What should we hunt and film?

[174in]

I would like to see no more than three elk hunts and would love to see a javelina hunt,and more antelope hunts

 

[schmalts]

Youth hunt on at least one eposode. I know a 9 year old thats going to draw a NM lope and Valle Vadal elk tag

 

[upper deck]

Randy

-Do the third AK informative show as a web episode, hopefully draw more people to the site.
- If you can do a caribou and moose in AK I would change the schedule to something like this.

-4 Elk hunts (1 archery)
-3 Mule Deer hunts (1 archery)
- Caribou
- Moose
- 2 antelope
- whitetail
- Black bear

The third archery hunt maybe the moose or antelope.
I also like the turkey episode. Some states have walk in land for turkey only in the spring, that would be fun to see.

 

[mdhunter]

Sorry but I love the episodes where you hunt hard and are not always successful. Perhaps they are more realistic to me as they remind me of some of my adventures. I like the idea of a backpack hunt. How about a moose hunt in Idaho? The draw odds are not horrible so the average guy just might be able to pull it off.

 

[csutton7]

Nut--only way a non-resident can do an Alaskan grizz hunt is with a guide or a close relative over 19yrs of age I beileve---of course if da Big Fin wanted to fly the crew up and film an Alaskan Resident then it could happen, but he'd have to find someone who does it the OYOA way---chris

 

[WV Hunter]

Randy

-Do the third AK informative show as a web episode, hopefully draw more people to the site.
- If you can do a caribou and moose in AK I would change the schedule to something like this.

-4 Elk hunts (1 archery)
-3 Mule Deer hunts (1 archery)
- Caribou
- Moose
- 2 antelope
- whitetail
- Black bear

The third archery hunt maybe the moose or antelope.
I also like the turkey episode. Some states have walk in land for turkey only in the spring, that would be fun to see.

I'm with Upper Deck here. If you draw a Big Horn tag then you could drop the bear or whitetail hunt. I liked your turkey hunt but the only reason I watched it was because it was on OYOA, otherwise I would have changed the channel. I hate watching turkey hunts. A web episode or two of behind the scene informative stuff would be great.

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

All great ideas, one of the recurring post on the site lately has been about predators. Why not a Coyote Hunt? Also on the Whitetails and Reality Shows which OYOA definately qualifies why not do an Eastern Hunt and prove to everyone that a Western Based Show can be successful just hours from the majority of your Outdoor Channel viewing hunters. John

 

[mconway951]

Well whatever you decide I will be watching however please dont drop an antelope hunt I love watching those and I think that is the best DIY hunt in the country. Just my two cents.

 

[TLC]

wild hogs. beginning to be one of the favorite "off season" hunts there is. more archey hunts. whatever you choose for the critter.

"Two archery elk episodes? Hmmm. Those are so damn hard to get good footage of and be succesful, on public land. You guys are setting me up for frustration and failure."

since the majority of DIY'ers fail, whats the problem? nice to see the "experts" get the big nada every once in a while. its the learning part of the show that some of us are looking for. not the kill portion. thought thats what the show was about. doing real hunts that everyone can do? not saying, just saying......

also, how about a few minutes talking about what all is needed for these hunts as far as equipment goes? tent, cookstove, etc. not everyone from east of the mississippi knows what to bring on one of these hunts.

 

[hardscrabble]

5- Elk hunts (1 archery)
4- Mule Deer (1 archery)
2- Antelope (1archery)
1- Caribou (AK)
1- Moose (AK)

If the Alaska hunts don't work out, throw in the whitetail and turkey's. I am not a fan of bear hunts, I would love to hunt them just not watch them on TV. If you get lucky enough to go on a sheep hunt don't drop any Mule Deer hunts! I am with everybody else, muley hunts are the best. A backpack mule deer hunt would be at the top of my "must watch" list. I think that kind of hunting is interesting for alot of hunters.

Good luck with your descison

 

[fowladdict]

I don't care what you hunt...no matter what every episode has been great. The only thing that comes to mind for me is..."What a nice problem to have".

 

[Goldtip]

I like you outline there Big Fin in your first post, but I would drop the Archery antelope hunt and switch it to a spot and stalk black bear archery hunt, like you said it needs to be an attainable hunt for a solo hunter coming out west, which archery antelope is, but so is Black bear. If you watch the gazillion shows each year that are filmed on Black bears your right they are all at a bait station, and thats what guys think needs to happen to get it done with a bow for black bear. Now thats certainly the easiest way, but it almost requires a guide, and you can show it doesn't have to be that way.

Agree with above, the AK Moose/Caribou trip with a third "logistics" episode is an awesome idea. And any of the big three drawn in MT trumps all the other shows.

 

[IdahoBugler]

I think you have a great mix right now. I would love to see a coues deer hunt on film. It would be tough but getting it done would make for great video. I really really love archery elk hunting but doing it archery on public land is very tough. There's a reason why success rates are so low and adding camera's triples the complexity. One archery hunt in a really good public land unit should probably be your max. (I can't believe I'm saying that but I know how tough it is)

Another thought would be to load up with all the tags you can get and go hunting. What I mean by that is go to a state with multiple animals you can hunt at the same time. Spend double the filming time in the hills and make it two episodes (that would also cut down on traveling expenses). This is very realistic to what I do in Idaho, I'm sure others are the same. Tell the viewers you have a bear, elk, deer (whitetail or muledeer), lion and a wolf tag. Your heading out to go hunting, whatever pops out in front of you is fair game. A pocket full of tags and lots of public ground to hunt, doesn't get much better than that.

So with that said my order would be from first to last in importance.

2 episodes (moose, sheep and/or goats) (need lots of luck here)
1 Alaska Caribou (combo archery/rifle hunters) Very realistic to viewers.
1 Alaska Moose (combo archery/rifle hunters) Very realistic to viewers.
1 coues deer
4 elk (1 archery)
3 muledeer (1 archery) Love watching big old bucks in velvet getting shot with a bow.
2 antelope (1 archery) Antelope is an easy hunt with pretty much 100% success rates. Adding either an archery or muzzle-loader hunt makes it more compelling to me.
1 bear
1 whitetail

Obviously things will change once draws come out and you see what you draw. Keep hunting the way you do OYO and it won't matter what you hunt.

 

[Lawnboy]

Maybe you should do a smokepole elk hunt Somewhere..........

When I draw the Dutton Muzzy tag he'll have that covered

I'd like to be wealthy enough that I could hunt all fall and buy the wife furniture to keep her from complaining about my habit Can you do anything about that Fin?
I would like to see you do the hunts that your having a blast doing. If some are too stressfull as far as getting footage then don't do them. Most on this site don't realize how much pressure there is to find the animal, get good footage, and then hopefully harvest. All in 5 days. Not a whole season. My challenge to you is to have fun this year. Relax. I think your show will turn out even better.

As far as the hunts. I think any of the combinations mentioned will produce quality TV.

 

[mdcrossbow]

Sika Deer on Assategue Island in Md.
you need a Island permit for the truck. It's a great hunt, beautiful Sunrise over the Ocean and dunes. Plus you can have a few evening sitting down Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs, Film some of the wild horses that run the island. Cool place to visit. Or maybe not. It's still kind of a secret. LOL

It's not so much what you hunt but the places you hunt that I am attracted to. The prep that goes into your hunts, Prep is everything and the kill is the icing.

Elk hunts are cool but it seems that every one is making long range shots on them and Mulies. Your style of getting up close on your own is the magnet.

 

[Bio Bo]

Don't sacrifice what makes your show unique for the sake of a kill shot. The OYOA how-to is very interesting to many people out here. And don't be afraid to fail... just keep trying. That's one thing that made the turkey hunt last year, and the elk hunt where the elk wouldn't cross the fence... seeing and sharing the frustration, the experience... that's what brings us all together. And that's what makes your show unique. Please don't fall into the staged scene, kill shot routine. Any real hunter knows it is fake.
As for my preferences on animals hunted, bugling elk and gobbling turkeys make the hair stand up on the back of my neck. And calling to whitetails w/ estrus scents deployed or rattling can be very exciting, sometimes, too. The classic spot and stalk mule deer, elk, and pronghorn hunts are always good. And the AK trips are a good idea as well. The Bighorn sheep last year was also a favorite of mine.
I love hunting the wide open west, but there are places in the east and south that are open to public hunting that can be pretty good for many species. And that's where most people live. So a how-to-find those places and successfully hunt them episode would be good, IMO.
But I wouldn't forsake turkey hunting, and I wouldn't limit myself to western hunts. As one poster said, "Come to OK." Or come to TX, I can show you plenty of public acreage to hunt turkeys or whitetails and be successful. And tags are easy enough to get.

 

[Buckmania]

NO Turkey!

3 elk
3 mule deer
2 bear
1 moose
1 coues
1 antelope
1 caribou
1 hog

 

[elk_hunter]

I know it's tough, but another archery elk would be awesome. I'm an elk and muley nut so of course here's my bias:

5 elk (2 archery)
4 mule deer (1 archery)
2 antelope
1 whitetail
1 black bear

 

[noharleyyet]

How about a bloopers reel from one of the big expos?...aka: exhibit A.

Seriously, Elk and Muley heavy modern firearms...JMHO.

 

[MNHunter]

I think you should film whatever you want, I will watch. However, I will suggest any AK hunt beit Sitka deer, moose or bou. You can tag along on the many Sheep hunts I am sure to draw this year . Javelina, Coues deer, or a DIY offrange oryx hunt would be pretty kick ass. I'm sure theres a Hunttalker/OYOA NM resident that could find you an off range oryx. Beings how similar oryx hunting is to lope hunting it would be right up your alley.