Hunting Videos.

[Messor]

When we look at photos, the purpose of said photos is purely to bring back memories.
The trick of the whole thing is, first we must make good and clear memories.

When just walking around with a cellphone or camera taking pictures or videos the whole time, those do not create memories, just like Adoons mentioned. You use a lot of sensory input and a lot of emotional content to create these memories, in short if it does not mean much you don’t remember it well, regardless if you have photo’s or videos of it. I don’t remember the going to the shops trips every week, not at all, why, simply put they are not important and I don’t concentrate.

With hunting, this is SUPPOSE to be something very personal, primal and even spiritual. You need to concentrate on what you are doing, you need to focus all your senses, you need to work towards a prize and experience the joy of success, measuring yourself against other creatures. When you walk around the bush taking photos and videos 24/7 you are not doing this, when you hunt in a clusterfuck of a group taking videos the whole time you are not doing this.

I have shot many many animals from a vehicle and I wonder if I can remember 1% of them, no I probably can’t, because it just wasn’t important enough, it did not mean enough to me.

Now the problem, even people hunting like in the video feels something, maybe this is the only type of hunting they know, same goes for many other videos. We from the outside will never have a clear understanding of the emotional content surrounding the video. We watch a video and either say cool, that looks nice, or we say that is really stupid, and end up with debates like these. Something is missing in translation and that something will never be understood by outsiders watching your video.

Think of it as real Hollywood movies, how many of you feel there are just precious few good movies coming out these days, all just a bunch of CGI nonsense but no content? If feels like most directors lost their way, they cannot tell the audience the story the way it’s supposed to be, they don’t create an emotional connection between story(the movie), and the viewer. Not like the old days, like the end scene of “Last of the Mohicans”, where the father is asking for entry for his son around their ancestral fire. Or in the scene where the guy from “The Shawshank Redemption” crawled out of the sewer, coming out clean the other side, story telling that drew you in and created emotional content.
Do you guys feel this way, or understand this view?

Anyways, so hunting and videos.
First you must try and make the experience the most it can be, otherwise why preserve the memory?
Secondly, remember that whatever you take out of the video, there is a VERY good chance others won’t understand that, since they lack the insight and emotional connection to your video, they might as well just look at a CGI sequence.
If the video is educational, or storytelling, then post it by all means, if it’s about your hunt, think twice about it.

[Againstthegrains]

If I can come out in defense of people requesting these video's. There are a lot people who work too hard, get very little leave, so they splurge their annual savings on an expensive hunting trip, where they know they will fill the bucket list. Alas the trip feels so short, and then they are back to the grindstone for another 350 days. The only way to savor the moment is to take the video home and watch it on a rainy day instead of replying to the 100 mails in your inbox. But yes, posting on social media .... I wouldn't.

[knipmes]

In agreement with Messor. I followed up on quite a number of wounded animals where the hunter was to tired or just could not care any more. Most of these were not easy but I can remember only one or two incidents. They did not have the flavour of a hunt.

[Sweet]

While I whole-heartedly agree with the sentiments of the OP and most in this thread....I somehow feel different about watching wingshooting vids...I can while away a whole evening on them, without feeling "dirty"...

Anyone have an opinion?

[TStone]

In agreement with Messor. I followed up on quite a number of wounded animals where the hunter was to tired or just could not care any more. Most of these were not easy but I can remember only one or two incidents. They did not have the flavour of a hunt.

In a way I agree. On the other hand following up on wounded animals, wounded by both clients and myself, taught me more about tracking, animal behavior and practical shooting at less than perfectly positioned and moving animals than normal hunting ever did.

No one wants to wound an animal and I hate it when it happens but realistically, if you hunt enough, it will happen to you and you will learn skills that you would otherwise not have learned.

[treeman]

Wounded animals are stressful, but I really do enjoy the challenge and especially the success.

[knipmes]

In a way I agree. On the other hand following up on wounded animals, wounded by both clients and myself, taught me more about tracking, animal behavior and practical shooting at less than perfectly positioned and moving animals than normal hunting ever did.

No one wants to wound an animal and I hate it when it happens but realistically, if you hunt enough, it will happen to you and you will learn skills that you would otherwise not have learned.

You are correct regarding the learning curve that goes with following wounded animals. Apart from many things like tracking, etc one of the things I learned early on was that depending on the severity of the wound, animals tend to flee down wind. That way they can smell the hunter following it.