We need some better outdoor shows on TV

With most of the hunting seasons closed and ice still covering most of the good fishing waters, I’ve found myself inside more often than I’d like. And it’s made worse by not being able to find anything good on TV.

There’s not a lot of hunting going on right now. The light goose season is open, and so is the rabbit season, and I’ll probably spend a fair amount of time chasing both species. But between those hunts, I’ve been trying to find a productive way to spend my spare time.

A lot of that time is spent tying flies, but I like to have the TV on in the background when I’m whipping up some prince nymphs. Unfortunately, with the football season over, there’s not a lot to watch while I’m working.

I’ve tried watching some of the hunting shows on TV, but most of them are just plain lame. There’s only so much stage whispering I can put up with, and I really don’t like the shows where they hunt on a fenced game ranch and act like they’re hunting in the wilds.

And unfortunately, the best outdoors show ever is no longer on TV. The History Channel used to run a show called Top Shots, where people competed in all sorts of shooting challenges with all sorts of different guns, bows, and even throwing knives. But that show disappeared a few years ago, and I’m still bummed about it.

The Outdoor Channel has a few shows worth watching, though. I’ve been getting into the Bone Collector, and Crush with Lee and Tiffany has had some episodes that kept me from changing the channel, too. Most of these shows take place in parts of the country I’ve never really gotten to see, and there’s almost always some great footage of critters.

I still do miss Top Shot, though. I wish they’d bring that show back, and not just because I want to apply for the chance to compete on it. Of course, when that show was on, I didn’t get many flies tied. I was always too busy watching.