Palin's Caribou Hunt

[JW307]

Anybody else here watch this debacle on tv.  It was on a recent episode of "Sarah Palin's Alaska".  When I saw the description of the episode I was pretty excited that a politician was finally going to have enough gumption to put her money where her mouth is on the issue of hunting.  That's about where the excitement ended.  By the end of the show I was pretty embarrassed to call myself a Palin supporter.  For someone who claimed to be a lifelong hunter, she appeared to have next to no idea how to handle a firearm or actually hunt at all.  She used her father's rifle, which he carried for her like an African gun bearer, and it was obvious that she had never fired the thing until she shot it at the caribou because she had to ask if it "kicks" and then proceeded to miss the animal four or five times at fairly close range.  Between each shot her father cycled the action for her and after she emptied the magazine he reloaded it for her.  Now, don't get me wrong, I've missed a few shots myself so that's not really the issue here.  It turns out the scope on the rifle was so far out of whack they couldn't even hit a paper plate at 50 yards, which tells me that neither of them shot the rifle before going afield in the first place.  To her credit she did finally make a nice clean kill on the caribou using a friend's rifle and you've got to give her credit for not editing out the mistakes, but I think it just goes to show that there isn't a politician on the planet who ever actually tells the truth.  Just because you've gone hunting a couple of times over the course of your life does not make you a "lifelong" hunter.  She's no more a lifelong hunter than I am a ballerina.

[teamnelson]

Is that the alleged "snuff film" the liberal media has referred to? How do the liberal hunters here feel about that episode?

[bilmac]

I was kind of disappointed about the shooting scene too, she sure didn't act like she was too much of a hunter. I read a book about her though and I have no doubt that she does hunt. Couple of things in the book, she killed a rabbit in the yard when she was just a kid, and she went hunting with her dad before school one day, they were dressing out a moose and he asked her to hold something, and he plopped an eyeball in her hand to save so he could use it in his classroom. Can't make up stuff like that.

I really liked the way they handled the whole hunting idea though. No talk of trophies, just a casual bet about who gets the biggest. But there were a lot of words said about the critter being food. I think the freezer scenes and especially the butchering were a real positive statement about why we hunt. In fact I think the whole hunt part of the show was well designed to refute a lot of anti hunting sentiment.

[wreckhog]

Be interesting to see Sourdough's response to this. More than once he has described as a real Alaskan with a command of firearms.

[Conan The Librarian]

Reminds me of my son on his first deer hunts, except that he had put in the time and practice to learn how to shoot.  At least palin has done this and seems sympathetic to shooting and hunting interests. At least she knows gun people matter to her electability, even though she can never be president. Not sure what she can be elected for anymore.

[DEACONLLB]

Not to defend Palin but if you watched the whole show her dad was walking down the hill in front of her and after telling her to grab the brush to keep from falling an instant later he fell off a drop off and went flat on his face with the rifle in his hand and I would think that gun and scope took a real hit. He should have said at that time better use the other rifle as this one may be way off and it was as I could not believe my eyes when she shot what was it 5 or 6 rounds and never even came close, but lets face it is a show and you can do a lot of things with a camera to make the show interesting. Just my two cents worth.
Deaconllb

[wreckhog]

What gun/caliber was she shooting?

[DEACONLLB]

I dont remember the gun make or if they said but I think the one she shot the Caribou was a 300 mag. not even sure on that.
Deaconllb

[Dee]

I was spared from watching the show as I was gone out of town. However, watching someone shoot a caribou on TV sounds as exciting as watching paint dry.

[wreckhog]

Well they are reindeer you know. Timely....lol

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/12/06/sarah-palin-and-her-father-hunt-and-kill-a-caribou-video/

I dunno, I watch Kristy Lee Cook's Going Country, and one episode, she had Blake Lewis, An American Idol white rapper beat boxer that had never hunted before. They went on a big ranch hunt, the kind where you pay to kill the exact buck they tell you to.

http://mjsbigblog.com/blake-lewis-joins-kristy-lee-cook-on-goin-country.htm

You tell me the difference.

[yellowtail3]

no doubt someone somewhere is complaining about the critter getting shot. I say, fire up the grill...

Hey, she's using a Savage! Looks like my old 111F...

[45-70.gov]

Not to defend Palin but if you watched the whole show her dad was walking down the hill in front of her and after telling her to grab the brush to keep from falling an instant later he fell off a drop off and went flat on his face with the rifle in his hand and I would think that gun and scope took a real hit. He should have said at that time better use the other rifle as this one may be way off and it was as I could not believe my eyes when she shot what was it 5 or 6 rounds and never even came close, but lets face it is a show and you can do a lot of things with a camera to make the show interesting. Just my two cents worth.
Deaconllb

i forgot about  him falling....thats  it
i wasn't impressed  with the show or  the hunting abilities
got to give them credit for not editing  the bad parts  out

i can not think  of any one  she  is not 100 times better than
that has a shot at being president!!!!!

[blind ear]

How do the liberal hunters here feel about that episode?

Great mental picture, I love it! eddiegjr

[blind ear]

cyber u turn - delete

[Sourdough]

I did not see the show.  Therefore I can not commit on what happened.  Did hear the talk show host and callers talking about her missing, and they brought up the fact that her father had dropped the gun earlier.  Since he fell with the gun, it does not sit well with me that he would even consider letting her shoot it.  Let alone four or five times. 

I have never seen Sarah in the woods, so there again I can not commit.  I do have a lot of respect for Todd Palin, he can handle himself well in the bush.  As for Sarah's father, I'm not impressed.  I've talked to people that have been out with him, (rumers or hearsay mind you) and they tell some real horrior stories.

Someone said they Caribou are Raindeer, not hardly.  To me that is like calling a Clydesdale, a Quarter Horse.  There is a big differance between the two to me.  Caribou have heavier bodies than Raindeer, their antlers are also havier with larger beams.  Raindeer usually have more colorful coats as well.  Raindeer and Caribou will interbreed if kept togerather.   

[Dand]

I didn't see the show either and I'm on the fence with Palin's politics.  But like Sourdough, I believe Todd can handle himself very well in the bush.  I would bet that much of the Palin hunting has been by Todd and the other men with maybe Sarah going along sometimes.  That is a pretty common tradition out here. I have no doubt Sarah has hunted in the past but may be a bit rusty these days with all the other distractions. And I have no doubt she has no qualms about pulling the trigger on a 'bou or moose. Sadly, some of the sloppy shooting and carelessness with the equipment is pretty common out here too. Some folks rarely sight in or check their guns and treat them pretty rough (well REALLY rough often). And some of them really don't know their arms very well at all - unlike many of the folks on this forum.  From what others describe here I wish she would have taken time to tune up with a rifle her size and shown hunting in a little better light. But I'm still glad she did it. At least it sounds like the misses were clean and the hit clean - that's good. Some of the herd shooting that folks do out here is not pretty at all.

Edit an hour later:

I just came across the Alaska Dispatch's review of Palin's hunt. Now the author is himself a hunter but also known for being a bit controversial and outspoken himself.  But you might want to check it out. He may have more facts than I.  For folks thinking Alaska is a hunter's paradise, Craig does paint a pretty what the real picture is for many of the urban and semi-urban Alaskans. 

One thing he misses on is his comments about using planes as taxis. True for many of the road system folks, charter planes are rarely used.  But off the road, I'm constantly amazed how much traffic we have.  I sure can't afford to fly around like many many of the other locals do. I don't charter out to pick berries but many do. I don't charter off to many villages for funerals - but some of my neighbors do - and they aren't wealthy. I had a job that paid to fly me all over for a while and I was constantly amazed to meet folks I knew in far corners of the area; I always wonder how they do it.

Check it out: http://alaskadispatch.com/voices/medred/7754-palins-big-game-hunt-not-reality-for-most-alaskans

[wreckhog]

I thought that the Palins owned a plane. I don't much care about the parent's caribou permit issues, I'd do it if I were them. Heck, if I had 50 acres, I'd apply for a nuisance permits (for farmers) to shoot deer year round on my land. I hunt with the gang that could not shoot straight, or track or mostly anything, and make a lot of allowances for folks that just want to get out there and hunt. I think that hunt was a photo op, and little more.

One thing about Alaska, heaven if you like to eat fresh fish. Copper River reds and halibut cost less there than pink salmon costs in the supermarkets in the lower 48.

[briarpatch]

I could give a rats a&& if she can shoot, hunt, skin, trap or eat roots. Its her political will and mind that I am concerned about. Right now that is about like her hunting, mostly talk.
However between her and the clown, she is light years ahead.

[dukkillr]

HOLY COW!  Look at all these people who are afraid of Sarah!

[wreckhog]

You know, that plane bill $ does not sound right. The last time that i was involved in renting one (a decade ago), we paid for the hours flown. Ie, if you kept the plane for 4 days, but only flew 8 hours, you paid for 8 hours. Ie 8 times $350 equals $2,800, not $35K. Plus gas. And the cost of cleaning caribou blood out of it. That would make the cost of renting a plane well within reach of most hunters.

[Sourdough]

This whole TV series is nothing but a photo op to get her into the public eye.  It could be a bit better produced.  I found it rediculious that it took Sarah so long to climb up the rock face. but Todd made it in less than five minutes by going a slightly differant and less difficult route.I'm surprised Sarah does not have her own rifle to use.  

My wife has three rifles (semi-auto 30-06, bolt .35 Whelen, lever 45-70) and two shotguns that have been cut down for her smaller frame and no one else shoots them.

As for the plane, NO too high maintenance.  I fly and have a pilots licsence, but it is too expensive to own, when I can get flown in by an air taxi.  When I did own a plane, it seemed it was always down for maint when I wanted to go somewhere.  It seemed like a big pit to throw money into.  Lot cheaper to let someone else fly, that way no worry about me breaking the plane either.  I've broken my share of props and landing gears.

wreckhog:  I just came from the lower 48 and priced Halibut in the stores in Florida and Tennessee.  I realized I give hundreds of dollers worth of Halibut away to the local soup kitchen every year when I clean out my freezers.  As well as Salmon, Moose and Caribou.  I hunt and fish every year, but the kid is now in college and seldom eats at home.  The wife works and I meet her in town three or four times a week and we eat in town.  We no longer have three to five teenagers hanging out here at the house wanting burgers every day, sometimes twice a day.  So we not longer go through all the Ground Moose and Caribou we used to use.  So the local Soup Kitchen is the winner on this account.  Makes me feel good knowing I am still feeding so many.  

[Hooker]

Good for Sarah and shame on the critics.
Where is it written in stone that if you like to do something that you have to be good at it. I know lots of folks both men and women who love to hunt. Outside of gun safety and basic shooting skills they really are not very good at it. But they love to participate and they have a great time and that is all that counts.
As for Sarah asking if the gun kicks that is not an uncommon question from the ladies. It usually can be traced back to some idiot letting them shoot a gun that was to much for them, for some sick childish entertainment. Who cares that she does not have her own rifle I'll bet the bank there is one available any time she wants one.
If you had to be perfect and expert to hunt and shoot we would all be S.O.L.
If you think your good try doing what you do under a microscope cameras rolling while critics have you in the crosshairs.

Pat

[wreckhog]

Good for Sarah and shame on the critics.
Where is it written in stone that if you like to do something that you have to be good at it.

I am sure that you criticize politicians for doing exactly this.

[teamnelson]

That would be because we elected them to do it well, not just to have fun. I didn't pay Sarah to hunt caribou.
Again with the non sequitur.

[saddlebum]

Sarah didn't look as good as I expected she would. But I do think that with all the pressure from having a camera man/crew following her around and watching her shoot she did okay. I think she held together pretty darn good when she couldn't hit with the old Winchester and had to switch rifles. Many people can't even get by the buck fever on the first shot. Let alone suffer that many misses and switching rifles while she knows everybody in the country is going to critique her skills and such. I get kinda nervous just thinking about it.
That goofy guy, Buck Mc Nealy on TV has his own show and is a "professional" and I've seen him make some bad shots and act like a real rube somethimes. Once they showed him shooting a antelope, once. When they did the trophy video and him thanking the guide, the goat had three holes in it that it was bleeding from. Obviously edited video.

If I'm not mistaken she asked if the rifle kicked when she was handed the magnum to shoot. Chuck said earlier in the show that he brought the Winchester for Sarah. He refered to it as "the varmint rifle". I know the Savage was a magnum from the looks of the rounds he was carrying, but I don't know what caliber.

Chuck had sighted in the Win. before the hunt which is why he bet Sarah 5 bucks that it was zeroed. Sarah won that bet because when Chuck fell down he fell right on top of the rifle and knocked it out of zero. They should have checked it before hunting with it.

Some observations of mine are that it must have cost a pretty penny for that one scrawny caribou. Wonder how much per pound of meat it cost? Part of the reason I hunt to fill the freezer is economic. Just wonder how much beaf could have been purchased with the cost of four plane rides. Two up and two back.
The other thing I was thinking is, I thought caribou were thick as fleas in Alaska. I know about somewhat unpredictable migrations and all, but gee, only two caribou, maybe three in two days? I know I'd hunt somewhere's else next year.

Sarah didn't come off as being all that experienced, but she did okay. As a matter of fact, nobody has looked experienced with a gun in any of the shooting video I've seen on the show so far in other episodes. If you hand them a gun they will shoot it, but Sarah and the girls look really awkward when handling them. Don't know about Todd. It would be nice if they could shine a little better light on the rest of us that handle guns and hunting better than that.........  Oh well!

[wreckhog]

Her entire life has been in front of a camera. It is not like you dragged some mousy girl up from the basement and put her on stage. She was a beauty pagent contestant. Who has made a lot of hay as a hunter/fisherman. Different expectations.

[Dee]

The reality show is for makin money. Nothin more, nothin less. Expecting to see something out of the ordinary on such a show, is in my opinion a waste of time. Palin in my opinion is digging her own political grave by doing a cheesy little reality program, and the voter will most likely be ODed on the whole bunch before election time. It also makes one wonder why any intelligent person would participate in such a show. She should have merely gone on a couple of Maury Povich, or Jerry Springer shows, and called it a day.
She is very foolishly providing fodder for the political cannon that she will be staring down the bore of in 2012. There was a time when elected officials had "personal dignity" and a sense of keeping the "family life private". She is becoming a world wide spectacle. How could she possibly be taken seriously?

[45-70.gov]

The reality show is for makin money. Nothin more, nothin less. Expecting to see something out of the ordinary on such a show, is in my opinion a waste of time. Palin in my opinion is digging her own political grave by doing a cheesy little reality program, and the voter will most likely be ODed on the whole bunch before election time. It also makes one wonder why any intelligent person would participate in such a show. She should have merely gone on a couple of Maury Povich, or Jerry Springer shows, and called it a day.
She is very foolishly providing fodder for the political cannon that she will be staring down the bore of in 2012. There was a time when elected officials had "personal dignity" and a sense of keeping the "family life private". She is becoming a world wide spectacle. How could she possibly be taken seriously?

i agree  with  what  you say

but  remember this

we are talking about the same bunch  of people/idiots

that elected  OBUMER

[Range Rider]

Dee has this figured out, its about money.  Palin is a product plain and simple nothing more.  She is a show horse who has gone from a get by income to a worth of over 12 Million in short order.  Sort a reminds me of when I was kid and the youth of the world believed Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were real western folks.  No they were actors making money they were at best not able to run a ranch or build a fence.  They used firearms like they were some sort of magic hit without aiming or reloading.  Palin falls with in this area of fame.  She is no more of a real political leader than Roy Rogers was a real cowboy.  Never the less people will follow them and drop lots of dollars along the way. These dollars will be picked up and banked by Palin Inc.

RR

[wreckhog]

Was watching the latest episode in bed with the sound off (wife was asleep). So I may have missed something. She seems like she can hit what she points at with a shotgun. Still quite awkward with a gun, and apparently new to the concept of pumping a pump shotgun. I gotta say, what is with handing her guns sized for an adult male. Get her a gun that fits and I bet that she would look a lot more natural. And what is with that pile of antlers in her dad's yard? If that is all from his kills (and it could be based on the inside of the house), that guy is one heck of a hunter.