Are you an EXPERT hunter?

the spank is a Waterfowl Expert, skilled in computers and photography, a quality journalist, and a high quality mentor for younger Hunters. I have known him for 30 years, and he was the FIRST person that came to mind when I read this post. STEP UP SPANK....Respectfully. Jim

Thanks Jim.....:redface:

But I think I am more of an "obsessed waterfowler" than an expert....
 
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I only wish my Grandfather hadn't retired to B.C just as I turned old enough to hunt. I still got to hunt with him but not near as often as I would have liked.

The man was incredible when it came to Moose hunting. I never met a person 6'-2" and 240 lbs who could walk through bush without making a sound?? Even as a kid I was astounded by that feat.

He was not in it for the trophy, he was a put meat in the freezer kind of fellow who had to during lean years so he learned to "hunt" Moose, not simply go Moose hunting.

He had more tales than Red Fisher ever dreamed up at Scuttlebutt Lodge but they were good honest hunting stories and I could listen to them endlessly. I wish we had recorded them.

He sure passed on the love of the outdoors to me in my early formative years. I think that is where my obsession with fishing Lake Trout came from too. My Grandparents had a cottage on a lake loaded with Lakers and when other's were complaining the fish weren't biting my Grandfather seemed to be able to cure their lockjaw.

He was and always will be the greatest hunter and fishermen I have known but then I am sure we all feel that way about our Grandfather's we hunted and fished with? He was IMO an "expert".
 
I'm interested to see where this goes, as anything that promotes our sport and a proper understanding of it is a very good thing. It would be nice to have a good resource to point new folks to, and if this becomes what it sounds like he's trying to build, that will be it. It will be a challenge to find true experts in their field willing to invest that much time without an angle, ie. reasonable compensation or more likely an opportunity to advertise their outfitting business and skills. The true expert with a focus in a single field willing to invest the time for the good of the sport for no personal gain is probably quite rare, and very admirable. I will watch the progress with interest.

I suspect hoyt would do very well on bear, and bearkilr for the same, if they could be talked into it. Why not? could certainly help too.

There is compensation in the form of good ol' fashioned money. :)
 
Didn't catch that- well your friend has means and motivation, I'm impressed. The kind of quality he's after, I'd be looking at the successful outfitters, at least in the West. Niemeyer Outfitting for cats, sheep, goats- he guides Steve Hornady and is what your friend's after, work with his brother and could see if he's interested. He already does video and has that side well sorted.
 
There is an additional wrinkle in the expert bit: you need to consider what and where.

My father is a very serious, very experienced and exceptionally methodical moose hunter in ON who made a living making sure his clients never went home empty handed. That said, the idea of moose at 4000' on a mountain messes with his mind and I'm not sure he would shine the same here in the west.

That actually might be a tv series of its own.... take whitetail hunters from AB and NS and make them swap provinces. :)

Sorry I missed this the first time

WHAT and WHERE are very important. How to hunt moose in BC is of little value to the Ont hunter. ( although there are some fundamentals that are solar ) how to hunt whitetail in New Mexico is of little value to the guy in Michigan.

What is required is experts in every field, in every area.

ALL areas and all species are required. So if you are an expert in your area, or know someone, we would like to hear from you.
 
It also occurs to me that there might be expert hunters out there with no film or computer experience. Nothing wrong with grabbing a teenage whiz kid to come along.
 
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Your friend is going to have to be knowledgeable himself. As with any discipline, in order to be a good manager, director, buyer, or recruiter, you need to know the finer points yourself. Otherwise, you have no basis for vetting prospective "hunters". Outfitters are knowledgeable, but their motivations are all wrong. Hunting isn't about never being skunked. Hunting is not about finding or "arranging" to have animals where customers can take pot shots at them. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of ethical outfitters out there, but who's to tell them from the goons?

Your friend's idea has merit, although I have reservations due to it's commercial nature. If this site was a project of Alberta Fish and Game, or Sustainable Resources, it would stand a chance. But, even without ever having met your friend, I can tell you this site will eventually be all about product placement. There's no way to avoid it. He has to make money, or the site will fold. The only way he has of making money is through corporate sponsorships of the site and/or advertising revenue. Only a fool would think his site has anything to do with promoting hunting. Hunting is simply the theme that has been chosen to attract traffic - the users for the advertisers to prey upon.

I'm sure your friend isn't as mercenary as I make this sound. But, he's not in it for his health, either. I wish him the best of luck, simply because his efforts might help some people investigate our sport. If he can make a buck at it, what's wrong with that? He would do well not to ignore upland game bird hunting. As far as shear numbers go, I suspect upland hunter numbers are second only to ungulate hunters.
 
Upland, waterfowl, falconry, bigand small game, it's all required.

He's spent quite a few years as a guide for moose, elk, sheep, grizzly, goat in Northern BC and Yukon, his credentials are pretty good. He's also been filming hunts for quite a few years.

Unlike the entertainment hunting shows, Kill shots aren't required. It's about the hunting journey from start to finish, not about what truck you drive to the hunt or what cooler keeps your drinks cold. Someone that uses a method to consistently fill his freezer with a "meat" buck is just as valid as someone that is after only wall hangers. Getting skunked is part of hunting, and that's fine too. No need to make excuses like they do on TV.

It's a subscription site, product placement isn't important. Actually he is about as anti product pimping as it comes. There is no point in reinventing Wild TV or any of the other product pimping shows. People that want to use their submissions to sell stuff or make themselves into celebrities so they can sell stuff will be rejected.

That's not to say there will never be product reviews, but they are waaay down the list of priorities and will be honest and no holds barred. For instance, the Stanfields sweater will get a much more favorable review than the scent control camo clothing, which would be laughed at.

Only product being sold is knowledge.
 
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Looks like a capital idea! While I wouldn't spend more than the time it took me to find the remote and switch channels watching a so-called "hunting" show, I will definitely be checking this website often.

I hope the fellow is successful. Standby for the naysayers......

I am not a mighty hunter. I love to go out and walk around on a nice day, and even enjoy being out on a not so nice day. This doesn't make me better or worse than the trophy hunters or the meat hunters. I like the idea of sharing the wealth of experience that some people have with the likes of me, who hasn't " progressed" much past carrying an old .32 WS 94 and using hunting clothes gathered over 20 years of finding stuff that fits.

My "successful" hunt consists of getting out into my old stomping grounds, land I hunted on with my Dad 50+ years ago, walk around, maybe see some game, maybe actually get some game for the table, and go home tired.

I don't expect Gatehouse's friend will be asking me for an interview anytime soon!:p
 
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I'll put the word out. This town is full of expert road hunters.




**I really like the look of the website!
 
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