Terrific_tom
5 year old buck +
Steve just watched Destination Whitetail on Sportsman Channel in which you were featured. Interesting show, liked that you were up front and told the veiwers that shooting a lot of does doesn't apply to every property.
Steve Bartylla on Sportsman Channel
- Thread starter Terrific_tom
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Steve Bartylla
5 year old buck +
Thanks. Glad you liked it/found it interesting.
The company that owns Deer & Deer Hunting owns 3 TV shows (D&DH TV:NBC Sports, Destination Whitetail: Sportsmans and Land of Whitetails (think that's on Pursuit). Except for the hunting stuff and the B roll I film for them (I only film gun hunts for them, as I can do that easily by myself), it's all filmed in 1 day, same location. I just change shirts, hats and chair locations a few times. I know the tips will be on D&DH TV, but then they do 5-6 interviews on different subjects. The interviews could end up on any one of the 3 and often have pieces from the tips in them. It'd be real interesting to see the Destination ep, as I really have no clue what they did and didn't use from that day. Truth be told, I watch next to no outdoor TV.
Those guys are REALLY good to me though.
The company that owns Deer & Deer Hunting owns 3 TV shows (D&DH TV:NBC Sports, Destination Whitetail: Sportsmans and Land of Whitetails (think that's on Pursuit). Except for the hunting stuff and the B roll I film for them (I only film gun hunts for them, as I can do that easily by myself), it's all filmed in 1 day, same location. I just change shirts, hats and chair locations a few times. I know the tips will be on D&DH TV, but then they do 5-6 interviews on different subjects. The interviews could end up on any one of the 3 and often have pieces from the tips in them. It'd be real interesting to see the Destination ep, as I really have no clue what they did and didn't use from that day. Truth be told, I watch next to no outdoor TV.
Those guys are REALLY good to me though.
Terrific_tom
5 year old buck +
They had several tips on manipulating deer movement. One was when creating food plot in woods to have bulldozer operator to push the trees off to side to create limited access to plot. They showed you taking 2 does and a really nice buck that you said was 4 1/2.
phil@thesidehill
5 year old buck +
wish i would have seen it....I really enjoy destination whitetails format as they show all sorts of deer hunting from all over the country.
Steve Bartylla
5 year old buck +
Runt bodied, short tined 10 that got had just got done fighting a 3.5 yr old 9? If so, that was a fun sit. I'm sure they didn't show close to all the footage, but I got about 15 mins of the 9 corralling a doe and 4:58 of the 9 and 10 going all out on each other. I was hunting a different buck, but the neighbor texted me that they shot him sometime during the fight. I almost shot up in the air twice to break the 2 up, as they each took turns pinning the other to the ground and I was really worrying that they'd mortally hurt each other....Just after they broke up, I saw the text and decided on the spot to roll the 10.
If it was the longer tined 10, he turned out to be 5.5 by the teeth. He was the most regular mature buck I've ever seen. had him over and over and over on Reconyx pics, passed him at 15 yds bow hunting once (he scored in the 150s, but I was after an upper 160s), flat out missed him with the bow the day before gun season and killed him the 3rd aft of gun (he was so regular that I'd made a deal with myself that I'd hunt the upper 160s the 1st 2.5 days and then go after him the 3rd aft if I hadn't connected...as I said, the most "clock work" buck I've ever hunted).
That's my "spoiled rotten" place to hunt. It's unfair to consider it true hunting.
Terrific_tom
5 year old buck +
It was the one that you missed with bow.
Deer Kar
5 year old buck +
I also caught it and thought it was very good. I like the fact that you weren't with a guide and said how hard you had to work for it!!! When I see that It drives me crazy!! Steve seems to hunt in the real world like most of the people on this site not on the moon like some of the TV so called PRO's
Steve Bartylla
5 year old buck +
Thanks, Deer Kar.
I've consulted for outfitters and do a little free guiding each year (real guiding is too much work), but I've never used a guide. I have nothing against it. I just enjoy the chess match more than the shooting and would feel robbed of the chess match portion.
I worked my a...butt off for that that buck, but it was mostly habitat and stand work. The buck was actually extremely cooperative and I should have killed him twice bow hunting (pass him on a gimme shot early and then flat out missed him with an arrow, not even close, a few days before the shotgun hunt you saw). To be honest, between the habitat and deer management I've done on the place, the glut of acres and limited pressure, the place I was hunting was "the moon," not the "real world." I try to make sure that it's no secrete that about half of each season I'm hunting "the moon," or utopia, as I call it. I hate when others are hunting utopia and pretend it's "Average Joe" ground. Not only is it BS, just to make them look better, but I think it does soooooooooooo much harm to the viewers in so many ways. I haven't seen the show, but they were supposed to package it as a "this is how I manage ground" show. Because they literally film me talking for 6 hrs straight (only broke up by shirt, hat and chair swaps), I never know exactly what they'll piece together for what tip, interview or hunt.
If it seems like I don't hunt "the moon," it's because I spend the other half of season hunting the real world. About 25% of each season I spend on public ground and the other 25% on typical, average-small properties that are shared with other hunters. so, I get the best of both worlds. I get to have the challenge/reward of the struggles small properties and public lands bring, but also get the HOLY @#$% rushes of hunting utopia grounds each ear.
I've actually been shifting more towards the "real world" the last three years, having 2 buck tags for hunting utopia and 3 for hunting real world. don't get me wrong. It's a real rush hunting utopia, but I find tagging real world bucks much more satisfying/rewarding. As I wrote in an earlier post, I have a 6.5 (150ish, but I have a lot of history with him and many encounters) and a 5.5 (If he doesn't Boone, he's within a few inches) that I have pegged for my 2 tags on utopia. I'm be disappointed in myself if I don't kill both, not because I didn't get the racks, but because they are that killable. I've never not filled my buck tags on any of the utopia grounds I've managed over the years. It may sound bad, but the truth is that filling them is simply an expectation. As cool as that is in some ways, it's hard to feel like you've accomplished much (outside of the management/property setup aspects). Completely different in the real world hunting settings. So much more challenging and rewarding.
I've consulted for outfitters and do a little free guiding each year (real guiding is too much work), but I've never used a guide. I have nothing against it. I just enjoy the chess match more than the shooting and would feel robbed of the chess match portion.
I worked my a...butt off for that that buck, but it was mostly habitat and stand work. The buck was actually extremely cooperative and I should have killed him twice bow hunting (pass him on a gimme shot early and then flat out missed him with an arrow, not even close, a few days before the shotgun hunt you saw). To be honest, between the habitat and deer management I've done on the place, the glut of acres and limited pressure, the place I was hunting was "the moon," not the "real world." I try to make sure that it's no secrete that about half of each season I'm hunting "the moon," or utopia, as I call it. I hate when others are hunting utopia and pretend it's "Average Joe" ground. Not only is it BS, just to make them look better, but I think it does soooooooooooo much harm to the viewers in so many ways. I haven't seen the show, but they were supposed to package it as a "this is how I manage ground" show. Because they literally film me talking for 6 hrs straight (only broke up by shirt, hat and chair swaps), I never know exactly what they'll piece together for what tip, interview or hunt.
If it seems like I don't hunt "the moon," it's because I spend the other half of season hunting the real world. About 25% of each season I spend on public ground and the other 25% on typical, average-small properties that are shared with other hunters. so, I get the best of both worlds. I get to have the challenge/reward of the struggles small properties and public lands bring, but also get the HOLY @#$% rushes of hunting utopia grounds each ear.
I've actually been shifting more towards the "real world" the last three years, having 2 buck tags for hunting utopia and 3 for hunting real world. don't get me wrong. It's a real rush hunting utopia, but I find tagging real world bucks much more satisfying/rewarding. As I wrote in an earlier post, I have a 6.5 (150ish, but I have a lot of history with him and many encounters) and a 5.5 (If he doesn't Boone, he's within a few inches) that I have pegged for my 2 tags on utopia. I'm be disappointed in myself if I don't kill both, not because I didn't get the racks, but because they are that killable. I've never not filled my buck tags on any of the utopia grounds I've managed over the years. It may sound bad, but the truth is that filling them is simply an expectation. As cool as that is in some ways, it's hard to feel like you've accomplished much (outside of the management/property setup aspects). Completely different in the real world hunting settings. So much more challenging and rewarding.
Steve Bartylla
5 year old buck +
Thanks, Art. I maybe shouldn't admit this, but I do take pride in that (pride being a sin and all). If any of you subscribe to D&DH mag, there is a pretty good piece in this issue on being a hunting "celebrity." Though it's not entirely accurate, it makes a lot of good points. that said, I am in no way a hunting "celebrity" in my wildest fantasies and honestly have no desire to be. In fact, I'd hate living their lifestyle. "one of the better know hunters" may even be a bit of a reach, but I probably do belong in that group somewhere (not being falsely modest, just honest self appraisal).
I could go on and on about the industry and what I don't like about it, but I'll spare you. Ultimately, I'm just thankful that I securely exist on the very outer circle of "the popular kids." I fly just enough under the radar to not have to deal with the sucky things, but just high enough to make a comfortable living doing what I want, the way I want to. I'm exceptionally blessed and I know it. There's an old saying that, "God looks out for children and fools." I'm not a kid anymore. so, I must have the back end of that covered.
I could go on and on about the industry and what I don't like about it, but I'll spare you. Ultimately, I'm just thankful that I securely exist on the very outer circle of "the popular kids." I fly just enough under the radar to not have to deal with the sucky things, but just high enough to make a comfortable living doing what I want, the way I want to. I'm exceptionally blessed and I know it. There's an old saying that, "God looks out for children and fools." I'm not a kid anymore. so, I must have the back end of that covered.
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