archer’ took a 70 yard shot on a broadside blacktail in Nor Cal. He hit it right through the ass end and they put it all on film and aired it on TV. I was so angry that my wife even stayed away from me for a few hours until I simmered down and wrote them a letter. I received a response saying it was an unfortunate hit… and I quote ‘Unfortunately, we can’t always guarantee a double lung shot but his shot choice was a good one, quartering away…His shot placement could have been better. In camp, [we] regularly practiced at up to 70 yards with great success but as you know foam and fur aren’t the same. [He] is an exceptional athlete and archer and I was fully confident in his abilities.

If you have been bowhunting 25 years, I can only guess not all shots were not perfect and some wounded-I know I have…even at 20 yrds out of a treestand-funny things happen. I can hit a quarter every time at 20 yards with my hunting bow but put fur and horns in front of me and strange things happen.’

I am appalled that they would justify it like that. Sure, I have had a questionable hit on an animal, who hasn’t, but I don’t brag about it nor do I post a video online or anything. I have been pretty ashamed and saddened by a bad hit and don’t go on and on to people about ‘the big deer I got.’ It sickens me and that’s why I practice year round now with my bow set-up.

For the people who can’t handle the truth… maybe it’s hitting closer to home than you’d like, but we hunters don’t need any more fuel for the anti’s.

Thanks for the honesty, Phillip. It is certainly appreciated and welcomed!
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gary

Posted July 21, 2010 at 10:03 AM

I’m in your dugout on this Phillip, there is absolutlely no room for showing that kind of stuff. Some shows are so desperate for footage that they let the line between fair and foul get a little fuzzy. They think only of the demands on them to produce and in so doing don’t give enough thought to what kind of image they are leaving for the whole hunting industry.

Don’t know who your two friends (?)are that first responded, but they have some real unresolved issues in their lives. Hope they get it together before they croak on their own inflated and misdirected egos.
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Joshua

Posted July 21, 2010 at 10:12 AM

Great comment Phillip. I thank God for no cable for us.

And the little, tiny chicken up there commenting is too afraid to stand up and say who he is. But, we know who he is: Coward.

I’m a liberal. Come whoop my butt.

My bad archery shot resulted in an instant kill. I still don’t take pride in it – I tell it with all that it was: a perfect, horrible mistake. I’m ashamed, and thankful to God that it ended the way it did, but no-way no-how would I ever want a video of it broadcast on T.V., even if it did make me look like a master archer.

Guys who can’t control themselves enough to be hunters should be ashamed of themselves, embarrassed to let folks see their shameful behavior and inability to hunt. Unfortunately, the same lack of control that allows a boy to make a shot like that comes from that boy’s lack of shame.
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Shanna

Posted July 22, 2010 at 6:24 AM

Gary, please sir, enlighten me on my so called “unresolved issues”??? I can’t understand why you are looking up an IP address, but to make things clear…My husband was the first to comment on your post and I wrote the one to follow. After my husband received a phone call from a friend about your initial post, he was furious about the choice of words you used to describe these guys on ESO so I believe, in turn, he chose inappropriate words fueled from anger just as you did so. The reason for my ridiculous choice of a name to display is because this whole thread is just that. And if you say further name calling “will be deleted” the I think you should delete your initial post when you damned my God–I’d say you were the one with the unresolved issues.
And, here’s a question for Joshua…I’m really curious WHY you took the shot you did when you say you are ashamed of it afterwards?
Reply

Jason

Posted July 22, 2010 at 7:15 AM

If you do not like the show dont watch it. I see things on tv that I dont like all the time I just change the channel. I dont have the time to blog all day because I am a red neck from alabama and I have a job. Every one has there limit on the skill of there shot. I could not pull a shot like that off but not to say someone else could not. As far as my fake name its not to be a coward I just knew this blog had liberal fans. Imagine that. Oh and joshua I am little and a chicken maybe I will get the pleasure of meeting you one day. I am always at the hunting shows. Look me up and enjoy this hope and change.
Reply

Phillip Loughlin

Posted July 22, 2010 at 7:44 AM

Shanna,

I can’t speak for Gary, or his comment about “unresolved issues”, but since I own the blog and wrote the original post, I’ll certainly speak to the rest. Hiding behind pseudonyms when commenting is a chickenshit ploy, and totally destroys any potential credibility you might have had (although Jason’s choice of name-calling certainly didn’t help either). I trace the IP address whenever a user comes on under a fake name or posts inflammatory language. Keeps my tracking skills sharp when I can’t be in the woods.

I did not delete your husband’s original post, primarily because I recognize that it was written in anger, the same way my original rant was. Most of the time, the second the name-calling starts, I delete the offending comment. But I did a little name-calling of my own, and honestly, I won’t retract a bit of it.

You, and your husband, are welcome to your opinions. But I have my own, and one strong opinion I hold is that the hunting entertainment industry needs to have a much higher ethical standard. The display of incidents like the one that set me off the other night shines a terrible light on hunting, even though the majority of hunters would never take a shot like that.

Oh, and just a basic linguistic note… “god damn” doesn’t damn the god. It is considered heretical language because you, an imperfect mortal, are actually ordering god to damn the subject of the curse. And I’m pretty sure that it’s not “YOUR” god, a claim which is an equally heretical conceit since you’ve basically just enslaved your creator by claiming ownership of him/her/it. An interesting concept, when you think about it.

Enough of that…

I don’t know what relationship you or your husband have with the show, but if those boys want to pop on here and offer up some sort of defense/justification, they’re welcome to do so. It’s not going to change my opinion a whit, but I am happy to offer them the podium. I already sent them an email which has, so far, been unanswered. I also sent a note to the Pursuit Channel, expressing my point of view.

Oh, and Jason… it’s not about whether or not I watch the show. It’s about the fact that many people besides me watch it, and unlike me, a lot of them really are liberal. A lot of them are also looking for any new reason to spread negative opinions about hunting in hopes of getting more leverage against the sport. When that stuff goes out on TV or the web, you have to realize that it’s not just going to be hunters watching. I can turn it off if I don’t like what I see, but there are a lot of folks out there who WANT to see stuff like this, just so they can use it against us later.

People like you need to get your heads out of the sand and realize that hunters are a politically weak, extremely vulnerable target in this modern world. The forces against us are strong and savvy, and it doesn’t take much for them to gain ground.

The hunting entertainment industry is becoming the most visible face of our sport, and I’m sorry, but intentionally shooting a running animal in the ass at 300 yards shines a pretty ugly light on us all. This is simply fodder for HSUS and PETA. There is no good reason to do something like that, and even less good reason to show it on TV. It’s not about demonstrating skill (although I’ll stand by the assertion that the shot was pure luck), it’s about demonstrating common sense and ethics. A deer is not a target. It’s a living animal… a point that the anti-hunting/animal rights groups will be glad to make abundantly clear.

So the bottom line is, it isn’t just about me being personally offended. It’s about the reflection on our sport and on our collective sense of ethics. If you want your kids and their kids to continue to enjoy the traditions of the hunt, then folks like your buddies over at ESO are going to need to clean up their act.
Reply

Shanna

Posted July 22, 2010 at 8:30 AM

Phillip, I say “my” God because He is the one I serve…not out of ‘enslaving’ or ‘ownership’. I do not know your religious beliefs, but I take offense when you use the name of the One I serve in such anger and hate, no matter what form you use it in.
Aside from that, I believe this is a neverending debate where everyone involved will hold strong to their opinions. I will end my part with agreeing to disagree with you…
Reply

Joshua

Posted July 22, 2010 at 9:22 AM

Shanna and Jason, thanks for at least being brave enough to offer names, although that’s it.

My shot (and that’s a good question, by the way) was a good shot, a 12 yard broadside shot at a doe with a recurve, with no brush between us. However, I screwed it up, over-drew in my adrenaline, and pulled right. I shot her in the head and she fell right there. It wasn’t a good shot, and I should have taken the time to calm myself, even if it meant not getting a shot at all.

We all make mistakes, some political, some in the heat of the moment. To bring in liberalism and infer that the blog author is liberal for bringing this up, as if liberals are the only ones with ethics, may make me feel better, but it isn’t true. I concede that conservatives have ethics, too, and shouldn’t be condoning bad shots.

What does the Bible say about taking bad shots? I suggest you look it up, because it does speak to that issue.

I will end with this: Whosoever shall say “raca” (fool), is in danger of hellfire.
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gary

Posted July 22, 2010 at 2:09 PM

I guess since I’ve been called out by name I do need to respond somehow, but in seeing your original response and additional responses Jason and Shanna, I can’t say much has changed. That much venom spewing out does no one much good and it usually means someone has got their toes stepped on on issues close to home.

I will say that Phillip has laid it out as kindly as possible the damage to all of us that this type of action does.
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Albert A Rasch

Posted July 25, 2010 at 2:49 AM

Now folks, I just want to get a few facts out on the table.

I am all the way in Afghanistan so its not like I can invite just anyone to try and kick my ass.
I use my real name and link to my blog, and just about anyone who tries can figure out where I live.
I work as hard as anyone else here for my living, I just budget my time to blog, just like all the other bloggers do.
I am not a liberal, and I am not a member of any religious organization.

Having said that, I too find the vast majority of hunting shows, and videos for that matter unwatchable. They teach very little if anything, they do show an incredible amount of poor marksmanship, and I have seen what I consider to be unethical behavior more times than I care to recall. I haven’t tuned into a single one of those shows in years.

To excuse a 300 meter running Texas heart shot as being ethical is the height of foolishness. I wouldn’t allow it of myself, my friends, or of my children. Nor should anyone else for that matter. That it happened to work this time doesn’t make it right!

I’ve killed 189 hogs in my life. All but one, that’s right one, have been clean one shot kills. I will admit that on several I did administer a coup de grace with my Ruger MKII just to be sure. The only time I have needed a second shot was with a weapon that wasn’t mine, and that was my first hog and lesson learned.

I would never, ever, shoot where I was not 100% certain of making the shot. AND to watch folks shoot, wound, miss, screw up, gutshoot, and in general make a mockery of hunting and shooting, is insulting and demeaning to that which I hold holy.

These shows are nothing more than a tol for the antis. When billions of dollars and traditions far deeper than any pocket
are at stake, I think that these production companies can toss the film, and do the right thing.

Now I should be home at the end of August for a couple of weeks… If anyone would care to call me out…

Albert A Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles: National Hunting and Fishing Day 9/25/10
Reply

Albert A Rasch

Posted July 25, 2010 at 2:51 AM

“tool for the antis”

Sorry

Albert
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Arthur

Posted July 25, 2010 at 6:58 AM

Phillip,

I couldn’t agree more. I see no problem airing the footage if they were intending to use it as a lesson of what not to do, but to brag about a shot, such as the one taken, is awful and will only aid the anti’s by providing them with more “evidence”.
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Phillip Loughlin

Posted July 26, 2010 at 9:32 AM

Thanks for the comments, fellas. Albert, you just keep dodging those rockets and hurry home… I don’t think there’s gonna be much need for ass kicking around here.

For what it’s worth, Jacob, from Endless Season Outdoors shot me a note at the end of last week. I’m planning to chat with him, hopefully today or tomorrow, but the gist of his note was that he and his partner on the show actually had some disagreement about whether to air the footage for the same reasons we’ve discussed here. He’s now regretting the choice to go ahead and show it, and even told me he’d be contacting Pursuit Channel to get the episode pulled.
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Jason

Posted July 26, 2010 at 5:58 PM

The ethics of hunting are a little confusing and not quite black and white. What I mean by this that It is considered bad to shoot a deer or large animal on the run, but unethical to shoot a dove, guail or duck in a perched position because it does not give the bird a sporting chance. I hunt for meat first and sport second. Wounding any thing on a hunt accomplishes neither. I hope that the guys from Endless Season show you that they are great guys and if this episode was seen to be bad taste by others then I am sure they got the feed back.
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Phillip Loughlin

Posted July 27, 2010 at 6:06 AM

Jason, I won’t argue that point. Ethics can vary from person to person, and I’ve always argued that’s the way it should be… in general. However, there are some generally accepted parameters on which the majority of hunters agree.

Like you, I’m primarily a meat hunter, which is one of the reasons I find a Texas Heart Shot so distasteful… besides the critical fact that it’s often not fatal, and seldom quick when it is. But that’s neither here nor there at this point… discussion complete, point made.

My brief message exchange with Jacob so far shows me that they are good guys with their hearts and minds in the right place, and that they recognize a bad call when they make one (even if it hadn’t been pointed out to them). I look forward to chatting with Jacob a little more, and we’ll see where that takes us.
Reply

Jason

Posted July 27, 2010 at 6:02 PM

Awesome that they were able to communicate with you. I guess I would agree with alot of stuff you say but I am a huge fan of there show and took your comments too personal. I have a tendency to jump the gun and go straight for the throat when I feel defensive. I dont want any one to harm the reputation this guys have built for themselves.

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