Guys - Tomorrow night on the OUTDOOR CHANNEL at 9:30pm EST, part II of the "BONE COLLECTORS" show featuring BOTSWANA Elephant & Buffalo hunting, will be on! This is Michael Waddell's new show, and I wanted to see what you guys think?

If you get a chance to watch, please do and tell me what your opinion of the show is, how it compares to Tracks Across Africa, what you like, don't like, etc? I don't mean this as a competition between BONE COLLECTORS & TAA, as I actually prefer TAA myself, but simply as a comparison of different styles. Obviously Michael's show is not geared towards international hunting, but we did spend a few weeks together in Africa this past summer, so I just wanted to see what guys here think of the show, the style, the content, etc?

Again, it's on the OUTDOOR CHANNEL Sunday night at 9:30pm, EST.

Aaron Neilson
Global Hunting Resources

Aaron,

I watched the show the other day and I'll try not to be too harsh. I can get real wound up on this topic.

I did not like it!

I counted the minutes of hunting, approx 7-8 minutes. Way too much "clowning around, non-hunting activities and trying to be cute. Not you BTW. You were hunting very briefly for Elephant, I believe.

Please understand, I am particular about the shows I watch. TAA happens to be one of my favorites. At one time I used to DVR 10-12 shows. I now record only 4-6. Way too much of the same stuff and not enough "real hunting".

Some of the husband/wife shows are boring. There are 10 million comedians out of work! The cutsie stuff doesn't work for me.

And Northwest Hunter. I want to go to his shooting school!!!! The opener shows him making several one shot kill that "fold like a cheap suit". I watched a part of the most recent one where he was dove hunting. He had edited out all but the kill shots. Does he think we are stupid?! This is the kind of stuff I am talking about.

I want to see real hunting and no staged stuff. Example. The camera shows the hunter and guide slipping up on a downed animal. I have a question. Show in the h*** did the cameraman get on the opposite side of the animal from the hunter and guide? Sorry, I don't buy it. I don't like the "staged" stuff.

Anyhow, that is my two cents worth. I guess I did get wound up. Sorry. This is a sensitive subject with me.

Keep it real and the shots of the safety being flipped off to a bare minimum.


Paul in Texas

Paul,
Last year I hunted with a guide who took the Northwest Hunter guy out. He said he couldn't shoot. Took him 7 shots, with a good rest, to hit the animal.
I have seen the show - a guy puts shooting sticks on his waste and off hand shots an animal 400 yards out and just crushes it with one shot. Oh I bet that happens every time.
Aaron< I'll try to catch Bone Collector, it's on pretty early up here.

i saw the show & it sucked big time. bunch of loudmouths waving their peckers around. guy shoots an ele with a bolt action and old mikey waves his t/c encore around in front of the camera.

I didn't think it was bad at all. For the general (non-safari) person watching, they did a good job of explaining the need to hunt elephants. I actually thought it was an interesting show.

I saw the first part and it was OK and I actually liked the part of showing "other" things to do while on a trip like this. The bungee jumping, scenery shots and even the clowning around (happens in most camps) were all appreciated. Jim Shockeys' shows also add some of the "other things while on a hunt" and I like that as well. Just walk, stalk and gun'em down, gets old pretty quick too as a lot of the other shows portray. I'll make it a point to watch Part II on Sunday. Thanks for the heads up as to when, where and what time.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by SilentT:
I didn't think it was bad at all. For the general (non-safari) person watching, they did a good job of explaining the need to hunt elephants. I actually thought it was an interesting show.

I saw both episodes and while I did enjoy the show, I just don't think it compares to TAA. Michael's shows are geared towards good ole boys, and being one myself, I can appreciate that. I'm afraid that a good bit of the banter will be lost on quite a few. I for one certainly laughed at Shockey's attempt at good ole boy adjectives.

While the show might not appeal to the average African hunting enthusiast, I think it will help the average GA or AL deer hunter who connects with Michael understand what Africa and hunting elephant is all about. Sadly, African hunting is lost on a lot of Michael's viewers the same as Michael's show is lost on a lot of TAA viewers.

Absolutely disgusting, not God's best work creating these two primates.
I watched the whole thing and it made me want to go out and ban all hunting everywhere if this is what hunters are. I had to spend a considererable amount of time on the treadmill to burn off my rage.

I will go along with what Larry said. I can understand why Waddell wants to expand his marketing range but it's not his forte. He is the N American hunter type.
I did like the camp scenes. The part where you asked if anyone had served him coffee in bed and his response was pretty funny.
The thing with hunting shows that feature things overseas is they need to be informative. N American hunts are good with humor b/c everyone watching hunts here. But the overseas hunts have more money involved and there are so many more obstacles to consider that the more informative they are the better they come across.
That's why Shockey does so well. You don't see him doing S TX hunts out of high stands. It's just not his thing and he'd never be able to pull it off like Waddell could.
Oh, and for what it's worth, I did like the show. I thought you came across well. It just reminded me of someone taking their country cousin in to the city for the first time.

Missed the first one but looking forward to the second half....


Mike

Guys as you know, it's not my show! I just happen to be on it hunting elephant and buffalo! I do genuinely like Michael and the gang, they hunt with me quite a bit in the states, and we always have a good time.

Without question, I would do things differently, starting with more hunting and less clowning around! I do enjoy entertainment, but hell this ain't the comedy channel! Don't shoot the messenger, I just wanted some opinions from guys who are African Hunters, not just the DEER hunting crowd that follows "BC".

I do believe part 2 has more hunting, than part 1, but I have not seen it yet!

Aaron

I'll agree more along the lines of Larry's comment.. I saw part 1, and look forward to part 2..

So, how was it hunting with Ronnie??

I am so africa starved, I like anything with Africa scenery. That includes animal planet, National Geo. That said, too much clowning.
Bungee jumping really who cares....

Aaron,

None of my comments were aimed at you, only the show. I have not hunted Africa, but maybe with your help I will very soon. Either Namib or Zim, still weighing my options. I will let you know.

I thought this was a good topic to bring up and let us comment on. We all like different things. As for a hunting show, this episode of BC was not my cup of tea.

Keep up the good work!


Paul

quote:

Originally posted by smokepole paul:
Aaron,

I watched the show the other day and I'll try not to be too harsh. I can get real wound up on this topic.

I did not like it!

I counted the minutes of hunting, approx 7-8 minutes. Way too much "clowning around, non-hunting activities and trying to be cute. Not you BTW. You were hunting very briefly for Elephant, I believe.

Please understand, I am particular about the shows I watch. TAA happens to be one of my favorites. At one time I used to DVR 10-12 shows. I now record only 4-6. Way too much of the same stuff and not enough "real hunting".

Some of the husband/wife shows are boring. There are 10 million comedians out of work! The cutsie stuff doesn't work for me.

And Northwest Hunter. I want to go to his shooting school!!!! The opener shows him making several one shot kill that "fold like a cheap suit". I watched a part of the most recent one where he was dove hunting. He had edited out all but the kill shots. Does he think we are stupid?! This is the kind of stuff I am talking about.

I want to see real hunting and no staged stuff. Example. The camera shows the hunter and guide slipping up on a downed animal. I have a question. Show in the h*** did the cameraman get on the opposite side of the animal from the hunter and guide? Sorry, I don't buy it. I don't like the "staged" stuff.

Anyhow, that is my two cents worth. I guess I did get wound up. Sorry. This is a sensitive subject with me.

Keep it real and the shots of the safety being flipped off to a bare minimum.


Paul in Texas

Well said. Way too much "junk" and not enough hunting.

I can not stand Michael Waddell so I refuse to watch any show with him on it.

Smokepole - I totally understand! Like I said, I too wish it were different, but I only arrange some of the hunts! I am hoping Part 2, is better than part 1.

Aaron

I thought we were talking about Part 2. Have you guys not seen it yet? I watched it earlier this week. It was on my DVR.

I found it a refreshing change from the norm.

I liked seeing two young hunters on their first safari being amazed at how big a ele is up close.
The bungee jumping and "clowning" were pretty entertaining. The coffee scene in the first episode had me laughing out loud.

Most safari hunts have dudes all decked out in new khakis acting as if they are going into battle. Some hunters want this mentality to be portrayed for various reasons, but it does amuse me when a guy talks of the unbelievable amount of danger that he is going through only to see his unarmed wife standing behind him in her perfectly accented "Safari She" outfit and red lipstick.

I enjoy Tracks Across Africa, it is one of the finest shows on the Outdoor Channel.
Bone Collector is a show I also enjoy and will continue to watch. I haven't seen enough of it to put it in the same category as TAA but, so far so good.

I saw it, and I wasn't really wild about it. However, I don't think the usual Safari crowd was the intended audience.

I also found it entertaining, but do like the good ole boy hunts myself (must be my Georgia roots, from Michael's home area). If I am off with the wife on a hunting trip, it is much different than an all guy experience. Some of ours do mirror Part One of this show, and several are much worse! Really have to confess to several I would be embarassed to have shown to the public, but they were funny as hell to us! I have also jumped out of perfectly good airplanes, but there is no way you would ever get me to bungie jump off a bridge, especially with cords maintained by Africans!

I admit to being tired of the repeated scenes, i.e- when they show what you saw before the commercial, and use the same as a lead in back to where you are now. BORING!!!!! Some of the in you face advertising is getting old also.

My son has filmed quite a few fishing shows and videos, and told me they really need 13-17 minutes of quality show time, to splice into the commercials for a half hour TV show. It is a little easier to camoflage the staged scenes there, but all the loading the chamber/taking off the safety, or walking up to a dead animal scenes drive me nuts.

I am looking forward to tomorrow's show, and hope it is better than the first. Will enjoy it for what it is tho, and will gather a little more Africa info in the meantime. Can you ever get enough African wildlife doing its thing?

In my opinion, if all hunters acted like the BC clowns I could understand why people become anti-hunters. Maybe it is okay to some, but not my cup of tea nor the wife's.
To each his own, but I can turn the channel.

Scottyboy - Hunting with Ronnie Blackbeard is an experience, only to be believed, if experienced!! He claims to have personally shot 300 lions, guided and hunted over 1,200 elephants, and on and on! I don't know if it's all completely accurate, but his stories sure are entertaining, and I would enjoy hunting with him again!

Aaron Neilson
Global Hunting Resources

I do not have access to the show, so cannot make a comment about it.

However, I have edited our own hunts, and invariably I would get comments from friends on what to include and what not to include.

One thing which seems to get almost 100% support, is that we leave all the music and commentary out.

One hears what actually we heard during the hunt, no voice overs.

When I watched the BC Show, I can't say I was appalled...but I sure didn't come away impressed. Ever since I was a child I was taught to respect life as a gift from God and that firearms can be extremely dangerous when handled improperly. I just didn't get that feeling of the respect for life and watching how these guys behaved made me shiver about being anywhere within 10 miles of their guns.

By contrast I think Ted Nugent is a certifiable nutcase who has a tremendous respect for nature and understands proper gun handling. I have no problem with him as a hunter or his show on the air...although a little less of his music might be nice!

Yes, it was good that they talked about WHY the animals had to be hunted. We need more of that. But it's my opinion that if you are going to put yourself on display to potentially millions of people and the youth of the world, then you darn well better be an example for people to look up to.

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't want to see children use those "good ol boys" as a life example.

quote:

Originally posted by smokepole paul:
Aaron,

I watched the show the other day and I'll try not to be too harsh. I can get real wound up on this topic.

I did not like it!

I counted the minutes of hunting, approx 7-8 minutes. Way too much "clowning around, non-hunting activities and trying to be cute. Not you BTW. You were hunting very briefly for Elephant, I believe.

Please understand, I am particular about the shows I watch. TAA happens to be one of my favorites. At one time I used to DVR 10-12 shows. I now record only 4-6. Way too much of the same stuff and not enough "real hunting".

Some of the husband/wife shows are boring. There are 10 million comedians out of work! The cutsie stuff doesn't work for me.

And Northwest Hunter. I want to go to his shooting school!!!! The opener shows him making several one shot kill that "fold like a cheap suit". I watched a part of the most recent one where he was dove hunting. He had edited out all but the kill shots. Does he think we are stupid?! This is the kind of stuff I am talking about.

I want to see real hunting and no staged stuff. Example. The camera shows the hunter and guide slipping up on a downed animal. I have a question. Show in the h*** did the cameraman get on the opposite side of the animal from the hunter and guide? Sorry, I don't buy it. I don't like the "staged" stuff.

Anyhow, that is my two cents worth. I guess I did get wound up. Sorry. This is a sensitive subject with me.

Keep it real and the shots of the safety being flipped off to a bare minimum.


Paul in Texas

Paul's eval covers mine well.

quote:

Originally posted by McCray:
I can not stand Michael Waddell so I refuse to watch any show with him on it.

I don't care for mush-mouth and his good ol' boy schtick, either. I have a hard time understanding him. Thank goodness for other channels.

I found it entertaining and enjoyed some of it. I agree with the comment about there being a difference in NA shows and African shows. I personally take Africa a little more serious and kind of dislike "bringing it down". But then I hate to see someone in jeans and tee shirts on safari and I wear jeans everyday. Just kind of out of place. I watched it and did find the explaination about elephant hunting to probably a good description for the uninitiated. One show I do turn off is "Hunting the World Southern Style". As a proud southerner I cannot stomach it. Good grief. Biggest problem with the Bone Collector show, I saw a TC rifle in it. Again. I think every show except TAA has the hunters using a TC. Is it illegal or something to shoot another rifle?

Part 2 was much better. Nice shots on the Elephant and Buffalo, Aaron. Especially on the Buff. Outstanding!

This is more like the type of show I enjoy. I understand Michael's style of show and the generation he caters to. He has always appeared to me to be down to earth. The other two, Nick and T-Bone, are a little over the top for me. Leave them in camp and zero camera time. Just my opinion. Different strokes for different folks.

Once again, way to go Aaron! You get an "attaboy" for excellent shooting! Your PH, Ronnie, was also excellent.

Thanks Smoke, I appreciate the thumbs up.

Aaron

Well, I watched part 2. Compared to part one I'd give it an 8 with part one at 0. Howver, given that, there was still way to much M. Waddell. The guy just doesn't do anything for me. Blackbeard was good.

Awesome shooting on the Ele and Buff!!! The show was entertaining but the good ol boys were out of their element. T.A.A. is my favorite show. It is just so much more polished!!!

African Hunter - I'm glad that was more to your liking, mine too! But I do agree with you guys, in terms of African Hunting, TAA I like better!!

Ronnie is a charcter, and lots of fun to hunt with, but man he cannot hear a LICK!!!

Aaron

Nice shots on the critters.

Personally, I would have rather heard Ronnie Blackbeard stories than watching a bunch of yahoo's cut up and/or bungee jump.

I watched both episodes and enjoyed them both. The show I believe is not geared towards the hardcore African hunter who has been there, done that.

I applaud them for exposing the good old boys(their target market) to something different. I personally like breaking it up to two shows. So many half hour shows are 20 minutes of walking in the bush and then 2 minutes of kills. Many of us either add trips on before or after our hunt and I thought it was great to show people that you can do more then hunt in Africa. My buddy did the bungee jump when we were over there a few years back with a hangover and it was hysterical.

Taking the time to dispel common misconceptions about elephants and elephant hunting can only help the hunter and conservationist cause. Showing where all the meat goes, and how the village is funded through hunter dollars was a powerful statement. I am amazed at how many hunters think elephants are endangered and if you kill one it just lies there to rot.

The contrast of ages was well done. The elder Blackbeard hunting with the younger generation, and to see how excited the elder Blackbeard when a buff and elephant went down to the shot was refreshing.

As far as the hunters, their fist pumping, and the music, perhaps its a generational thing (I'm 39)but I enjoy it. I like people that show emotion, make fun of each other, and don't take themselves so serious. Personally I get tired of seeing stoic old guys walking through the bush and killing animals without cracking a smile.

Hats off for trying to something outside the comfort zone of the normal "Bone Collector" shows.

Aaron,
I watched both episodes and agree with the others, the 2nd one was much better! I have one of the old Sportsman on Film videos done back in the '80s with PHC, it shows both Pete Hepburn and Ronnie...what a difference!
I prefer TAA overall but I do enjoy MW on the various shows he does. I think he brings some humor and fun to a pretty bland evening of hunt programming. What a pleasant change to see folks walking around and hunting, rather than perched up in a tree located in the middle of some private reserve.

quote:

Originally posted by Magnum Hunter1:
Biggest problem with the Bone Collector show, I saw a TC rifle in it. Again. I think every show except TAA has the hunters using a TC. Is it illegal or something to shoot another rifle?

I thought the same thing. TC has taken the same approach as Mathews did several years ago. They sponsor every show they can and create the image that their prodcut is the only acceptable weapon with people in the field. It is a very successful marketing program. My main disappointment from the show was how unfortunate it was that the group appeared disturbed having to hunt 8 days before finding a shootable elephant. If I could plan a perfect hunt, regardless of the species, I would harvest my trophy on the last day. For me the enjoyment is in the pursuit. I believe the hunter sold himself short by not trying to stalk in closer on the elephant. Even worse on the Buffalo. Yes he made very good shots on both animals but I think the guy sold himself short. Maybe there was more to the story than I saw, maybe they only had a week. Or maybe the PH knew that the hunter would have problems making a close shot with that varmint scope his 375 wore and purposely kept him at a distance. Regardless I found the show worth my time to watch.

I only saw episode #1 but it had entirely too much southern style slapstick humour for my taste. But maybe I take dangerous game hunting more seiously than I should.

465H&H

I do not know Mike W, Nick M, or T-bone personally, but have met them all a time or two through some mutual friends........and I can say that they are super fun people to be around and despite all the "fun" they have they are dead-serious when it comes to hunting and its responsibilities. I think we have a question of two TOTALLY DIFFERENT demogrpahics here..........the show was not aimed at or filmed for the hollier-than-thou, fancy country club belonging, expensive clothes wearing safari hunter.........it was filmed to introduce the masses of American deer hunters to African hunting. There is nothing at all wrong with being in either demographic, but the two groups of people certainly are not going to agree on what they want in a hunting show or on a hunt. I work in a hunting/fishing shop and we talk a lot about what types of shows people like so we know what videos to offer for sale........I would say that most folks that like BC also think TAA is boring and stuffy. Like I said, both have a right to their opinions and thankfully so.......thats why America is awesome!

Matt

The hunting was well filmed and all together not a bad show. I mean Hell, it was about African hunting, so how bad could it relly be? Just sayin...

Jeff