There is only one thought process that goes into justifying this...money.
Jimmy Houston has to produce x-amount of 22 minute TV shows, and they have to be interesting enough that people watch them, so that ESPN continues to pay money for his shows, so that he remains in the publci eye, so that he continues to get high dollar endorsements, etc, etc...
The video with the drugged deer and the blunt arrow was a promotional spot, so the website said. I can't imagine what the product was, but the guy was obviously filming the shot like a real hunt. The promotional shot would then be used to sell more product, or whatever...more money.
The farmer does it all for the bottom line...money.
The guy that had the deer propped up to shoot it, almost had to be shooting a TV show, too. If you heard the cameraman right before he shot, he acted as if they had just come upon the buck in the woods. It would be a cinch to edit that shot into a hunting show.
The scary part is, si that I bet that a majority of the TV shows we watch and enjoy on OLN, ESPN Outdoors and Outdoor Channel are just like this. Both fishing AND hunting.
Whenever I hear the name of a "Ranch" that a TV show is hunting at, I go and check it out on the internet, and every single time, to date, you can find the words "High Fence Ranch" somewhere in their marketing publications. When that happens, the hunt is a fake.
That's also why we should be leary of Buckmasters and other similar shows...when they advertise the name of the place they are hunting AND ineterview the owner...it's nothing more than a paid informercial, and the owner will do ANYTHING to produce a good commercial.
The only two exceptions are Tred Barta, and Primos. Now, Tred is a complete *******, but his shows are as real as they get...which is why he comes up empty on about 75% of his shows.
Primos seems to be 100% fair chase, and I do know throguh two different sources, a couple of the guys that hunt with them and a couple of the places they routinely hunt. They always pay their own way and always hunt 100% fair chase.
This stuff is pretty shocking, as I love(d) Jimmy Houston untila a couple hours ago...what a complete scumbag.