A reminder of why I don't watch YouTube hunting videos

[deer_shooter]

Other than Fresh Tracks and Meateater, I don’t really watch any other hunting related video for many reasons. However, with 90 degree humid weather for the last month I was getting antsy, so last night, I flipped though Youtube and settled on a video of guys hunting brown bears in Alaska. After the opening few seconds of the fly in and camp plus the obligatory product placement shots, they see a boar and rush to get in position on a knob overlooking a river with the bear running along the far bank. With the shooter prone and ready, the bear, still running turns left to head into the brush, running but not full out. I’m thinking, well that one got away but no, the guy shoots! You can clearly see the bullet impact on the left hindquarter. There’s a fast follow up shot but from the camera angle you can’t see much then a third shot. My best guess is shot distance of around 200-250 yds. After the ‘celebration’ the shooter casually says something to the effect….’he was almost in the brush so I had to shoot him the butt to slow him down enough to get another shot, no big deal with these large calibers’ and they show the slo-mo replay. It looks like he was shooting a Ridgeline so most likely a 300win. All that said, he intentionally shot a running brown bear in the ass as it entered an alder patch. I’m still blown away by that decision making. Had he not got that second shot off, they’d have had a large, wounded and pissed of bear in thick brush to wrangle. Anything for subscribers I guess.

 

[SaskHunter]

Everything to get a shot on camera and an carcass for the Gram!!!

 

[Djfan]

I like watching The Hunting Public show. Those guys talk a lot about strategy, etc. But, generally, I agree with you on these shows.

 

[TrapperJ]

I don't watch hunting shows or videos on YouTube for a few reasons one being i cant sit through 30 minutes of talking then 5 minutes of hunting then 10 minutes of overly dramatic yelling and celebrating shooting a hand fed buck on a Texas whitetail ranch. And second reason is they show some commercial for something and I have to go check and see if I want it and the 3rd reason is they will say something or do something and I will come here to search and see what others have said about it so I just stick with the 15 min kill shot videos which is more hunting then talking

 

[Brad]

Hunting video content doesn't belong in the public square, and showing it online or on tv does hunters no favors. Full stop.

 

[TrapperJ]

Hunting video doesn't belong in the public square, and showing it online or on tv does hunters no favors. Full stop.

The educational hunting videos help but the others that overly dramatic it or overly promote disrespecting the anmial or buying random crap forsure needs to stop

 

[BenP]

Hunting video content doesn't belong in the public square, and showing it online or on tv does hunters no favors. Full stop.

I think it's more of the motive behind the hunt that would give merit to whether it belongs or not. The vast majority is motivated by money either by the sponsorships and endless promotions or by viewership; the next chunk I believe is just motivated by ego and trying to seem "badder" or "cooler" than what they really are by what they use or do.
These are the ones that give bad reputation and bad taste in people's minds.

Then there are those that are there for the education and benefit of the sustainment of hunting, albeit it's a small crowd, and these are the ones that have merit to be shown.

 

[R.K.]

Remi Warren / Solo Hunter is usually pretty good. He broke off a while back, but both are still good content.

Some of the upland content is pretty good, but big game seems to attract the worst of the worst.

The vast majority of hunting content online is ego-stroking or selling something. Not much exists for the sake of educating the viewer to make them a better hunter, or promote becoming active in conservation.

I remember some of the first episodes Big Fin put out ended without a kill shot. That spoke volumes about his ethics and thoughts on hunting, and it sold me on his mission. So for me, that became the gold standard against which all other hunting shows are measured. Fresh Tracks is just about as good as it gets for big game content, and I’ve yet to find anything better.

 

[coleslaw]

Same kind of guy who gut punches game after taking an 800+ shot and blames the wounded loss on the bullet. Also known to wear a flat trimmed hat and drive diesel-douchemobile with a CustomOffsets sticker on the windshield.

 

[Gellar]

I like watching The Hunting Public show. Those guys talk a lot about strategy, etc. But, generally, I agree with you on these shows.

I think I’ve seen parts of three of their videos and I’ve identified the spot they were hunting g for all of them.

 

[Cogreeny]

My opinion may be unpopular but I think any financial gain off wildlife through videos or social media is BS. I view it as no different than the market meat hunters of many years ago.

 

[R.K.]

My opinion may be unpopular but I think any financial gain off wildlife through videos or social media is BS. I view it as no different than the market meat hunters of many years ago.

The main difference is that it is done within the tenets of the NAMC, which regulates harvest rather than wholesale slaughter and eradication.

 

[Cogreeny]

The main difference is that it is done within the tenets of the NAMC, which regulates harvest rather than wholesale slaughter and eradication.

Except when it doesn’t. It causes people to do dumb shit and poach so they can get likes on the gram or whatever dumb shit they post stuff on. Certainly most people don’t but it has proven to be a problem. It’s not for me. Each to his own. The flat brim brigade has made hunting a big dick contest.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I think it has been a couple of years now since I have watched a hunting video. My life is better.

 

[R.K.]

Except when it doesn’t. It causes people to do dumb shit and poach so they can get likes on the gram or whatever dumb shit they post stuff on. Certainly most people don’t but it has proven to be a problem. It’s not for me. Each to his own. The flat brim brigade has made hunting a big dick contest.

And then they get caught, fined, privileges revoked, etc. Muley Freak, Bowmars, Montana Wild, Bill Busbice of Wild Game Innovations- that’s just off the top of my head.

Yeah, abuses happen. But that’s when we need to hold the bad actors accountable.

 

[Boarmaster]

I guess I somehow got lucky with the ones
I regularly watch. I haven't found much to be offended about.
I will probably stay subscribed to those.
That said , I have watched a few that
get a little over joyful after a kill. The jumping up and down yelling “Smoked him” or use of the term “Dude” every other sentence can be tedious. I don't subscribe to those.
A little respect for the animal you just killed is also respect for your fellow hunters and hunting overall. I dont condemn the tube hunting video world as a whole based on the actions of a few same as I don't condemn the whole hunting community on the actions of a few. But in all things I tend to look at individual responsibility rather than condemn groups. I can only control my own actions.

 

[Wolfshead]

I watch YouTube regularly, with about half of it being hunting related.
I have my favorites and I will give others a try once in a while.
I use it mostly to learn and get some tips from.
When I was getting my Masters degree I took a class with a professor, who I ended up really respecting, and he began the class by teaching and discussing how to use the library for research. Here we are all in our 16+ years of education, and he is teaching us how to use the library! I learned so much that day and it served me so well after that class.
He also dedicated two lectures on how we can decide which sources of information are useful and which ones are not. That also has served me very well, so I feel I can usually decide which ones are for me or not.

 

[2ski]

I've been watching Stay Fishy lately. The guy is a little different but I love it. And he reminds me of a buddy of mine.

 

[Laelkhunter]

I was watching a hunting show on The Outdoor Channel, seemed like it was almost a comedy. Hunter apparently arrived at camp (lodge) with a rifle and needed a scope. They mounted the scope on the rifle, then set up on the range to sight in. They used an in the bore stud device. He aligned the reticle to the sight in device, then prepared to shoot. He forgot to take the stud out of the barrel before firing. Upon firing the rifle barrel splits open (almost cartoon style), but thankfully no one was hurt. Later they are looking at a bull elk and the hunter says something like "I can't see him in this scope", well I don't think the optics company that was a sponsor appreciated that comment. He ended up shooting at the elk that was obviously too far away, because he missed about ten feet low. I'm not sure he ever harvested an elk, I couldn't watch until the end.

 

[Rainer]

I find the Outdoor Channel shows to be much worse then anything on YouTube. They're so cringy and fake. I love watching Fresh Tracks, EXO etc to get my big game content. I do tend to find that the Waterfowl content on YouTube to be really good though