Professional Hunters

[Breacher]

Hello everyone,

First off, this site is outstanding! If im not actually hunting, im dreaming of it while looking at this site. The information shared on this site invaluable.

I live in the eastern portion of San Diego where the deer hunting is pretty tough to say the least. I have managed a few small bucks but nothing like what I see some of you shooting in other western states.

I watch some of the hunting shows on weekend mornings with my kids. Many of the hunters are given the title as "professional hunters". Im not taking away from their success as business people but most of them are hunting private land with guides. Now I am in no way criticizing hiring a guide to better your chances of killing a nice animal because I would do it if I could afford to. I personally have a huge sense of accomplishment when I am able to do it on my own and I know many of you feel the same after reading many of the stories on this forum.

I guess my questions are these. What makes them "professional hunters"? If I were to win the lottery and pay to go on these great hunts, would I be a professional hunter if I harvested trophy animals? Or if I was a celebrity and my hunts were sponsored, would that make me a professional hunter? It just appears to me that there is very little skill involved on some of these shows other than patience and good shooting. Would these "professional hunters" still have the same success if you were to put them in your hunting areas on public land and tell them, do it yourself?

I read all the stories of you guys on these DIY hunts in the high country, sleeping in a tent for days and killing a trophy animal. To me that is a professional hunter. Anyone can pay a guide to put them on animals but are these "professional hunters" really as good as the shows make them out to be?

Last comment. I would like to see more of the celebrity/ professional hunters/tv shows do like what they do on ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition rather an extremely deserving person be given a hunt as a gift. I guess I just get tired of seeing the same people on tv killing trophy animals all over the country, wondering if they are really as good as some of the hunters on this site. Sorry for the long post. Im curious to see what you all think of this.

Thanks,

Nick (Breacher)

 

[slamdunk]

Welcome abouard Breacher!

The word "proffessional" insinuates that they are making money at what they are doing.
Most are being paid by sponsors to do those shows, therefore they are "proffessionals".

That's how i see it anyway!! ;-)

 

[sab]

>Many of the
>hunters are given the title
>as "professional hunters".
>
>I guess my questions are these.
>What makes them "professional hunters"?

In Africa, all non-resident hunters must be accompanied by a professional hunter (aka - "PH"). These PHs have to attend schools and get experience in order to be licensed, and they are heavily regulated. An African PH truly is a skilled hunter...

SAB

 

[jodog]

I think some of them are good hunters and I think some of them are a joke, think I'm burnned out on all the tv hunting . I like a good hard hunt, might come home with a trophy or I might come home with a... not so trophy. Like this year, I bow hunted real hard and had some close incounters with a couple of 350 class bulls but they got luckier than me and now someone else will have a chance at one of those magnificent trophy's. I ended up arrowing a young 4x4 at about 2pm on the last day of the bow season and that is ok by me, it was a GREAT bow season.

 

[sageadvice]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-05-09 AT 01:47PM (MST)[p]Good first post Breacher and welcome!!

I too tire of seeing these "pro's", especially those from back East or the South, come West and harvest great game animals on private ground with guides. It's just not near the same as what "most" of us have to go thru to take our game animals.

On the other hand, i've hunted some great private ranches in my day and though there was no lodge with fancy meals, it was very nice to have undisturbed and abundant amount of nice quality animals to pick from.

I guess what i'm trying to say is these hunts are available to us all, it's just having to come up with the coin that separates "them pro's" from what most of us can afford to do. Money talks, unfortunately, in a lot of cases and it's getting more so all the time.

Joey

 

[woodruffhunter]

Good question and some good answers IMO. I guess its how you look at it. I can hardly stand watching these TV Hunts. Usually I dont watch them.

These celebrity couples that hunt together and make the hunt a big joke get on my nerves. However, I will give them credit, they are making $$$ and doing something they like to do.

Having said this, I actually like watching hunts by Cameron Hanes (Eastman), Christensen Arms, Jim Shockey.... These guys are pretty good hunters IMO.

 

[kilowatt]

Just yesterday was watching Jim Shockey and a hunt of his in Africa after a Lord Derby's Eland. Never seen any of the other hunters put themselves through the jungles after an animal like this and get all bruised, cut and filty dirty to get their game.
At times he was covered with gnats, flies and god knows what else to get close enough to shoot one with his Muzzy. He finally did it and was one happy hunter.

Brian

 

[fatrooster]

I'd rather watch, read about or participate in a "Do it yourself" hunt any day over any other kind of hunt there is. Guided hunts just do not interest me. Unless it is in a place where the law requires you to use a guide. fatrooster.

 

[eelgrass]

Slamdunk said it best. A "professional" is someone who gets paid, as opposed to an "amature" who is not paid. It really has nothing to do with ones ability to hunt. In fact there are any number of amature hunters who can out hunt the highest paid professionals.

Eel

Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.

 

[Hardway]

I'm a professional hunter......just an unemployed one

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

 

[firemedic56]

Welcome Breacher....I haven't been here that long myself, I think most of us that hunt DIY, here in the East or out West have at times had our fill of the 'professionals' on TV's hunting shows. It really gets to me when the guide gets one of these 'professionals' within 150 yards of a trophy of whatever species of critter that they are in pursuit of, and the hunter is so inept with their firearm that they botch the shot and either miss or cripple the animal. I do agree with most of what has been posted about this.....we all have an opinion and that's good, keeps things interesting around here.

 

[wildsage]

Interesting posting, I would go along with Slamdunk and assume that a professional is one that receives pay for hunting,

I have been watching the Gordon Eastman series of videos and if you haven't seen his Outdoor Journal, you should check it out as it shows how the early days of hunting were. This is one tough individual and a real pioneer in wildlife photography.

wildsage

 

[drannan]

Are you a Breacher?

Hunters getting paid, or sponsered are professionals I think.... I do think they still have some good shows like the ones mentioned. Best of the West is ok sometimes, Big Game Profiles I usually like. Western Extremes and any others that act like High Fence hunting is real hunting, are pathetic.

I DVR tons of shows and immediatly delete them if they are shooting Whitetails or Turkeys from a blind or tree stand....

 

[muleymaniac]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-05-09 AT 09:08PM (MST)[p]I guess its turning hunting - into a payday - the HANK PARKER BUNCH -the area is baited for weeks ahead of time - setting blinds etc. tree stands - trail cameras set so they can pick what they want- not every show but 9/10ths of them. It's more of a selective harvest , than a true hunt. hey 3D boys come on down to Arizona - no guides- no baitin -no blinds - a spot and stalk - you do the scouting and the hunting during your hunt- harvest a nice buck archery and I'll be impressed !- do it rifle -i'll still be impressed - I get tired of mosst of these - friday deer specials - I say the same thing to all these so called - professional hunters! come on techamonti farmers - MM

 

[Breacher]

Yes drannan, explosive breacher.

 

[Breacher]

Well thanks guys for your comments. I was curious as to what your thoughts are on the topic. I think Muleymaniac hit the nail on the head when he brought up Hank Parker and his show. In Southern California, Versus is the only station to air hunting shows and ive been force fed my fair share of Hank Parker 3d and the husband wife teams. Like I said, if you have the money to better your chances of hiring a guide, more power to ya.

I am just more impressed by some of the stories of DIY hunters on the site. The time and effort that goes into some of these hunts takes far more skill than using C'mere deer. Ought to start a Fantasy Muley Hunter Team and put them up against the celebs.

 

[drannan]

Very cool! I'm not, too scared, but I work with several.

 

[SMELLYBUCK]

Breach,

I like they way you think. I'm amazed at how many dorky shows make it on the air and actually get sponsers.

It's hard to watch the turkey and whitetail hunts. It's also hard to watch a show where you know the secret tactic was a $5000+ check.

I too enjoy Eastman's which was mentioned earlier.

I'd watch these shows more if they would teach a lesson on a general public land hunt. (Hunting junipers, hunting river bottoms, hunting above tree line....) It would take an excellent hunter to pull it off and make a profit.

 

[califhuntn]

I think everyone pretty much hit it on the "Pro Hunter." Breacher if you had Directv you would get more selection. On second thought it is just more of the same. There really are not enough true DIY shows. The focus is getting trophies on camera than the adventure of a true DIY hunt. Hunting with 4 cameramen is quite DIY. David Long is the only guy I have seen that have attempted to put out some footage of a true DIY hunt. I am not talking about the last two years either. The video where he took Curly was a true DIY. Sorry for going off the subject.

JR

 

[trueblu]

while i understand the logic that slamdunk and eelgrass are making about professionals getting that title by being paid, i tend to disagree for the fact that hunting is a sport/hobby that the vast majority of people can do if they simply have the desire to do it. however, i may have all the desire in the world to play pro fooball, baseball, or golf for that matter but aside from all the time and energy i put into it, if i step foot in a nfl game or boxing ring i'm gonna get killed. physically there's nothin i can do about it. hunting on the other hand can be accomplished by any one who has the time and/or recources(money)to kill big animals. kinda like poker, i hate it when someone self anoints themselves "professional poker players." to be a pro at anything requires some skills that a very small percentage of people can do. money or not in my opinion.

 

[drannan]

True, but isn't that the difference between VERY successful hunters and not very successful hunters?? Most people who get pain to hunt or guide are pretty good, or they find themselves doing it for free and thats hard to do without a real job for very long.

One example is Cameron Hanes who was not a professional hunter (IMO) even when he was a very successful hunter until he got hired to hunt and write about hunting full time. Now he is a professional hunter. (and still a very good one!)

I agree hunting is different then professional sports because any of us with the time, money, and determination can be very successful, and even with all of that I cannot play any sport professionally!

 

[SMELLYBUCK]

1+

hunting is not a "sport"