Back From Parkfield and a few thoughts!
I am now back from my hog hunt and raring to tell the story of the hunt. I know you are all on the edge of your seats. You’ll have to wait a few days as I have to do my civic duty and report for jury duty. I had a great hunt, hiked a lot and took some great photos.
Here are a few other things on my mind. First, I won the contest over at The Outdoor Fever for the H.S. Strut Turkey Call. A big thank you to Matt Elder for having the contest. Stop on over there and check out his blog! You can find some great information on many types of hunting and read his hunting adventures.
Second, did anyone see The Wild Within from last week with the Canadian Moose Hunt? I finally got around to watching it last night and was extremely bothered and disappointed with Steven Rinella. SPOILER ALERT: Steve shoots a bull moose, but even on camera he says he could only see his rack. WTF? You could only see his rack? Really? This is the kinda thing that scares the shit out of me as a hunter. What if a guy had been packing out a moose, the rack was sitting on top of the pack and Steve had shot him? Sure, there could be editing and all, but Steve actually comes right out and says he could only see his rack. Maybe I am just an overly cautious hunter, but I would like to think most hunters would wait to see more of the animal to be SURE of what they were shooting at. I like what Steve does with the show, but this is pretty scary stuff. I even replayed it for my wife and she said the same thing. Sorry, Steve, but I do not agree with the way you were thinking and from what you described I would NOT have taken that shot.
Anyway, I know that there is wireless while I wait to be summoned, so I will be trying to update everyone throughout the next few days. In the meantime, let me know what you think about The Wild Within episode.
I was also a little disappointed in Steven Rinella when I watched that episode. I have watched every one of his episodes and this is the first thing that I saw that I didn't like. It was extremely irresponsible. I do like the stuff that he does stand up for in his shows and I like watching the show, but I was almost stunned when he said that. It made me wonder if he took the shot only for the show and to make sure that he got a kill on tape, but who knows.
I totally agree with you, Matt. 99% of his stuff is excellent in my book. As soon as I heard him say he could only see the tips of his rack sticking up my jaw hit the floor. I'd love for him to respond on here. I don't want to come across as bashing another hunter, but I do want to promote safety!
Nothing wrong with holding their feet to the fire, Al. I absolutely believe that we, as hunters and as bloggers, have a duty to call the TV programs on this kind of thing every single time!
Maybe the comment was out of context, but it sure did sound like he took a literal shot in the dark.
Hope to hear some feedback from Rinella or his producers!