Just saw this photo over at Rex’s Deer Camp Blog, and had to share it here (I hope he doesn’t mind).  It’s simply classic! 

Not every day you see something like this at the skinning rack, but it’s sure to set a trend.  Notice the clean, supple, yet elegant lines.  And nary speck of blood or gore to be seen! 

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Jim’s perspective comes from a couple of places.  First, he’s a lifelong hunter.  I know, a lot of cynics out there are going to doubt this credential because of his involvement in the condor project, but after spending the better part of a day in the field with him, and having the opportunity to converse more via email, I’ll vouch for him any time.  He’s committed to the sport, and to a high ethical standard.  Like many of us, he believes the responsibility of hunters goes beyond basic safety and good manners.  We are supposed to be stewards of the environment, and part of that stewardship includes caring about all of the creatures out there, and not just the ones we shoot. 

His perspective is also shaped by his experience working with raptors and condors.  He cares a LOT about these birds… more than the average person… and he’ll be the first to say that this certainly tempers his attitude when it comes to the impacts of lead.  He has seen, first hand, the effects of lead poisoning in eagles and condors, and it affected him deeply.  As a result, he believes that we (hunters) should be doing everything reasonable to minimize our impacts on these birds.

Now let me take a quick aside, and say what I’ve said all along… that I believe the majority of the folks who are fighting so hard to save the condor and protect raptors are, like Jim, deeply committed to the birds, and not necessarily opposed to hunting (some hunt, and some don’t).  Sure, anti-hunting organizations have piled onto the bandwagon and even driven much of the debate well outside the realm of protecting the endangered birds, but don’t let that take away from the honest concerns that the bird advocates hold.  I’ll also add that Jim, and most of the other condor advocates have NEVER said that lead ammo is the ONLY source of the lead that’s affecting the birds. 

OK, back to the topic.

Jim’s email introduced a new website that he and several associates have been working on.  The site is intended to serve as a clearinghouse of information about lead ammo, lead-free ammo, and related issues.  Jim’s email said that the plan is to keep the site objective and informative, and from what I saw in my review of the site, they’ve done a pretty good job.  It’s just information, not editorializing or proselytizing about the “evils of lead ammo.” 

It’s still in the beginning stages, and I expect it’ll grow significantly as they continue to work on it.  There’s a whole lot of information out there.  I’d definitely recommend checking it out, and if lead ammo issues are of interest to you, bookmark it too.  There’s a guestbook feature as well, so you can leave your comments, suggestions, or ideas. 

Go on over and have a look.

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I thought this would be a little more fun than the usual 10 minutes of footage in which I don’t get anything.  Hope you enjoy.

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I just booked tickets for Kat and myself back to NC for the September 11 archery deer opener! Happened to stumble onto a pretty great deal, as airline deals go, and had to jump on it. My little brother’s got me pretty stoked about the amount of activity he’s seeing around his food plots, especially since there’s a major clearing project going on not too far from his place. He said the deer are about as consistent as he’s ever seen them in there, although he wasn’t real specific about any big bucks. Hopefully he’ll get the game cams going soon and send us some eye candy.

Of course it doesn’t matter to me if it’s a buck or a doe. I’m looking to restock the venison in my freezer, and a set of horns would be an unecessary bonus.

The other kicker is, this year they’ve approved Sunday hunting (bowhunting only, on private land). If, by some chance I can’t fill a tag on the opener, I get a short chance at redemption on Sunday. I’m hoping that won’t be necessary, though, because I’d like to get Kat out to enjoy the beach or the river a little bit.

Yeah, I’m a little excited… now I’ve just got to bide my time for a month and a half!

NOTE:  If you’re waiting to hear about my recent quest in search of the mythical, A-zone, blacktail buck, you’ll have to be patient.

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In the meantime, I had to share this video with you.  I saw it on the Moose Droppings blog, and couldn’t resist “borrowing” it.  This is just something I never ever imagined!

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First, Albert Rasch, despite dodging rocket attacks in Afghanistan, is doing his annual part to promote the National Hunting and Fishing Day, on September 25.  You can read much more about it over on his blog, but I wanted to pass it along here as well.  Albert is planning to do a series of posts on things you can do to celebrate, and why it’s important. 

With National Hunting and Fishing Day on my mind, I am going to have several posts concentrating on tips and ideas that you can use to help celebrate our sporting heritage.

I urge everyone to do something along the way and especially on the 25th to further our mutual love for the outdoors. It can be something as simple as taking someone who has never fished out on a shoreline, lake, or pond, to perhaps giving a talk to school children on the conservation and preservation work that outdoor sportsmen do for the benefit of all.

Remember, it is all up to us to do what we can, because even the smallest thing you do, pays off in huge dividends!

On another, more commercial front, I got a notice from the folks at Discovery Channel regarding casting call for the new season of Out of the Wild.  I didn’t see the first season, which took place in Alaska, but apparently the idea is to take a group of people from various walks of life, dump them in the wilderness with some basic instructions and objectives, and then film the results.  I heard mixed reviews, but a lot of folks did seem to enjoy the last show. 

Anyway, the new show will be set in South America (pretty cool, huh?), and is casting now.  The reason they contacted me (and probably some other outdoors oriented blogs) was because they’d like to find a hunter or two for the group.  I believe that subsistence/survival hunting was part of the program last time, and I’m guessing it’ll have a place in this new season as well. 

You can find out more about the show and the opportunity at the production company website.  Read the information carefully, and if you think it’s something you want to try, then by all means!  And even better, if you do get involved, I’d love to hear about your experiences and follow them here on the Hog Blog. 

OK, time for me to go to work!

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This morning I got an email from Michelle at the Sportsman’s Channel, asking if I could help spread the word about the next Hunt.Fish.Feed event, on August 4 in San Diego. 

I am wondering if you could help us out again like you did last time.  We are heading to San Diego on August 4th (see attached for details) to feed those less fortunate and we need 400 pounds of venison to feed 1,500 people!  Plus, we need about a dozen volunteers. Do you think you could put out a call on your blog seeking help?  We really appreciate it!!  Your blog helped out so much last time when we were in LA. Thanks!

Volunteer and/or Donate at Sportsman Channel’s Hunt.Fish.Feed Event in San Diego!    

Sportsman Channel’s national Hunt.Fish.Feed.SM initiative is coming to St. Vincent de Paul Village in San Diego to help feed local residents in need on Tuesday, August 4 from 10:30 to 12:30 p.m. PT and they need your help! Come volunteer for a brief two hours and help feed close to 1,500 of those in need a wonderful meal made with donated venison. Have venison to donate? We could use that too! Hunt.Fish.Feed.SM is a unique outreach program that taps an underutilized food source—game meat and fish donated by sportsmen—to feed those struggling with hunger across America.  For more information on Hunt.Fish.Feed.SM, including an informational video, visit www.huntfishfeed.org.  

Sportsman Channel embarked on a multi-city Hunt.Fish.Feed.SM tour in January, which will in 2010 travel to 10 U.S. cities, one per month, to feed the needy and bring awareness to the fight against hunger.     

• WHAT: Hunt.Fish.Feed. SM San Diego – utilizes a previously untapped food source – game meat and fish: www.huntfishfeed.org
• WHO: Serving hundreds of San Diego residents in need
• WHERE: St. Vincent de Paul Village  1501 Imperial Ave    San Diego, CA  92101
• WHEN: Tuesday, August 4 
• Serving Meal: 10:30 to 12:30 p.m. 
• VOLUNTEER:  Contact HFF@thesportsmanchannel.com or call 212-852-6677.

If you’ve got the time and inclination, or some venison to share, here’s a great opportunity to show that hunters do more than just go out and kill stuff.

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Matt took this fat, blacktail forkie down south of me, in the Central Coast region during the second week of the A-zone archery season.  In his email, he made sure to mention to all the cold-weather hunters that it was 104 degrees out there when he  arrowed this buck. 

Matt’s got a pretty solid streak running, with an annual buck, and any number of wild hogs and turkeys.  With a little gang of young’uns coming onto big game hunting age, he’ll have his hands (and his freezer) full soon. 

Anyway, I guess this is further proof that there are bucks in the A zone.  I suppose now I’m gonna have to head out this weekend and see if I can find one of my own.  Not looking forward to 100 degree heat, though.

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I’ve talked to and heard from a lot of hunters who have a range of opinions about TV hunting programs.  Most seem to feel that the programs glorify the wrong aspects of the hunt, emphasize the kill over the hunting experience, and highlight questionable ethics.  In fact, if I tried to sum it up anecdotally, I’d think the overall feeling was pretty damning and there shouldn’t be many sportsmen watching this stuff. 

But the truth is that there are at least three networks wholly dedicated to this kind of programming, along with several other channels featuring at least some hunting/fishing programs.  Someone must be digging it, because the sponsors and advertisers are sure dumping in the cash to keep it alive.  I have to say that on many levels, I’m glad to see this.  With the decline of print media and the rise of the short attention-span culture, television and Internet sources are the go-to media outlets for hunting entertainment.  It’s one more way to perpetuate the sport, to introduce it to new audiences, and maybe even to recruit new hunters.  It’s also an excellent conduit to promote ethics and sportsmanship.  I know for a fact that many viewers are using these programs to learn more about hunting techniques, styles, tools, game species, etc. 

That level of influence comes with a responsibility, and this is where I think that some of the hunting programming, and the networks that host them, really fall short. 

Now I’m not suggesting that hunting programs become didactic, proselytizing ethics sermons.  In fact, I’d hate that, because it would kick off that ever narrowing spiral of, “this is the only right way to hunt.” 

However, I do think that hunting programs definitely should hold their content to a higher standard than, perhaps, the average hunter.  By this, I mean that the average hunter gets over-excited and takes a bad shot from time to time.  They’ll stretch one out past their limits, take a bad angle, or try a low-percentage shot out of desperation.  It’s human nature, exacerbated by the fact that big game hunting is a sport that may offer the average hunter only one shot opportunity in a year.  (And let’s not even go into the economic pressure when a hunter has paid a lot of money for a hunt.) 

Even a highly ethical hunter can fall to temptation or bad judgement from time to time.  I understand this.  These are the real life things that happen in the field.  Sometimes they end well.  Sometimes they don’t.  But that doesn’t mean it needs to show up on the television or computer screen.  Honesty is an important thing, but it’s a virtue that doesn’t translate well to mass media.  Public opinion isn’t usually formed by the subtext of an action…it comes from what they actually see. 

I don’t think that the programs can, or should, utterly sanitize hunting programs.  Hunting is bloody and messy and often imprecise.  Bad shots can happen under the most ideal conditions. There’s no need to sweep those kinds of things under the rug (or onto the cutting room floor).  Explain what happened, show how it was followed up, and hopefully bring it to a positive outcome.  At the very least, make it a learning experience for the hunter and the audience.  The best programs are already doing this, by the way, so it’s certainly not a revolutionary thought.

I’m also not saying that the programs should avoid controversial subjects.  Two shows that come to mind, and have handled this well, are Keith Warren’s “The High Road”, and The Pigman.  On a recent episode, Warren spent some time explaining the benefits of high fence exotics ranches in Texas, and how these ranches are providing habitat and successful breeding programs for species that are endangered in their native lands.  If hunters didn’t pay to occasionally hunt these animals, there’d be no funding for the programs.  It’s a pretty clear message, even if you don’t approve of hunting inside a fence. 

Likewise, Brian Quaca, the “Pig Man”, spent a good part of a recent episode on dog hunting for hogs explaining that, while some folks don’t like using dogs, it’s a critical tool in the management of hog populations.  On the episode, they caught and killed small pigs and large, and again, Quaca didn’t shy away from it, but explained it clearly that this isn’t the same as “sport hunting”.  It’s pest control, and taking the small animals is a necessary part of it all. 

OK, so I’m not doing the episodes or the arguments justice here, but the point is, Warren and Quaca are both educating the viewers about the issues.  They’re not just out there filming kill shot after kill shot and leaving it to the mercies of the audience’s imagination and prejudices. 

At the same time, there needs to be a clear and consistent effort to move away from showing things that are simply indefensible.  That includes intentional “Hail Mary” shots like the one that got me so fired up last night.  There is absolutely no call to take a 300 yard, running, Texas heart shot. It’s a guaranteed waste of meat, if the shot lands where it was intended, so it served no purpose except to claim a trophy.  Maybe the hunter got caught up in the moment, or maybe he felt like he had to take that shot because the cameras were on him.  I can’t say.  But that’s no justification for transmitting that kind of behavior to the world.  The hunter may act in the moment, and that action is irreversible, but the television producers have time to consider and reconsider what they put on the program.  They can edit, they can reshoot, or they can simply cut the scene altogether. 

I think that, overall, the hunting television and video industry has made some steps toward cleaning itself up (I remember the big deal when Outdoor Channel went HD, and in order to be on their new, premium network, program producers had to agree to meet certain ethical standards… whatever happened with that?).  But there’s obviously still a long ways to go.  So what can we, the hunters and viewers, do to help them get there?

I’ve got the only solution I can think of right now, and that’s to kick off a campaign of letter-writing to the programs, the networks, and even to the sponsors demanding a higher level of ethics and responsible behavior on the programs.  We can demand that the programs put in a more conscious effort to manage their content with an emphasis not just on getting the kill on video, but how that kill is perceived by the audience… and how it will play in the field of public opinion. 

At the very least, each of us should send a comment to the program and its parent network every single time we witness something we think is questionable… don’t do like I’ve done so far, and wait until one episode finally sets us off.  Do it every time.  One thing I’ve learned from the evolution of the Internet and online media is that we don’t have to be passive viewers any longer.  It’s almost too simple to click an icon, type up an email, and fire it off to express our points of view. 

Those of us with blogs can also play a role, by publicly calling out episodes and programs like I just did last night.  Just put it in print, on the screen.  Make sure you include the name of the program and the network that carries it, so that the search engines will pick it up.  You’d be surprised who reads it. 

It’s a combined noise that may not get everything we want, but we’ll be pretty hard to ignore.

Here are the three main outdoors programming networks I know of, and one online TV content source.  I’m sure there are others. 

The Pursuit Channel (Hunting Channel)
The Sportsman’s Channel
The Outdoor Channel
My OutdoorTV

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My little brother has four slots open for the SC deer opener (August 15).  You get a week of hunting for $500.  That does not include food, lodging or license, but it’s all the bucks you care to shoot.  You can use any legal weapon during the hunt, rifle, bow, pistol, muzzle loader, shotgun, or crossbow. 

I don’t believe this particular property has many hogs, but coyotes are open game.

If you’re interested, respond here and I’ll get you in touch with him.

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