Questions you want answered

[TKsDad]

It is the microphone and the cables that attach to it. If any of the group moves, the cables make some sort of pop when they are moved. If you have the mic too close or too far, it also pops.

Wish I knew a way to get rid of it, but that is the kit they have us set up with.

HA, that's exactly what that sounds like. Well I will learn to live with it, love the show.

 

[royalaxation]

I really enjoyed the conversation, and I learned a lot about hunting.

But I gotta tell you, the best, most valuable, most insightful and wise 10 minutes of this podcast w/ Newberg, Rinella, and Putelis is the last 10.

My wife and I are coming up on our one-year anniversary. I started hunting in the first year of our relationship (she said she'd never marry a man who didn't hunt, I didn't hunt at the time, so I knew what I had to do; little did she know how addicted and dedicated I'd become!), and while she has some idea what it means be in a relationship with an avid hunter, I didn't fully appreciate, until the last 10 minutes of this podcast, what my responsibilities are to her vis a vis my hunting obsession.

I just listened to the podcast yesterday, and today I started putting some of the Newberg/Rinella/Putelis marriage strategy into practice. Wha' d'ya know!? It's already paying dividends! Sure, that means I'm going to a Broadway musical tonight, but if it makes her happy, if it demonstrates my commitment to her enjoyment, and if it earns me a few more preference points w/ her for time in the field, it's well worth it. Besides, it's THE BOOK OF MORMON and we're native Utahns, so this is gonna be a hoot!

Thanks a bunch, Randy, Steve, and Janis.

And props on the Hunt Talk Radio podcast, Randy. Fascinating convo re: tech and hunting as experienced by different generations. I look forward to more.

 

[Beartooth83]

How often are perfect shot opportunities passed for the simple fact that the camera guy is unable to get a "shot of the shot"? And do you ever go hunting by yourself just so you don't have to deal with those kinds of issues?

 

[Wolfpack23]

Would like to start off by saying how much I have enjoyed the podcast so far. Really good stuff!

One topic I would love to see discussed is the whole African hunting/ hunting in Africa acting as a source of conservation topic. Obviously this topic has come under fire recently with the whole "Cecil the lion" deal. Hunting shows, articles, etc. paint a picture that hunting in places like Africa is often the largest source of income for wildlife conservation however sources like CNN make claims that only 2-3% of money spent on these trips really go to conservation efforts (sounds pretty low). What are the facts on the positive and negative impacts of hunting (legal, not poaching) in places like Africa and how much money is actually being used for conservation in the area?

I would also love to hear y'all's individual opinions on hunting animals like lions, elephants, giraffes, etc. (some of the species that hunters have been crucified for in the media lately) and whether or not you feel any ethical or moral dilemma in hunting those animals.

 

[Big Fin]

How often are perfect shot opportunities passed for the simple fact that the camera guy is unable to get a "shot of the shot"? And do you ever go hunting by yourself just so you don't have to deal with those kinds of issues?

Ask and ye shall receive. We covered that topic today, and similar other topics, for two hours.

Most of you know that Cornell2012 is my son, Matthew. He is the guy who came up with this idea when he was barely 15 years old. He's been involved behind the scenes since then. After reading some of the posts, he thought it would be cool to get the original cast together for a podcast today, since he was in town for a few days of fishing.

So, Matthew, our camera guys for the first three seasons, Troy and Loren, got together and talked about how this idea got started over a cribbage game one summer in 2005, and how it came to be that a few months after I had given up on the idea, along came a production company/firend who talked me into taking the idea to TV. Troy and Loren worked for that production company and they are a big reason this idea got the good start it did.

We talk about a few examples of exactly that point; not being able to shoot because I did not have the OK from the camera man. Yeah, it is a lot different.

I think the Hunt Talk crew who asked some of these behind the scenes questions and those who have followed a lot of this are going to enjoy the perspective Troy and Loren gave on this podcast.

 

[royalaxation]

I understand there may be some conflict of interest here (I'm a public radio journalist), but I'd like to hear a discussion about which of the various conservation groups I should give my money to. Why would/should I support RMEF, TRCP, BHA, or any other groups? What are their missions and what issues do they tackle? Thanks

 

[freerange]

This question was just brought up on another forum regarding your podcast Randy, so I figured what better place to ask it than here:

You discussed how pro-hunting groups are limited by the fact that they file as non-profits. Do you think the solution is for new organizations to be brought up that do not file as 501(c)(3)'s? Or do the existing organizations need to change their tactics? I notice HSUS and PETA are both non-profits, how do the anti-hunters get money to their lobbyists when their most prominent organizations are non-profits as well? What can we learn from their tactics?

Thanks for the great podcast and for representing us so well with all your efforts.

 

[Big Fin]

This question was just brought up on another forum regarding your podcast Randy, so I figured what better place to ask it than here:

You discussed how pro-hunting groups are limited by the fact that they file as non-profits. Do you think the solution is for new organizations to be brought up that do not file as 501(c)(3)'s? Or do the existing organizations need to change their tactics? I notice HSUS and PETA are both non-profits, how do the anti-hunters get money to their lobbyists when their most prominent organizations are non-profits as well? What can we learn from their tactics?

Thanks for the great podcast and for representing us so well with all your efforts.

There are many entity types that are allowed to lobby. Most are formed for "Social Welfare" purposes. Look at the massive amount of political ads you see in an election year, now that the Citizen's United case in 2010 has allowed corporations to make donations. Most often, those are funded by 501(c)(4) groups that are supposedly distributing information beneficial to the social welfare of the country.

Hunting could form a Super PAC (Political Action Committee), if they wanted to get into more politics. The danger of entering politics as that you get sucked into the "party mentality," which can come back to bite you. Hunters do need to get more involved, but they need to do so based on the issue, not the parties.

Right now, our two best advocates are the Congressional Sportsmens Foundation and the United States Sportsmens Alliance. Funding them is critical for us to have any advocacy in DC.

 

[freerange]

Awesome, thanks for the quick response. I really appreciate it.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

Why are issues of wildlife management sometimes decided by popular vote instead of professionals of a states wildlife agency?

 

[Irrelevant]

Question, I can't remember if it was your podcast with Renella, or Renella's with you, but either way you both said you could out hike the 25-yr version of yourselves. When would you say you were at peak physical/mental ability? I agree with you two that my mental strength has increased with age, but at the same time there were things I was capable of doing at 20 that I couldn't do now, and if I did do, I'd be wiped out for a week, where as back then I'd be fine the next day.

 

[Big Fin]

How many helpers/spotters do you really have in other states that put you on the animals and/or hunting spots?

This question strikes me as funny. When the TV guys got together for network meetings back when we started this operation, I used to get this question. It was asked as if people implied we were somehow sneaking advance scouters or guides in behind the scenes and that was why we had the success all the experts told us would be impossible.

The answer, "None." I do a lot of info swapping with hunters in other areas. I do know a lot of people in a lot of places after 20+ years of hunting many states, and that helps. Helpers and spotters that put us on the animals are for the other guys. If I have a friend who lives nearby, I always invite them to come and join us for camp. Most of them do it for a day and when they see how we subsist, they are usually busy for the rest of the week. With the exception of NVLongbow, who loves to share camp with us and make us feel spoiled.

How much public versus private land do you actually hunt these days?

This was another question I used to get asked a lot by some of the experts who warned we would only shoot small animals, implying that we were somehow hunting behind "NO Trespassing" signs and hiding it from the audience. Makes me laugh. Put me on some of those exclusive properties and my job of getting footage would get a lot easier.

Before starting the show I hunted a lot of private land for deer, antelope, birds, and some ducks. I also hunted a lot of public land at that time, for the same species and for elk. I surely could hunt a lot of private land, due to all of my CPA contacts, but as long as I do the show those opportunities will have to wait.

What is your annual budget for hunting?

Not sure. Never really calculated what the "hunting" part of this operating budget is.

Before the show started and once my CPA firm grew to the level we had worked for over ten years, I set up an account that I put $1,000 per month into for tags, apps, and equipment. Some years I used it all and some years there was some left over, due to not drawing much in tags.

Do you actually still have a "regular" job anymore?

This is more than a full-time job, when it comes to hours, exertions, travel, etc. And it requires half-time unpaid work from my wife. Not sure if this enterprise qualifies as a "regular" job, as in a regular job you get a paycheck. In a regular job you don't have to front the business seasonal working capital. In a regular job, you get paid time off. In a regular job..........

If not for a "regular job," that pays my bills at home there would be no TV show. I am "Of Counsel" in the CPA firm that I was once a partner in. In the winter, I work as much as my health allows and as much as the CPA firm has work they need me to do. The rest of the year, I do less CPA work and I work full-time at this TV show, website, and podcast as an unpaid small business owner.

As Mrs. Fin would call this endeavor, "The best job Randy ever bought."


Question for you - Why do you ask?

 

[Big Fin]

Question, I can't remember if it was your podcast with Renella, or Renella's with you, but either way you both said you could out hike the 25-yr version of yourselves. When would you say you were at peak physical/mental ability? I agree with you two that my mental strength has increased with age, but at the same time there were things I was capable of doing at 20 that I couldn't do now, and if I did do, I'd be wiped out for a week, where as back then I'd be fine the next day.

I would say my physical stength peaked in my late 20's or early 30's. I drove a desk for too long, so a youth of playing football and lifting weights quickly eroded behind the cubicle.

As for my mental strength, it seems to get better each year. This season was the toughest season I've even endured for this show. Mentally it was a tough year, as most every hunt we had elements or other conditions working against us, in addition to the normal challenge of filming wild animals on public lands. Also, dealing with nagging physical injuries most of the season drained me more from a physical standpoint than any other year.

But, as far as putting my head down and accepting that day's demands as part of what I signed up for, I can pretty much block it out and put one foot in front of the other. I can get up after 80+ days on the road, eating crappy meals, sleeping in cold/stiff beds, put on damp boots when it is 10F and walk out into a 30mph wind and accept it as the path I have chosen. When I was in my 20's and 30's I think I would have found an excuse as to why I would not do that after about 20 days of abuse. Given I made it through our toughest season even, without any big outburst of frustration and never gave up, never found an excuse to not climb the next ridge, I think I am mentally stronger now than I was a year ago, or five years ago, or twenty years ago.

Not sure if that answers what you were getting at.

 

[Irrelevant]

I think that pretty much does, if I'm interpreting you correctly. So you're saying that you're currently at the highest level of hunting you've ever been at, because the mental portion is far more important than the physical aspect and that you're still young/fit enough that the physical portion isn't yet a limiting factor? If I'm understanding you correctly you just made my day. I keep fearing than I'm nearing my peak in hunter ability and that I should be devoting more time, effort, and money, into those bucket list high mountain hunts, but if I still have another decade or two that would be sweet (31 now).

 

[gregt9146]

How do you hunt heavily wooded areas for deer in the Missouri Breaks for Deer?

 

[hank4elk]

Do you ever mz hunt? Elk,deer or bear?

I ponder the personal physical/mental fitness limits deal now as you know Randy.
Interesting.

And I'm one of the "spotters" I guess now too...lol.
A simple e-mail and a couple talks is all.....and I now consider Randy Newberg as one of MY personal far flung outdoors friends. Spotter? Must have missed the whole HT deal.
How many questions I've asked you?.... and I've always gotten a reply.

 

[wyosage10]

How about tackling game meat in restaurants. It seems like its becoming more popular but my understanding is most meat is coming from game farms - which is awful for wildlife management (disease, genetics. Unless it's coming from overseas where the animal is non-native) and your every day person doesn't realize this. Any states addressing this issue?

 

[cowdoc]

I had a question concerning conservation organizations that also have TV shows.
Specifically since Randy is on the RMEF board. When an organization sponsors a show and there is a celebrity or well known person hunting on a private ranch that normally fetches $10k+ for a hunt how does a hunt like that get paid for?
Is organization member dues money paying for the hunts or just the costs of producing the show?
I am a member of a few of these that I also see sponsoring TV programs so I was interested in the process.
Thanks

 

[Big Fin]

I had a question concerning conservation organizations that also have TV shows.
Specifically since Randy is on the RMEF board. When an organization sponsors a show and there is a celebrity or well known person hunting on a private ranch that normally fetches $10k+ for a hunt how does a hunt like that get paid for?
Is organization member dues money paying for the hunts or just the costs of producing the show?
I am a member of a few of these that I also see sponsoring TV programs so I was interested in the process.
Thanks

Since I am the chairman of the RMEF Finance Committee I can give a bit of insight to this question. The Team Elk TV show is its own cost and profit center. It is required to make a profit, or at least, break even. After allocating all costs, including direct and indirect costs, the amount of revenue from sponsorship creates a profit for RMEF. So in a summary, RMEF gets millions and millions of impressions to viewers and does so while making a profit from the TV show. No dues or donations go towards supporting this TV profit center.

The business guys running the Team Elk show are smart guys. The TV show contributes toward additional mission funding and provides major exposure for the organization.

 

[nhn2a]

This may have been asked already but why do you do it? You mention several times on your shows and podcasts that you've never made money at this. Does your work with OYA and FT at least cover your expenses of making the shows, tags, etc and if not, why did you choose to do this and become such a public figure in the hunting industry at your own expense?

I know no one goes into the hunting industry to get rich but also haven't heard of anyone too willing to lose money to do this full time.