I watch almost ZERO tv so Ive only watched a portion of a couple episodes of this guys shows. All I know about him is that several of yall seem to like him. Well, he was the keynote speaker at the TWAF luncheon as a part of the recent TWA Annual Convention. I could tell by the impressive introduction he was given that he wasnt going to be your basic whack em and stack em kind of hunter. He pounced up on the stage in jeans, shirt tail untucked and sleeves rolled up. No suit and tie but no overalls and snuff either. He started right in talking to us(1000 or so) like we were all around a campfire. He seemed comfortable enough but maybe not completely at home. Very engaging, he had our attention. I cant possibly try to redeliver his message but its content and delivery were spot on for this audience. As related to hunting, he covered 4 basic topics. Ethics, Kids, CWD and Access. I was very impressed and feel hes a great ambassador for hunting.
Im sure hes not perfect, so if the usual THF naysayers chime in and cut him down I wont be able to defend him cause this is all I know of him.

i like him

I enjoyed it. Obviously, a very intelligent guy. The attire struck me as trying a bit too hard, but whatever; he can wear whatever the hell he wants.

I like his shows , know nothing of him personally

I like the guy. He is the opposite of the southern redneck, long scraggly beard don't know if he's homeless who has a horrible southern accent that dominates alot of the airwaves today. He is a thinker and a damn smart individual who has knowledge on a subject before he speaks about it. He is a tad left leaning on some issues but maybe thats a good thing, as I can be too on some things when it comes to the environment, such as mining, drilling and exploration. His hunting world is almost a 180 degree difference than ours (due to the amount of public land in the Western US)in that his focus is on keeping public land accessible, wherein we don't have much public land here in Texas so its out of sight out of mind to most hunters here. I can identify with him more than most "hunting celebrities" and he is def. more of an asset to us hunters than people like Ted Nugent when it comes to winning the hearts and minds of the non-hunter.

The only thing I didn't like, and I called it before we got there, was his portion on CWD. Not arguing his take on it, but think it was a topic he was pressured into speaking on by TWA. I don't care what happens at his buddy Doug Durins farm up in Wisconsin as it relates to CWD in Texas. There is a laundry list of things that are affecting wildlife in the state other than CWD

X2

should have been in a suit....

TxTro, I think you hit on everything really well. No doubt any subject he "touched on" could be discussed for days on end by themselves. In the little time he had, I think he did a fantastic job of shedding light on them all while showing his take without taking a hardline detailed(time consuming) stance. It was all informative yet light and real.
Im disappointed to know that you were there and I didnt get a chance to meet you.

I find his shows the best I've ever watched

He always comes across as one of us and even has episodes where he doesn't score!!!! Imagine that a show that I can relate to in my real world!!

Not sure of his politics but he hasn't offended me and I'll keep watch until he does. Sorry I missed his presentation. He's seems like the real thing!!!!!!!!!

My favorite is a show he made hunting squirrel with dogs in TN , the guy he had with him seemed like a genuine outdoorsman

I too enjoy his shows. I bet it was a good presentation.

His buffalo (American bison) book was a good read. Enjoyed it.

Dont watch his show since i don’t have the channel lineup, but i have seen a few episodes of meateater on netflix or something. It was decent. He is a story teller, meaning he crafts his hints around a story. I like that. Being a ling winded blowhard myself, i can relate

My favorite was an episode where he got a feral hog and teamed up with some chef guy. They proceeded to use just about every bit of that hog in some form or fashion. I haven’t seen many of his shows, but this one struck me. They even used the intestines after cleaning them up to make natural sausage casings.

Reminds me that I need to watch more of his shows that are on Netflix. His Michigan accent wore on me a bit early on, but I got past that. I like his shows and I can relate to him on many topics regarding big game hunting in the western US.

He promotes intelligent discussion on a variety of topics, has moved the needle away from focusing on the kill/size, and tirelessly promotes the outdoor lifestyle.

What’s not to like?

Of course I don’t agree with him on everything. Most people who folks say they agree with on almost everything are just folks who have adopted a persona to get followers and make $$$. Just entertainment politicians. Rinella is authentic.

I like him, especially the cooking episodes. I feel he can be a little too talky sometimes, but what I really like about him is his show leaves the commercials to the commercials. You can tell who his sponsors are if you watch. He doesn't need to tell you 11 times an episode that he is shooting a Brand X rifle, in Y caliber, shooting Z ammo, with ABC optics all while wearing so and so brand tighty whities. It seems like nowadays most hunting shows are 30 minute long commercials, which really makes me appreciate those that aren't!

Also there isn't half of the episode of him sitting there to talk about the hunt in a studio somewhere.

Being that he was in Texas did he quote his book where he said (gonna paraphrase been years since I read it)

“Anyone who hunts high fence is a limp d1ck”

You can also watch his shows on YouTube for free.

To anyone who isn’t from Texas or South Africa a high fence is a foreign concept. People think it’s like knocking off animals in a zoo.

This is it exactly, I thought the same thing before I understood it better. I hunted an 800 acre HF as my first one and never saw the fence after we entered the property

Private property rights are also foreign. Everything is about establishing prescriptive easements

He has a good line on hunting but he is in this for the money. He makes his living promoting himself and his beliefs. He is also good at relating why hunting is what hunting is to non-hunters. I believe he has helped bring in new hunters. He is a good advocate and voice for the new and the experienced in hunting but he is doing what he is doing to make money. He did not show up at TWA free, he was paid to be there.

Was that one of the shows with Wildgame Chef and writer Hank Shaw?

Was that also the one they went on the Nilgai hunt as well? If so, that chef is out of Austin who has a wild game restaurant.