My $0.02 after hangin' out w/ these guys for 5 days: 1. It's comforting to watch the pros struggle (sorry, guys) - it makes me feel a bit better about my own struggles with bow in hand! 2. Everybody needs a Clay Newcomb outlook on life... or at least needs a Clay Newcomb IN their life. Good on you, Clay - you're one joyful dude!
Hey all, thought I’d come address the shot. Everyone seems to think the structures were much closer than they really were. From where I was, they were 852 yards away and the road is another 200 beyond that (I’ve confirmed this using pins I placed while looking for the buck). My bullet drops over 16 feet at 850 yards, and over 25 feet at 1000 yards. Also, I was not shooting in line with any of the buildings. The cameraman is well on my right and offers a different perspective than what I have. He’s so far to my right that he’s not even on the same side of the fence as me, which you can see when he’s following the deer. If any structures were in line with my shot, it would have made recovering my buck a hell of a lot easier. One of the things that made finding him right away hard was that there was nothing in the foreground or background for me to mark where he went down. Finally, I’m on the exact part of the property the rancher recommend I hunt (those are his unoccupied buildings in the background). He was as excited about the kill shot as me when I showed him the footage that night. He even invited me back to kill a doe and graciously took some of the meat from my buck. Bottom line is I was sure of my target and what was beyond it, and wouldn’t have shot the top of that deer’s heart out if anything felt unsafe.
Good on you for addressing it. I still don't think I personally would have taken the shot, but you had to make the call and you did. From an "optics" standpoint, I don't think I would have put the footage in the video if I was the EP. (I think you can see why based on the discussion in these comments.)
I knew it was a safe shot everyone else thinking you and ME would do something dumb and still put it out there! Much respect to yall this is y i love the ME crew
@@easttexasfishin2439 we start mid sept and can hunt through Jan 8. It’s one of those things; I’ve never been good enough to put the majority of the meat I need for the year in the freezer before the rut, where I could actually focus on finding bigger, mature bucks. I own a small business, small # of employee(s) at any given time, so when I am out, and the freezer is low, there’s not much that isn’t fair game :-)
@@hunt_trap_fish I dont even get to hunt Arkansas rifle season and in my area thats when the rut is. I have to make do when I have time. But I try my best to take mature deer only and take the biggest doe in the group. (Most our doe on the family farm travel in groups)
Hahahahaha 150” or bust? I’m going to make an educated assumption here. Unless your in a state that’s warm more months then cold the deer aren’t at all pressured and have great nutrition. You probably won’t ever shoot a 150”
Y’all got all that sweet gear. Sponsored and everything, and y’all got Clay out there with Walmart sticks to climb lol. Get that man a pair of mobile sticks 😂
I would think people watching this would understand the difference between Spencer's veiw and the cameras view with zoom, but if not you should at least know if someone filming a hunt for a company full of ethical hunters, they wouldn't release footage of a dangerous or wild shot at an animal. the fact this made this particular show from this particular company is enough to know it was a good shot on a cool buck.
Nah, that was 100% safe it's just the perception. You can tell when you see the various views. I had the same exact thought at first but it became clear that it wasn't the case.
Cameraman was close, there's not that much change in perspective. There were buildings all over that direction as well as a road. I wouldn't have taken that shot with birdshot through a shotgun, let alone a rifle
The shooter was just to the left of the camera man. The first house just to the right of the deer which would have put them right in line with each other. Not to mention you see a car drive by right after the shot. Flat open ground with houses and a road in the back ground. Not a shot to take at all especially with a high powered rifle. I'm not one to normally arm chair quarterback comment on these, but this was bad.
I came into the comments to see if I was the only guy who was thinking along those lines. I would do that shot maybe with a sabot within range, seems questionable with a rifle.
I'm honestly kind of surprised that Spencer took that shot at that buck with those 2 houses directly in the line of fire and so close as well. The last thing I ever expected to see in any type of meateater content. 😮😮
I would NOT have shot that buck that Spencer shot. That was not a safe shot at all. There was a road behind the buck and at least 2 houses off to either side of it. You can even see a car drive by moments after he shot the buck. That was totally not safe whatsoever.
I was gonna say the same thing. It was either a barn or house behind the buck. He seemed to be shooting slightly downhill, but probably should have waited to stop him until the backdrop was a bit more safe.
After reading the comments on a few of these episodes, I have definitely decided to NEVER film/video my hunts. I practice safe shooting, safe butchering, and just general thoughtfulness when in the field, but after reading these... there will always be criticisms, and negativity.
Exactly everyone seems to believe their opinion is the right way!! When its not especially in hunting when it is so diverse i mean every hunter has been raised differently and hunted their own way!! People tend to forget that we are all different but try our best.
@@Spiffy303 You're wrong man. Buildings were unoccupied, also the line of sight you're seeing is from the camera man, not Spencer. From Spencer's angle, the buildings were not directly behind the deer. They were also 850 yards from him, which is 16ft worth of bullet drop. He was also hunting the exact spot the property owner recommended he hunt. All as mentioned above in the comments by Spencer.. There is at least 4 different arguments as to why you're making something out of nothing. All 4 combined, you are at a minimum of 400% wrong. You guys kill me. Clearly fell short of your own expectations in life, so you find any little thing you can to talk crap about these guys who did find success in making a living doing what they love. Even if that little thing you found is wrong in 4 different ways. You should volunteer to be a patient to some psychology students, it would be perfect for their 101 class.
@@boydcrowder6130 I read his explanation and it’s just as scary as the shot itself. I must have missed the page in my hunter safety coarse where it says it’s ok to shoot towards unoccupied buildings and busy roadways. I also missed the page where if you calculate your bullet drop with OnX pins before you shoot it’s ok to shoot. If you buy the fact that he was way left of the camera you’re pretty gullible. The camera swings right after the shot and Spencer is mere feet away. Even if he was at a full sprint the second he pulled the trigger, they were very close to each other. Forgive me for expecting more from the “professional” hunters that represent our sport on the global stage. 🍻
Love all Meateater content! some good old Fella's ... Was just wondering when or where is the next episode for this series or am i blind can't seem to find it..
Nov 11th had a wide 6 run up on my spot would have been my first deer ever and I did the same thing miss judged the range and sent the arrow right over his back.
Scrolled the comments to see if I was the only one that noticed. Maybe the camera guy and Hunter had different line of sight but you better not be shooting at me house if I give you permission to hunt on my property!
Assuming you're talking about 18:50. I was thinking exactly the same thing. Not sure on the regulations in that state, but definitely not a legal shot in Nebraska where I taught Hunter Safety for years. What an asshole! Sure hope no one was in that barn in the background. The house, off to the right, would have been too close for my comfort.
Just look for the house with a bullet hole in it. Probably not advisable to shoot towards structures and/or roads. No deer is worth punching a hole through someone's living room.
Man I sure hope the perspective from the camera man was different than the hunter had. The appearance of shooting towards a barn and mobile home doesn’t look good for this show to me. I know the bullet didn’t have enough energy to hurt someone after going through a deer, but what if you would have missed? It appears that bullet could have potentially done some damage.
Refreshing to hear "thrilled" instead of "stoked" or "pumped". No hate, I used those terms too, but it was nice to hear something other than those terms. Awesome content as usual from MeatEater.
Pretty sure I would not have taken Spencer's shot with that house in the background..... he was left of the cameraman, putting the house more behind the deer.
@@Mudinyeri the deer dropped quick and im sure the shoot was safe. Remember none of us were there and so we dont know but we know what meateater crew stands for and is about so instead of hate lets give them the benefit of the doubt.
@@easttexasfishin2439 sorry, I don't give any benefits of any doubts when it comes to firearms safety. What does it matter if "the deer dropped quick," if someone working in that barn was hit by the shot. Like I said, it looks like an illegal shoot in Nebraska. At best it was an unsafe shoot.
Those deer get so close to us in the city that we could easily spear one...without throwing the spear. I touched one, it just stood there and let me, I think it had a newborn around that it was protecting.
Damn, Spencer definitely shot that buck with a rifle in line with all those buildings and that road. The camera man was right there close to him, so I can't imagine Spencer's view was much better if at all. Seems like an honest case of tunnel vision, but I hope he realizes how this looks.
I didn't want to be the only naysayer in the group, but holy crap i thought the exact same thing. The house on the left looked abandoned, but the house in line with the deer is definitely occupied, not to mention the truck driving on the highway right as he shoots. Need to be aware of what's behind the target when hunting ag land.
Glad to see I'm not the only one concerned about the shot. Dont get me wrong, congrats on the success but it's definitely a questionable shot, especially with that car driving by right after. I was ready to give the benefit of the doubt about the buildings but the car makes it a different situation.
Thought this was going to end with Spencer not shooting that buck because the buck stopped with structures in the background, or having to wait for a safer shot or different deer. Guess it worked out, but if it goes wrong then it can go really wrong.
Enjoy the videos guys! However, I know camera man and shooter have different angles but that shot looked really unsafe with houses and cars in background, in rocky country..
I don’t know shit about filming or camera perspectives but that shot seemed very unsafe, I would imagine he’s shooting a fast flat shooting “western” round. I wouldn’t have taken that with a shotgun slug
Alright, I’ll probably get some hate here but I’ll provide some perspective from a camera angle - cameras tend to flatten a lot of things out, meaning that house could’ve been nearly a mile behind that house. I also get that a shooters perspective was probably a bit different, but there were at least 3 house-like structures behind that buck. I mean even if you’re shooting with a 243 then you’ll likely be able to cover a good 600+ yards easy before the bullet hits the ground - angle dependent of course. That would’ve been a shot I’d think long and hard about for sure, but again I don’t know the perspective and the actual distances we are looking at here. It was likely just fine since even if he had missed it would’ve tucked itself into the ground a few hundred yards later, but it’s still something we should all think about.
Dang Spencer's shot was questionable from that perspective but ultimately it was his call. No doubt you're going to receive alot of backlash for that one in the future.
He mentioned on knocking on a lot of doors not all said yes. Also from my experience being a local or with a local helps. And i mean living in the state or just living in the north west.
When I was in college I drove around knocking on doors looking for land to hunt. I got a lot of no’s. I got a personal escort off a farm Kenny Rogers owned but I kept driving around, looking and asking. Then one day I pulled into a farm and this old man was sitting on his porch. I went through my routine about being a responsible, ethical hunter. He just looked at me and said, You got any whiskey, son. I said, No sir, but I can get some. Then he said, As long as you’re going to the liquor store get me some Ancient Age and a couple packs of Red Man. Lol We became friends and I hunted his place for over 20 years until he died. He was just an old dirt farmer. His fences were so bad he’d put these homemade yokes on his cows to keep them from getting out. The yokes were a big forked stick wired together over the top of the cows’ necks. I use to tease him that his cows wouldn’t get out if he’d feed them something besides rocks. One of his cows wearing those homemade yokes could almost fool you into thinking a buck was coming through the woods in low light. Lol But his place had a sweet little river bottom. I killed many deer there. I’d bring him a half gallon of Ancient Age and some Red Man every time I hunted his place. That was all he would ever accept from me in return for hunting privileges.
@@wasidanatsali6374 my brother made best friends with a rancher in Kansas. He got permission to hunt his place starting in 93 and the old man passed in 2011 my brother had to take his wife into town once before season and let her shop in the mall and cover the bill my brother said she never spent over $300 but hed had cover as much as she wanted the nicest people ever and best possible huntin he ever did. Crazy how much a hand shake or dood knock can do for ones life.
These guys hunting with "sharp sticks" need to learn how to use a gun! How frustrating it must be to know that you could have put meat on the table with a gun and all you brought to the party was so primitive! To Hell with hunting for racks! I've never seen a recipe for "antler stew" anywhere, so go for the MEAT!
Whats wrong with letting a deer grow to its full potential? A 5yr old 225lb deer is gonna produce more meat than a 2yr old 190lb deer. Everyone makes mistakes hell ive witnesses more gun hunting mistakes than bow hunting. Also no need to be so aggressive man!
Gun season doesn't open in Wisconsin or Oklahoma (Tony and Clay) until November 20th and Iowa opens December 4th (Mark). I'm sure they are more than proficient with modern firearms, but they follow the law. Not all states have the same season dates for gun
love the show hate the series. This is another example not just of subpar content for Meat Eater but this shot should not have been aired. Shot straight toward the house/road from the ground with a high powered rifle. I know some stuff is far better in person and looks bad on video but thus should have got axed. Just my 2 cents.
