American hoggers

I know everyone has an opinion, and here is mine.

A couple of years ago, myself and Uglydog were approached about signing with a production company from California. They were interested in us because we were female hog hunters who had our own packs of dogs. One phrase really stuck with me from my telephone conversations with the company, and that was that they were really looking for "Characters" to sell to the audience. For some reason, that struck a note with me. This fella was less interested to hear about my dogs or my experience, and more interested in my ability to be a character. I politely declined his offers when I got a weird feeling that all he was fishing for was ratings and didn't care what he had to do to get them. Production companies are not our friends. They might lure you in with the idea of showcasing your sport, but I assure you that their motives are not to put you or your sport in a good light. Their motives are to show blood, guts, and drama. They want the real train wrecks because that is what the public likes to watch on TV.

As for the American Hoggers program, I believe it does damage to us in a couple of ways, and through no direct fault of the Campbells. First of all, if I were a landowner watching the show, I would see the APPEARANCE of disrespect on the part of the hunters. Be it the hot rodding of buggies on the property, the plastic bottles flying out onto the ground behind speeding buggies, or the idea that my invited guest hunters were exchanging insults and "threats" of gunplay while on my place, I could easily deduce that hog doggers are likely more trouble than they are worth. While there was footage of littering and bad driving, there was no footage of the hunters stopping to retrieve and properly dispose of the trash they lost. Furthermore, the ending to the Campbell Vs Creek episode ended with Mr Campbell not even shaking the landowner's hand. That to me just screams disrespectful. Now I am hoping that all of this was the work of the production company, and not how either party conducts themselves in real life. Not knowing either party, all I have to go on is what was broadcast on TV. If I were a landowner with a hog problem and this is all I had to go on, I would be dead and buried before I let a hog dogger on my place.

The second way I believe programs such as this are detrimental to the collective "US" is by showing the general public that Hog Hunters are a bunch of classless hillbillies. Again, I am not saying that the Campbells are classless hillbillies - but I am saying that is how they are portrayed on TV. It is much easier for anti hunters, anti hog doggers, and animal rights activists to go to the public and to our elected officials with a copy of (insert hog dogging reality show title here) and point to it and say "Look what these ignorant redneck hillbillies are doing to these dogs and pigs!" Strictly from a standpoint of putting our best image forward, we try to look and ACT professional whenever we are hunting. Furthermore, we try to remember that ANYTIME we are in public with hog dogs, we are representing not only ourselves, but Hog Doggers in general. I'm not saying that we need to wear suits and ties in the woods, but I am saying that acting in an appropriate manner in the presence of John Q. Public. We do not want people believing that all hog doggers are ignorant lowlives. Unfortunately, American Hoggers has exploited the Campbells, and made them look like hillbillies who do not know how to conduct themselves. This looks bad on all of us.

I also need to mention that during shooting, it may seem to the Campbells that all looks great. Much can be done in editing to skew how things look in the finished product. It is my hope and assumption that the Campbells and the Creeks did not intend to act in a manner which would be hurtful to their sport, and that any of the negative attributes of the show have been put there by the production company. I feel like it is highly likely that the Campbells are merely pawns in a production company's game. They were likely lured in by the prospect of money and acclaim, but were dealt a dirty hand once the contracts were signed. I find it unfortunate for all of us, but all we can do it work to better our own image.

As far as trash talking anyone's dogs, I can say that from the footage I saw I would not feed any of the dogs showcased. Not that they are bad dogs or potlickers, they just aren't my style, and it is possibly a regional difference that dictates the type or style of dogs you hunt. I guess my own expectations in a dog are different than theirs, and I see that as a good thing. If it were not for the many different styles and types of hunting dogs, hog dogging would get pretty boring.

Cheers
M