PBS Nature - Stupid Mule Deer Episode

I caught the very end, and decided to record it for later. I am only interested in the getting into the herd part. Will not watch the sad killed by hunters part.

Some of the LPB stuff is outdoor friendly. Caught a show not long ago that followed game wardens. Was pretty cool.

Yeah, pretty much. I think.

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I hope you don't have any kids.

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I hope people like Teague have lots of kids. I really hope a dude named Vernon doesn't procreate.

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I hope you don't have any kids.

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What?

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I've been watching Nature on PBS for over 30 years. But last night's episode was the worst one I've ever seen. Some dude decided to tame some wild deer enough that he could walk around with them and cry when they were killed by predators/humans. It had a heavy "poor, poor deer" vibe.

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I don't have a problem with people being anti hunting, it's their right, but "taming" wild animals is bad and shouldn't be encouraged.

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This is the second documentary about Joe Hutto PBS has done- the first was last year entitled "My Life as a Turkey."

I enjoyed both episodes, and I would recommend all outdoorsmen watch them (and, yes, I do hunt).

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This ^^^

I generally agree with Teague on things on this board, but I am going to have to disagree on this one. I thought the episode was fascinating.

First, he did not tame the deer. He became accepted into a heard over a multiple year period by being around them every day and night. The deer did not alter any pattern of life. They still traveled their normal ranges, and were still scared as shite of any human that was not this guy. This was more of a Jane Goodall/Diane Fossy situation.

The guy is not anti-hunting. In fact, while sad over the death, he helped hunters load a dominate buck he had known and interacted with for something like 6 years. Was he sad? Sure. Is he overrating the threat to Mule Deer? Probably. He is not calling for an end to hunting. He is not trying to get this heard protected. He is not making it easier for these animals to be killed.

Highly recommend this one.

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I generally agree with Teague on things on this board, but I am going to have to disagree on this one. I thought the episode was fascinating.

First, he did not tame the deer. He became accepted into a heard over a multiple year period by being around them every day and night. The deer did not alter any pattern of life. They still traveled their normal ranges, and were still scared as shite of any human that was not this guy. This was more of a Jane Goodall/Diane Fossy situation.

The guy is not anti-hunting. In fact, while sad over the death, he helped hunters load a dominate buck he had known and interacted with for something like 6 years. Was he sad? Sure. Is he overrating the threat to Mule Deer? Probably. He is not calling for an end to hunting. He is not trying to get this heard protected. He is not making it easier for these animals to be killed.

Highly recommend this one.

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Well, dammit, I guess we're not friends anymore.

But, no, I don't have a problem with Mr. Hutto or what he did with the deer. Hell, he was carrying a rifle around most of the show himself. As I said, I liked the turkey version, and I even bought "Illumination in the Flatwoods" a few years ago for my father, who is a big turkey hunter. But, I do think whoever edited/produced the mule deer program had a very anti-hunting mindset. Imagine if you were not a hunter, and knew nothing about conservation and you watched this guy hanging out with the deer, then the mean old hunters shot them. There was no mention of herd control or the need for predators, only the constant theme of how they were "threatened from all sides". The average viewer is going to come away from this with a very different view than those of us who hunt and understand the predator/prey relationship.