The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: MikeBjerum on September 03, 2014, 07:33:43 AM
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It is that day they call Wednesday Night At The Range. However, it is less and less about firearms and techniques. I have stated before that I enjoy hunting and hunting shows, but I also enjoy the shooting shows.
Where is Shooting Gallery, Best Defense, and Best Defense Survival? They can run reruns of other programs, but Outdoor Channel is quick to move these shows out for months at a time.
Michael, when you return from your busy period this week, or Marshal, can you explain what is happening? It seems to me that each season this gets worse and worse.
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Hi;
I use to enjoy the line up and a complete evening of these type of shows was always anticipated. Now there is the usual hunting shows taking over...We all know the target ( animal ) dies in the end. It has the usual whispering and the a high five at the end of the shot.
I saw the TV Line up on the channel and turned it over to the crime channel ( ID ) and left it there for the night.
The other 2 "sportsman" channels I get are basically doing the same thing.
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The other 2 "sportsman" channels I get are basically doing the same thing.
90% of the shows on The Pursuit of Outdoor Sportsman's channel can be summed up like this:
"Hi, here’s the sponsor’s product. Watch me as I go to someplace you’ll never go and shoot something you’ll never shoot with the sponsor’s product. Oh, and I’m not going to let you learn anything from what I did other than the sponsor is cool and I’m cool and you’re not. See you next week."
Bor-ring. I've learned squat from those shows, which is why I like Shooting Gallery, Best Defense and other such shows. If you're going to do a hunting show, make it about something other than the hunting, such as what Michael did with the Africa show, the new Uncharted show or what Steve Rinella does on his show.
Also, let's make a list of all the shows out there that teach hunting to non-hunters. Ready? Start!
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My, that was fun, wasn't it? I hate the fact that 90% of the outdoor shows assume their audience are hunters, grew up as hunters and will always be a hunter.
Except a good many of us who are shooters and part of Gun Culture 2.0 never grew up hunting. There are programs galore for getting women and children started in hunting, for grown men, though, there's squat.
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Also, let's make a list of all the shows out there that teach hunting to non-hunters. Ready? Start!
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My, that was fun, wasn't it? I hate the fact that 90% of the outdoor shows assume their audience are hunters, grew up as hunters and will always be a hunter.
Except a good many of us who are shooters and part of Gun Culture 2.0 never grew up hunting. There are programs galore for getting women and children started in hunting, for grown men, though, there's squat.
Somewhere in my (too) numerous posts you will find rants that explore this very same thing.
Coming from PA originally hunting laws were pretty simple. Get a license, go to these (x) places between (x) and (x) dates and shoot a deer.
Here in FL I have read (many times) the hunting laws for the state game lands and it reads like this "Get a license, find game lands, are you a (x) x = first time hunter, winner in a draw/raffle, is it the second Tuesday of the third month with Mars rising through Venus, have you preregistered for the plot from last year (always closed or unannounced), do you have the additional permit for the south part of the north section of the Green Swamp State Game lands for this day....on and on and on. Never did figure it out.
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I agree. It's Gun Stories, American Rifleman and sometimes Shooting USA and NRA All Access. The rest of the shows I don't have much interest in.
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An untapped resource that would be a rating winner is Larry Potterfield. His videos that get run during one of the shows, and available on his website, are of more value than many shows out there.
Keep up the good work Michael. Your shows are tops, and the whole purpose for this rant is that I don't get enough of them.
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I agree with ExurbanKevin . When it comes to "hunting" shows, I'd rather watch Jack Hanna, at least he has some good video of the animals, and some information about them.
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Now there is the usual hunting shows taking over...We all know the target ( animal ) dies in the end. It has the usual whispering and the a high five at the end of the shot.
That's what I loved about watching Tred Barta. You never knew if he was going to shoot a critter or not. His show was about much more than just hunting.
I wish they'd pick his show up again, but I understand that his condition is worsening.
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That's what I loved about watching Tred Barta. You never knew if he was going to shoot a critter or not. His show was about much more than just hunting.
I wish they'd pick his show up again, but I understand that his condition is worsening.
Tred Barta lives like Teddy Roosevelt... guy has some big brass ones!
Sad to see him fall so fast.
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I remember one air gun hunting show. Whole half hour and never saw any game, much less took a shot. Boring.
++ on Michael's Africa show.
Oh, and Kevin and I are always available as "zeros" about African hunting to go on the next safari.
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Oh, and Kevin and I are always available as "zeros" about African hunting to go on the next safari.
Oh hella yeah!
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As I have a tradition of giving Ruger good ideas for their marketing (http://www.exurbanleague.com/misfires/2011/03/08/youre-welcome-ruger/), how about this:
Ruger and MidwayUSA present "The Tenderfeet", sponsored by Hornady Ammunition1. 13 week, half hour show. 6 contestants who are familiar with guns but have never hunted2 compete each week in a series of challenges designed to hone their hunting skills. Winner goes to Derkaderkastan on the "hunt of a lifetime" with a big Outdoor Channel celeb3, and a minor Outdoor Channel celeb hosts the show. Shows alternate for twelve weeks between showing the contestants how to hunt and then the challenges themselves, with the series finale being the hunt itself.
Ok Michael, hire me to produce it, and let's get Ken Jorgeson and Larry Potterfield on the phone! ;)
1. Suggested sponsors, but you get the idea.
2. Dunno how to check this. Maybe searching their state's fish and game records? If not that, a signed affidavit renouncing any prizes if you cheat.
3. Big as in the host of a primetime show. Minor celeb would be the sidekick on an existing show.
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3. Big as in the host of a primetime show. Minor celeb would be the sidekick on an existing show.
Like Scouten's kid? 8) :o ::) ;D
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I'm also very disappointed with the Outdoor Channel channel on the Roku. We got rid of cable a couple months ago to save money (lots of money), and have been using a Roku and Hulu + so as not to turn our 60" TV into a big dust-collecting paperweight.
I was happy to find an OC channel available for the Roku. It is $4.99/month with a 7 day free trial. Unfortunately the content on the channel is more than a little old. The newest Gun Stories episodes are from season 2, and there are episodes of Shooting Gallery on there from 7 years ago. Not all the episodes, either. Just a couple seasons from long ago.
Well, I signed up for the free trial, watched a couple old SG episodes, and cancelled my subsription. Sad that you have to pay that much for old content. Luckily I have about 1000 videos from Hickok45 to go through on Youtube. ;D
The cable companies are really trying to put a squeeze on Roku owners and Hulu subscribers. They must be scared.
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Honestly, I don't know why Outdoor Channel isn't snapping up Hickok, FPS Russia, MAC, et al to be hosts on their shows.
Heck, Freddie Wong's channel is in the top ten on youtube. It's mostly about video gaming, but and he has guns a-blazin' in every third video or so.
There is a vibrant and thriving online video gun community, and it's being ignored by the cable shows.
To their credit, Marshall and Michael understand this, which is why blogging schmucks like me get onto OC shows :D, but they are the exception, not the rule.
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Heck, considering the variety of shows some of the other channels run, OC could opt for some fiction/drama. If it's remotely about the outdoors or cowboys, then it would be appropriate. I hear Longmire is available.