Let's face it, over the past ten years, hunters have gotten a bad rap. For a few years it has seemed that hunting tv show hosts just wanted to show kill shot after kill shot, nothing really about the hunt to help educate people. This happened so much so that these same hosts kept breaking game laws in order to accomplish what they considered good television. Unfortunately, when they do this it makes national news and leaves a disdain for you and me. Something needed to be done. Luckily we were fortunate enough to have someone like Steven Rinella come along. He is well educated, level headed and overall enjoys the outdoors. In fact he is such a figure head to hunting that his wiki doesn't state that he is a professional hunter, but instead that he is an American Conservationist. How did he accomplish all this?
Steven started MeatEater, which I have been a fan of since the first episode back in 2012. What make this show stands out from the rest of the hunting shows out there is that he isn't about the kill shot every time. In fact he has many episodes where he doesn't even tag an animal. On top of being a show about hunting, one that is very educational to the average viewer, I would also consider it a cooking show. He has such a deep respect for the wild, the animal and everyone around him. There is a youtube video of where he was doing a book signing and a vegan was in the audience, the vegan engaged Steven in a debate. Steven didn't get angry, nor tell him about he should eat meat. Instead he talked about how he respected his lifestyle, how he would rather have him over for dinner, than someone that feeds their pet meat from the supermarket but looks down on a hunting and the hunter who chooses to go out in the wild and harvest their own meat. You can view the video here.
MeatEater has been such a successful show over the years that last year it was shown on Netflix, giving more of a chance for other viewers that don't have outdoor channel or sportsman channel to view a hunting show. Many people thought that having a hunting show on Netflix would disappear quickly given the attitude towards hunters in recent years. The result ended up being that it became even more popular and given a high rating. So Netflix picked it up as one of their shows. The newest season just came out a month or so ago. I watched it in a few days, and like usual, it doesn't disappoint. Steven is a great host and not only does he puts hunters in a favorable light, but shows more than once, him taking people that have never hunted out hunting.
Fresh Tracks with Randy Newberg is another show that started in 2013 that shows hunters in a more positive light. Randy may not have the deep thoughts and almost poetic wording that Steven can pull off, but he is one of those hunting show hosts that is trying to change the game. The best part about his show is not only is knowledgeable about the game that he is hunting, but like MeatEater, shows the hunts that all take place on public ground. He shows the struggle that is public land hunting, i.e. other hunters. Randy has many episodes just like Steven, where he doesn't tag an animal, cause let's face it, limited time, public ground hunts tend to be harder to harvest an animal. There is one episode where he is hunting bison outside of Yellowstone National Park. There is a group of people right there viewing the bison herd. Randy could have easily pulled the trigger and dropped his bison there, granted it would have horrified the group there, but he would have been completely legal. He choose not to do this but instead go find a bison somewhere else. The best reasoning for this, is that he could have made a group of people hate hunters even more, but instead showed us in a more positive light. This show can be viewed on Amazon prime.
Randy also does a ton of work with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. He does fundraisers, podcasts, etc. Some people think, so what, it doesn't affect me. It does though. RMEF has done so much to improve the habitat for elk to help them thrive, but also expand public land areas throughout the country and expand the elk herds in the country. This work not only helps the elk populations, but also help deer and other species survive.
In conclusion you have two hunters here with their own shows that are working to bring hunting back into a positive light. These shows are that jumping off point, the example that other hunting shows should try emulate. Let's face the facts, hunting is declining in popularity. The only way to fix that is not to rely on two people to change the tone, but for every hunter to police themselves and others. Recently here in Montana, someone shot 86 snow geese on BMA land and left them waste. Stuff like this can't keep happening. These animals live a hard and rough life, and deserve the fact that when harvested they aren't gone to waste. There is so much we can do to change, to teach to others that have never hunted or even held a weapon in their hands. Take a friend, family, anyone that you know that has ever shown a slight interest in hunting, hunting. Pass the knowledge on, because if we don't, hunters will become a dying breed and close the chapter on that part of human history.