That show does not depict logging realistically. The way the History channel talks its like the loggers have dangers with every step...swords sticking out of the ground, tigers ready to pounce on you from behind trees...the plauge ready to kill you with every breathe you take in the woods. Some of the editing to make it look so dangerous is crap. I know the history channel needs to create some drama and such - but jeesh.
The temper tantrums the owners throw are the most childish thing Ive ever seen - if I acted like those guys I would never get anything done.
Dan
We think alike here. :)
Is unfortunate that our entertainment programs like this are on the History Channel, rather than a Disney channel. But that is the entertainment business.
People act foolish in front of a camera. Just look at what a crowd will do when a TV camera pans across them...go bonkers. ;D ;D
How many young people are watching this show and then grow older and go off to a job thinking this is how people interact on the job. A few on the fringe maybe, but likely wouldn't last long, being the employed or the supervisor.
PS I turned the sound off and enjoyed the rest of the show scenery, equipment, and logging.
Not having a TV, I don't watch it regularly, but we had one during the first season, and my thoughts were similar. I didn't think all the scenes were that far from reality, but some were. Nonetheless, I did enjoy watching it a few times. Anything on television is like this, and the subject matter beats the heck out of shows like "the bachelor" or something.
I must say I was a bit dissapointed also, i'm sure the crews in this show are not as inept and just plain stupid as the History channel makes them out to be. I wish they would cut the drama BS and just show the logging operations.... Like the big old growth Douglas Fir log that they came accross and yarded up to the landing....cut the BS and tell us in a factual manner the challenges that needed to be over come to get the log... geeeze already, I'm not sure if i can watch another episode...it is almost as if they make the crews do foolish stuff so they breakdown. there was another show on one of the other channels about helli-logging that was much better, only caught the last part of it, but these guys actually where portrayed as having some idea of what they where doing. I feel for the guys doing the work, it would be hard having a camara around all the time, and i'm sure they are far more compitent than what the History channel makes them out to be.
just may rant for the day,
Steve
I have to agree, how could you hire someone who has never logged and not tell him what is required to do the job
Like good logging boots, hard hat, and then let him try to drive his car up the logging road come on !
This was a complete set-up for the show WOW !
Yup, I agree with all above. I've never logged, but I have done some hard rock mining and I have an idea that things like job site safety, equipment care and use, attention to proper attire etc are not viewed much different in the logging industry. If I'd mined like these guys logged on TV I'd be dead right now.
cheers
John
The best type shows that document the work place are when it's an independent film maker who has been there done that. I can't really say much about any of those History Channel shows because I don't subscribe to pay TV offerings. A couple of fellows on the forum were gracious to tape an episode or two in the first season and I got to view it. From my personal experience on the BC coast and back here in NB, where the WCB frequently comes visiting work sites, I can't really relate to the way they conduct business as portrayed in those shows. Sure seemed reckless at times. But, I'll tell ya it's not clean cut all the time either. I've seen some characters, some smoke those strong cigarettes like Benson and Hedges and some talk constantly of their exploits from the last time off from camp with a lot of pure BS along with it. Often the worst actors will become role models for new recruits, they're great story tellers and often live on the edge of the outskirts of life. I've had to let a few go, so to speak. ::)
They are trivializing and overusing/abusing a creative form of art--The Rigging Fit. A pure rigging fit is a sight to behold. It should never be used indiscriminantly. Shame on them! :'(
I agree with all above as I said before if this is the norm OSHA would eat them alive . I'd fire most of them the first day if they did the things this shows and I agree about the owners they talk about how they need steady men long time employees then act like spoiled kids when something happens In the real world if they acted like that they'd be working by themselve..It makes me sick when they portray woodmen as inept idiots You know for yrs people thought of sawmillers as a lower rung in the ladder We finally make headway then these idiots drag us back >:(
Chico
Quote from: stumphugger on March 03, 2009, 08:07:32 PM
They are trivializing and overusing/abusing a creative form of art--The Rigging Fit. A pure rigging fit is a sight to behold. It should never be used indiscriminantly. Shame on them! :'(
Now thats funny.......the show however is not funny, or very good.
I like the show. I can tell what's real and what's not and who's authentic and who's not and am looking forward to the rest of the season :) 8)
I have to agree with most of the opinions being stated here. My logging experience has been on a small scale the emphasis more on safety than production. With that being said I have quite a bit of experience in utility line construction, which uses similar techniques and equipment. From what I've seen of this show it sheds a negative image of the logging industry. If they are trying to show that the odds are 1 in 1000 that you'll get killed on the job if you're a logger they're getting the message out. :(
I liked the show also. :)
Looks like it will be a good season. I liked the Gustafson team last year.
If you go to the Short video clips on History .com look for the clip Brad gets gear.
Gabe told him to get a list of things. A hard Hat, Spiked Boots, Weather proof clothing and Chaps. Brad didn't follow thru with what he was told. They didn't show that part except for the crew's expression when Brad showed up without.
Duane's Boy showed the world how logging chaps will save your leg. It happened with his mentor beside him. That was a great public service to show never let your guard down.
Jimmy showed that one log potentially has the same worth as 5 trucks of logs. ;)
I did worry about him a couple times though.
corley I agree we can tell whats real and whats not But what about the other 95% of the tv audience jmo
Chico
A few episodes of a TV show don't do much to educate or change any pre-existing opinions of the logging industry especially when it's produced as entertainment not a documentary.
I work in the forest products industry most everyday whether it's falling timber, running equipment, or processing and delivering firewood and I couldn't give rats a** less what the general public thinks about my occupation 8) ;D :) :)
With todays selection of TV viewing I will continue to watch the series and enjoy what it has to offer. Got a hoot out of the water logging :D
Hey, I like the show and will continue to watch it but some of the stuff just makes me cringe.
I have seen my fair share of characters in the woods but it is a small percentage.
As far as the aqua guys...I did laugh when they were tangled up right off the bat. :D
Just watching the show for entertainment is great I don't care for but I don't like tofu either and some folks to But it's the folks that don't know the industry that flips thru the channels catches it sees some of the BS they instantly get a bad taste in their mouth A vote comes up for allowing timber sales etc You can bet ti'll change their thinking and there's some lobbiyst out there making sure he has the clips that will refresh it in their memories Corley you're lucky if you don't have to worry about public scrutiny I can tell you it;ll bite you in the butt in some places . They can shut you down put press on thr people who buy the lumber you prod There a lot of wagging tails in thge forest industry While not kissing their butt you have to appease the public somewhat JMO
Chico
From what I can see the show is real if the theatrics aren't taken into account. The machinery operation, timber falling, etc are the real thing. That's how it's done. Just because there are cameras on the job doesn't mean these guys don't have to produce. Whatever dollars if any they might be receiving for allowing the filming isn't covering their operating costs.
The characters have to fit the stereotypical lumberjack image of the burly, hard drinking, rough around the edges guys that communicate in language spiked with profanity. Any other portayal wouldn't be considered authentic by the American public.
Would we rather not have anything shown and keep timber operations a top secret thing known only to those of us that are involved in them or should we promote a sugar coated feel good version to counter the enviro whackos extreme destruction version ??? I would like them to add something about the process leading up to harvest and give a bit of focus on reforestation after the harvest.
I enjoyed it, sure its TV, a show, thats it, somes real somes not, but the really neat thing is if u dont like it, DONT WATCH IT, simple as that, I just get a kick out of people that watch something and it "makes them puke" and then turn around and watch more of it.
Where's Deadheader ??? ??? ???
I gotta ask him if his Auqa Logging was like that guy's ??? :D :D :D
When I was watchin' that part I was thinkin' I wudda liked ta been sittin' next to him and just hear some of the comments :-X :-X :D :D :D
Maybe, in a couple of weeks or so, when we MIGHT get that program down here, I will get with ya on comparing notes. ::) ;D
Did ya ever run yer barge into a bridge ???
Did ya ever jump out and try to swim against the tide ???
Did ya ever just stand there and hollar.....Well....Mebby we otta ask Ed that one :D :D
I was thinking the same things Burlkraft :) :) I'm looking forward to more underwater logging in the NW and FDH comments :) :)
Not very well thought out; a good comedy. I was wondering if it was for real. ;)
ax men sure beats the hell out of american loggers.
there is some staged stuff on the show, but just because some incident was staged doesnt mean that it didnt happen when the camera wasnt running. it seems to me that the show is not intended to be a documentary, but rather entertainment based in reality. i am sure some of the guys on the show are real idiots, others are far from it. think about J browning, i would bet he owns more equipment, employs more people, and makes more money than ANYONE that posts on this forum. he obviously knows what it takes to run a business and be successful. hell, they all do except for maybe the aqua logger.
i have been ridiculed on this site before for some of my posts. but here i go again. i make my living felling, limbing, and skidding. i dont wear chaps, i dont own a hard hat, i cuss as bad as most of the guys on the show, i have been known to throw a fit now and then, but i have been in business for myself for 15 years and i have done very well.
like someone else said, if you don like the show, dont watch it.
I think a lot of the drama is staged to make a good show but I will continue to watch it as there nothing else on that intersts me.
I saw it once that was quite enough for me Loggers my butt
Chico :D
With that kind of statement I really doubt you watched it. There is no question these men are loggers. Weather you favor the way they are portrayed by a show-biz production company or not is one thing, but to question the fact of what they do for a living is valid, is ridiculing and off base.
I know many loggers and what I was making my statement about was the needless chances they were taking with human life I've ran very small mills very large I've had men get killed while working for me I've had them lose arms Legs but not one of them was because of playing games one death was a freak accident the other was a case of another supervisor cranking a machine before it was ready and had all the safety measures on I had to go to both families and explain why and what happen Thats why I am a safety nut I agree it may be entertaining but it's also degrading IMO When that man is screaming at them he's taking their mind off what their doing which is very dangerous Theres a time to have a prayer meeting with a man but right in the middle of everything an in front of all the rest of the crew 's not it
JMO
Chico
If I had a choice to watch "ax men" versus "survivor" I would definitely go "ax men". It's my hope that eventually they will leave the PNW and migrate to other areas of the country. Those guys are real, but a little racey at times. It's still hard to grasp all the tarzan type run'n and jump'n about. Hard on the body as I seen one old guy last season developed bad knees (that's for real). Climb those mountains with heavy gear and constant rain and you'll find out, on top of all the jumping. The language and communication is quite real to me. I'm just commenting on the couple of taped episodes I saw last season. I can't get History Channel here.
I have no doubt those guys are real loggers and I know the wear and tear but being used to that they might have probs in other styles of logging as the swamp loggers would have if they were out of their element I just think that they trivialize what they do and overemphasize some the antics Loggings not for everyone I did my share in the Tn Mts and the WV mts and la amiss ans Al swamps and they all have their challenges you know they were using cable lines in the late 1800s in the swamps pf Al Fla Miss and La pulling out cypress so there are some norms
Chico
One of my posts was deleted becasue it was considered a swipe at a person. I didnt think it was anymore of a swipe at him as his was at me. I stated that the way things are depicted for logging in the show makes me want to puke. Its sad that a few million people form opinions about me and the rest of the logging world based on the fake drama of that show.
I like some things about the show but I get sick when I see things being over dramatized. this makes people think this is the norm for every logging operation in the U.S.
question - do the crews get paid for filming?
The Ax men is not a documentary. It's not a how-to-do-it guide. Its purely an entertainment production based on reality. The whole premise of the show is how dangerous logging is. They probably have thousands of hours of tape that they squeeze the excitement out of. Those few sequences are used to create the drama for the show.
What amazes me is how one can be so insecure in what he does, that he feels that this type of show is undermining his profession. If that was so, we would not be typing here now because the Professor on Gilligan's island surly made science and technology look so ridiculous as he could make any type of invention out of bamboo and coconuts but he couldn't build a raft.
Its a T.V. show. Ya'll should try to separate that from reality.
I myself can diferentiate the diff and I think they staement isuncalled for I never heard anyone say it was a documentary I did hear sev including myself say that it could influence the uninformed public. That was my main complaint The thing is most of the "dangers " they show are brought on by themselves or lends itself to that thought imo After all these are just opinions and we know what they say about them ;DI've never been insecure about anything .Anything I;ve wanted to or started out to do I've done it Done many things been many places that a lot of people only dream about would like to get to a few more Gilligans Island was a comedy this is supposed to be an informative show showing real life loggers doing real work what do they say not reality Actuality JMO
Chico
There ya go. I wasn't even referring to your post but you thought I was.
Lets say they were going to make a show called the portable bandsaw man.
They could film for weeks and not get much of anything new from logs going on and boards coming off. However in that time someone flips a log over the back stops. Another time you saw into them, another time you forget to put the legs down on the back end of the mill, and while moving the head to the other end the tongue flies up in the air. Maybe you drop a cant on your finger and blow it open. Maybe you walk around the end of the mill and catch your leg on the hitch tearing a gash in your jeans and your leg.
Now they compile the episode. Guess what makes the cut? We all know that it ain't that every day. It might generate interest though in someone that knows nothing. They might seek to find out what kind of people go out and saw lumber and subject themselves to this sort of comic carnage. Then they find out that its not what it seems, its actually just a job filled with its related pitfalls.
Jeff-Have you done all those things? whiteflag_smiley
Absolutely. :) So has most everyone else. Those are the things you remember. You might remember a day that you had that was perfect, but what you remember is the outcome, not the normal events that got you there.
I was thinking about some of my times in the woods. I spent a couple summers out of the mill and in the woods crews when our lumber markets were quite poor, but we could still sell pulp. As I think back, the only things I recall are the "events". An event was not typically a good thing. In fact, hardly ever. Running to the woods, jumping out of the skidder, dragging out the mainline, hooking chokers, winching in, haul to the landing, jump out, unhook, go for another skid. When things are going right, its absolutely forgettable and boring. You don't find a place for it in your mind. I do remember vividly the things I learned that I did wrong when I started working out there. The type of things that would get recorded for ever if someone were filming.
If you take the first episode of Axmen this season as an example where doowop about gets his leg taken off after hitting a spring pole with a saw. That was sure a learning experience for him. He survived it. Either he learned from it, or the next time he might be dead. The show left me with that message. If you just saw him walking and limbing, the everyday stuff. So what.
When they forgot to unhook the one tree on the landing and it bulleted over the side of the hill. That happens. You can bank on it. !00 to one it didnt happen as portrayed on the show. It was probably very much dramatized to show a point. If you didnt add the hollering and edit back in the running out of the way, that probably never happened, and only saw the log start off on a return visit down the mountain, then stop and come back up, even the armchair logger probably would not have said a word and the general public wouldn't have a clue that it was something that could be very dangerous.
Dan and Chico, I'm in your corner on this subject, that's why I'm not a fan of reality TV. Sure they are editing the tape to produce the most entertaining product for the audience and most of the audience probably knows that. IMO most of the audience probably has an interest in the show because it some how relates to their livelihood and or interests. Then you'll have those that are watching hoping to see something like is in a Rambo movie. My problem with the program is that you have one of the most dangerous industries in the USA according to OSHA being put on display in a way that is not going to gain it any public support. I want to see the logging/timber industry prosper not be subject to further government regulation.
Safety in the work place IMO has as much to do with attitude toward being safe as being cya "safety certified". Production is as important as safety training and attitude is as important to being safe as is training. There's been a lot of bad attitude in the work place displayed in the episodes I've seen of Axmen. Maybe a disclaimer saying this program has been edited to make it entertaining and is not a representation of the entire logging/timber industry would be appropriate, if it's there I've not seen it. I know more loggers that don't fit the stereotype of the guys in Axmen than do.
I'm not trying to belittle any sponsor of the FF or any individual simply stating my opinion. :)
Quote from: Jeff on March 05, 2009, 10:00:16 AM
The Ax men is not a documentary. It's not a how-to-do-it guide. Its purely an entertainment production based on reality. The whole premise of the show is how dangerous logging is. They probably have thousands of hours of tape that they squeeze the excitement out of. Those few sequences are used to create the drama for the show.
What amazes me is how one can be so insecure in what he does, that he feels that this type of show is undermining his profession. If that was so, we would not be typing here now because the Professor on Gilligan's island surly made science and technology look so ridiculous as he could make any type of invention out of bamboo and coconuts but he couldn't build a raft.
Its a T.V. show. Ya'll should try to separate that from reality.
Insecure? Are you saying this to bait me up?
Evidently you havent tried to deal with Joe Q public in buying timber over the last few years. Its becoming harder and harder to buy timber because of situations exactly like this show. There are lies being spread every day by the media, by our shcools and by our leaders of this country about how bad logging is. My child comes home from the second grade and he tells me his teacher scolded him for saying its ok to cut trees! I went in for a conference and she got enlightened why its ok and why she was wrong. What was she basing her opinion on? - her words "what she saw on tv"!! :o
Insecure? Log prices are down and I have 300,000 worth of equipment to pay for. How can I do it? By securing work. Anytime that there is something negative portrayed about logging it makes me sick to my stomach because I know its another hurdle I must cross.
You scolded me for a so called swipe and then you call me insecure...talk about a swipe.
It was me that quietly mentioned the swipe not Jeff and I was going to leave it at that but seeing you brought it up,I think even the title of the thread is over the top.Can a show really bring you to the point of vomiting?Are you that tightly wound that a tv show could be the final straw that causes an ulcer? :D
I was hoping you would have responded to the IM that I sent to you with the same respect that it was given.
The bottom line is, this is a Reality TV show. It is rare to find any show on TV, or anything from Hollywood, that is completely accurate and doesn't have some dramatization in it. Why even the documentaries have editing to show more of the "interesting" stuff. Some are even blatantly biased to the makers point of view. I for one, enjoy all of the logging shows. I understand the need for sensationalism. I accept the fact that some of it's staged. I do notice that most of the crazy stuff is done by the younger people, just like real life.
Watch the shows or don't watch them. Either way, don't put too much weight on them. I don't believe they have that much influence as to change the publics view. One of the problems with todays society is that everything that offends someone becomes an issue or a cause. Relax, enjoy or tune it out. 8) 8)
I'll just quietly say again, Its a T.V. show. People that get so excited over a T.V. show, or a simple conversation have more in their lives to worry about. I know I do.
I just say there's a big diff between excited and concerned ;)
Chico
I'll bow out of this debate now ;D
Guys, I said it up there in another post - untill you deal with landowners or the public in todays climate I wouldnt expect you to understand how it makes me sick.
If you could be in my shoes for a few months and see the problems I face because someone has lied about what logging really is then you could appreciate what I am saying.
Does it not concern you about what the teacher said to my son?
Stumpy - I am not the common member of "todays society" I am not a liberal.
There's nothing pretty about logging. You'd rather the show was sugar coated by picturing a bunch of bunny hugging loggers who shut off their saws to pet Bambi at sometime during the day, feed peanuts to the squirrels at lunch and make the job look like a manicured park when they're done. That would be a lie ::) What do you find so offensive other than the bad acting? The only things I saw last season that concerned me were when Melvin's shovel sprung a major hydraulic leak. I hope an attempt was made to clean that up. Dragging the skidder up the mountainside with the dozer in a later episode appeared to be pretty hard on the terrrain and jammer logging in the fog also concerned me :) I've dealt with the public here in N. Mi and if people have trees and would like to turn them into cash they want them cut. Many like their trees just the way they are and don't want them cut. It's their property. Others tell me about the logging shows they've seen on the History and Discovery Channels and wonder if I've watched them. They like them too.
One little bit of good may be that many people have forgotten wood comes from trees, like they have forgotten beef comes from cows. This show does make it clear logging is still alive, and that is where wood comes from. That part of the show, at least, is realistic in every way.
Quote from: Dan_Marino on March 06, 2009, 07:37:09 AM
If you could be in my shoes for a few months and see the problems I face because someone has lied about what logging really is then you could appreciate what I am saying.
Does it not concern you about what the teacher said to my son?
I was in your shoes for three decades and the heat really got turned up here by the enviromental groups beginning in the early 1990's here but the loggers across the line in the Pacific NW took a worst beating before that so the boys on Axemen know what anti logging sentiment can do.
We've been roadblocked and hassled and sabotaged by the public and government to the point where we were over regulated.What happened in my experience was the logging revenues in the province funded government which in turn hired more staff to regulate and for a short period of time over regulated.That and the softwood lumber tariffs and low log prices caused a major slow down in the industry which cut government revenues and finally regulation when the forest district lost a third of their staff and finally another third as things got worse.
In the last two years,the only member of the Ministry of Forests staff I saw out in the woods(and I was out there most every day) was the check scaler in the dry sort.Fifteen years ago we could expect a visit at least once a week by a resource officer.
My oldest daughter came home in grade one(1992) with a anti logging opinion from her teacher.I set up a meeting with the principal and let him know my concerns with the assault on my profession and asked if I could arrange for equal time with the classroom from a member of the BCForest Service or a RPF.He spoke to the teacher and she called me and apologised and we moved on.
Don't sweat the things you can't change or you'll be miserable.I learned that the hard way and the cost was dear.
I found Ax Men very entertaining. It was a hoot to watch. I like to think I took it for what it was, entertainment.
I have enough logger buddies, had my land logged, done a little logging myself and have been around logging enough to understand the reality of the shows. I also, am a diver, or used to be. So I can understand that river guy.
Alot of people will not understand the show. Those that don't understand or like the show can freely change to one of the hundreds of other shows available. Dan_Marino I am sure the shows hit close to home for you, but I truly think the TV guys probably don't have much of clue about logging. Its not the loggers fault.
I understand those logging company owners on the show have hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions tied up in their operations. They are like most of us trying to make a living. They are doing what it takes. What they know how to do. They are also, providing for the families of those they employ. They don't want brokedown equipment.
They sure don't want hurt men. Those owners are the risk takers. They could have a man killed and lose everything (although I feel certain they have the wisdom to be insured to the hilt). Those owners aren't still in operation by being dumb. Possibly they could do a great and efficient job and give out bonuses to everyone. Those are the kind of people that built our great country. They aren't waiting for a "bailout." Those men are making a living the real old fashioned way. Hard Work!
I gotta respect that, and all you fellas out there that do the same. Dan_Marino included.
It seems like hard work and self sufficiency are under attack in this day and age.
Television show producers seem to be an altogether another animal. ;D
I would suspect the logging outfits are getting some sort of payment for being in the show. In this day of tight profit margins I would think they (the logging company owners) are glad to have the added income and probably don't have alot of say about the content of the show.
Someone will find fault in what I wrote. Thats okay...........
I liked the show. I will watch it when I can. 8) ;D 8) ;D
I liked the show too. It's realistic in a number of respects since it is real logging. My thoughts went to "how the heck did they get that shot??" a couple of times like when logs roll over the camera. Is the safety issues and relations between loggers embelished? shure. But imagine taking a bunch of redneck loggers and putting them on camera. They are a little puffed up knowing they will be on national television and they act it up a little. Knowing that going in...... its great to watch... if you love wood.
Quote from: Dan_Marino on March 06, 2009, 07:37:09 AM
Guys, I said it up there in another post - untill you deal with landowners or the public in todays climate I wouldnt expect you to understand how it makes me sick.
If you could be in my shoes for a few months and see the problems I face because someone has lied about what logging really is then you could appreciate what I am saying.
Does it not concern you about what the teacher said to my son?
Stumpy - I am not the common member of "todays society" I am not a liberal.
Did someone call me? ;D
Dan, the folks around here seem to think I am a dyed-in-the-wool flaming liberal so let me give you a 'liberal's' take on all this.
The TV show will be watched by those interested in logging and basically shunned by those that think harvesting timber is akin to rape. Those with a cause tend to watch only what feeds their need and shun anything that might possibly enlighten them to another point of view. I choose to educate the masses on the benefits of forest management wherever I can to help that enlightenment along.
Take a look at my avatar - you may need to go to my gallery where you can see the details in the pic. The picture was taken this past fall when I hosted a group of fifth graders from two local elementary schools. I visiited the schools a week before the kids came out and many of them were in the cut-a-tree-and-go-to-hell camp. We spent a full day walking the woods, identifying trees, talking about how trees grow, forest environments, and sustainability. At the end of the day I milled up the log in the picture and we discussed everything that tree had experienced as evidenced by the boards that it produced.
Now, which do you think those kids will remember as they grow up - a show on the history channel or that day they spent with me in my woods?
If you want to change the publics' perspective you need to take action - simply complaining about all the adverse publicity that may or may not be seen does little to change the equation.
Quote from: Left Coast Chris on March 06, 2009, 11:20:12 AM
I liked the show too. It's realistic in a number of respects since it is real logging. ............... its great to watch... if you love wood.
Yup, I agree.. with the sound on "mute". ;D ;D ;D
Good for you OWW ;D Even though you and I appear to be worlds apart in our political views, I have learned alot from you many posts. I admire anyone who takes action to make things better. Keep up the good work 8) 8) 8)
I have mixed emotions about the show. I watch it to learn. Sometimes what you learn is not always good. Sometimes it is. You don't always know what you will get.
I am impressed by those tree fellers. I have cut more than enough trees to know how much of a challenge and an art it is.
In some parts of the west, logging is changing. There are more fellerbunchers and skidders. Also, more shovel logging on ground that would have been cable logged in the past (at least in my Company). Even so, it is interesting to see how the cable logging is done.
It is also interesting to see all the issues related to mills, quotas, and weather. That is the real reality today in logging. Very very real.
I don't value the excessive profanity.
I am still learning, so I am still watching. Maybe I can win a contest or two now that Dave has retired ;D. I want a T-shirt :D.
I've enjoyed the show for what it does show about logging, but as Jeff pointed out, it is entertainment. I do believe that Dan has a point about some people getting a negative opinion of logging from the show. However, I think that more people will realize that loggers are human, hard working folks just like them, and will come away with a more sympathetic view of loggers and the timber industry. How can anyone watch Duane and think "evil" or the tough John Browning and not appreciate what real men work in the industry. All in all I believe we are net winners.
Mark
Sarah was just reading this thread over my shoulder. She has seen the show as many times as I, and here is her take...
OSHA requires hardhats so there is something to throw. Anything else within arms reach on a logging job would be dangerous, but hardhats are pretty harmless.
There is no way the "rigging fits" that have been thrown on axe-men are any more childish than the ones that Major League Baseball players throw on a regular basis in front on all of America.
She makes a couple of valid points :D
I like the idea of the show and think of it the same way I think of Orange County Choppers.....I love motorcycles and love to see them built, but I can't stand listening to those guys, they're all about the "image" of being tough biker guys so all I do is watch the show on mute...wallah!
the same with AxMen, I love seeing those guys logging and doing a job that I admire people for, I just can't stand listening to them, so again...I watch the show on mute, and its great.
That's just my opinion, to each his own... ;) no need to argue about it.
The Forestry Forum is just the opposite, not much to watch, you can't mute it, and have to read it.
As for OWW's post, I must say I am so much in agreement with him on his contribution to the kids it made me smile. They, for sure, now have a positive life long memory. We should all do our communities a favor and share such an experience.
Tim
Watch for strictly entertainment. It has gone over the edge of reality. The language is one of the real things, at least where I work. Gotta be oblivious to it. The rest? Well, it would take some hard thinking to send a log that was still hooked up to the carriage back down the hill. The yarder engineer has to raise either the skyline or the carriage and be looking at it. He'd have a hard time not seeing a log still hooked on. Maybe it was done one time in the past by some blind or drugged/likkered up yarder engineer, but I've never heard of that happening.
Real logging, as done out here, would be boring to most people. The trees are felled, they usually go the way wanted, the yarder moves in, lines are strung out, maybe a tail tree topped (that is exciting)with the hooktender whooping as he gets a ride, then it goes back to tedium. The carriage goes down empty, logs hooked on, goes back up, logs unhooked, repeat. Sometimes one does have to dive behind a stump and one should always plan for that contingincy. But not often--we hope.
It is physically hard, dirty work. No need to go to the gym for the rigging crew and fallers.
When some outfits were using a tourist route for a landing, there were a lot of cars stopping and taking pictures and videos, but they didn't stay for long. Since the first season of axmen, a few have stopped and worked in some of the lingo, like what kind of a yarder is that? People did seem a little nicer, when having to wait while a turn was coming in.
I'm expecting the helicopter loggers to arrive on the show via parachute or hanging on the skids. Or maybe all dangling from the long line. That's entertainment, not reality.
Just as long as they don't start donning capes and leotards. :D :D
Ax Men in tights. I'm liking it. They could sing the Mel Brooks tune, Men In Tights:D.
Let me see,
We're men, manly men, we're men in tights,
We roam the woods da da da da for fights.
I forget the words. Sorry.
That just reminded me of this. :)
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,10637.0.html
riveting........TV last night ;D
I will admit the best thing I have seen is Brownings e-chokers. Surprised they cost 30,000 though.
get the tv crews out here in the eastern hardwoods.
I saw the show, too. That episode seemed pretty low key to me. It was fun for them to come across that monster log felled decades ago and try to get it out.
The Aqua logging guy was just a buffoon. He mentioned that he was a fourth generation logger, but it was quite obvious he was a novice boater and diver. I'm glad that nobody was in the bridge of his barge when he rammed the passover. I think his bravado on the prices he was mentioning for sinker logs to be quite unbelievable, too. ::)
Quote from: metalspinner on March 10, 2009, 08:50:42 AM
I think his bravado on the prices he was mentioning for sinker logs to be quite unbelievable, too. ::)
He was talking about Luthiers. I don't think Stradivarius used any old growth fir for violins :D :D :D :D
That guy reminds me of my step dad, only my step dad used his fists more often than his mouth >:( >:(
The boat guy is the most entertaining part of the show, I LMAO every time he go's to work. :D
The show is completely embarrassing.
Darrell Holthusen
QuoteI don't think Stradivarius used any old growth fir for violins
In fact, it's known that the logs that were used in Stradivarius's time, were too big to get on the ships, so, were towed behind the ships, as they carried cargo back to Italy, from various parts of the world. :)
honestly if I had no knowledge of logging what so ever and watched this show, I'd never allow a logger on my land based on the show. Many logging fella's a know in my area take the show as ether a drama or an insult.
i do understand the angle on teaching kids right from wrong.
only thing is with my kids its the school or their mother that calls me(she is a teacher there).
i am always having to talk to someone about my childrens attitude. after they discover its not an attiude but merely their opinion everything seems to get back to normal.
i guess the main problem is my boys skin the deer and fish that they eat, as opposed to the ones in town that shop at the grocery store. those two do not like it at all when someone teaching them comes at them with off the wall BS. they are 7 and 9 now and it pleases me greatly to know they can in fact recognize off the wall BS.
the problem arises when the teachers open up the conversation for questions, those two are very capable of asking very dry and cynical questions. really sharp witted but more respectful than i am.
i told the teachers at the last meeting if you are gonna teach my kids anything at all you had best know the curriculum well. i always read thru what the teachers have planned and get a general idea of their direction so i can be prepared.
as for the show, its a show. in real life those folks would not have many employees for very long. at least not me, you just don't talk to people that way.
i saw a glammer of hope on the last show.the greenhorn talked about what he was seeing.
i live not to far from a ranger school it,s the oldest one in the country.
i,ve always heard that alot of the kids that go thur start out as treehuggers they think there going to the ranger school to learn how to save the trees.
once the kids get going thur the school they learn they,ll be working with loggers and helping to cut trees down..some even quit the school after that.
i was going for a hike in the woods and ran acrossed a guy...he was lost..lol well,anyhow we got to talking and he told me that very thing.
the way the greenhorn on ax men talked he went thur some type of forestry school and he talked about how loggers cut then planted trees back to harvest again and how logging was needed.he,s also showing how tough logging is.. mister "i,am the toughest guy back home" is dieing on that mountain..lol
when,the aqua logger comes on i just hit the MUTE button on my tv.i could do without that dumb#&*
i do get a good laugh everytime the ryyguard boy talks about out doing j browning..ya,right!! jesse browning needs to growup tho..i hope he doesn,t act like that in real life.if he yelled at me like that on a job i,de just laugh at him.
delbert
If that was my dad on that boat talking to me that way he would be swimming home and then finding a new employee!!! That is just plain rediculous. No call for it and I think once he sees how he is on the show he may change a little. (NOT)
Huh, and I thought us oilfield trash had a bad rap. There was a show or two about us last year or two ago and it was about as bad as the logging shows. I watched a few episodes anyway. Didn't get a chance to see the rest. I understand both points of veiw here. I like the Axmen show even though I realize it is mostly staged. I even sorta liked the oilfield show although some of the stuff they showed did kinda tick me off. What I really can't stand and feel does the most harm is the big name movies that out and out lie about logging and drilling to push thier own agenda. I'm pretty sure everybody knows which movies I'm talking about
My oldest daughter came home in grade one(1992) with a anti logging opinion from her teacher.I set up a meeting with the principal and let him know my concerns with the assault on my profession and asked if I could arrange for equal time with the classroom from a member of the BCForest Service or a RPF.He spoke to the teacher and she called me and apologised and we moved on.
Don't sweat the things you can't change or you'll be miserable.I learned that the hard way and the cost was dear.
[/quote] did the teacher give her opinion in front of the whole class? Or just sent a letter home to you???? The way it sounds,the whole class of kids heard it. And if that pricipal did that to me,there would be war. Cause all those kids in that classroom heard her very slanted opinion,and not yours. And what are they going to think the rest of their lives, if they learn not the truth, and the other side???Thats typical leftist behavior, my opinion, not yours to be heard--
Thank you oly I have no regrets for the way it was handled
I wonder if the person that doesn't want a "planted" tree on a "tree farm" cut gets upset when a stalk of corn is killed so the corn can be harvested? Facts are facts and humans need natural resourses to survive. If you disagree with this take a plastic sack with you to the bathroom and leave the toilet paper alone. Or better yet just hold your breath, from now on.
Oh yeah, I like the show.
Quote from: Paul_H on March 11, 2009, 08:50:48 PM
Thank you oly I have no regrets for the way it was handled
(modified)
Quote from: Paul_H on March 11, 2009, 08:50:48 PM
Thank you oly I have no regrets for the way it was handled
I am beggining to think that you dont like me Paul. Seems that there are some double standards. I created a memebership clear back in 04 or somewhere there and have lurked around for years. Things have been extremely slow for the past 6 months so Ive got alot of time to kill. So I make an observation about something that is affecting my life (directly-indirectly -not sure). Some people agree with me... some dont...I can accept that. It seems that you cant accept that I was joking. Are we not allowed to joke around?
I mean you will totally defend a show that has so many bleepity, bleep bleeps but will censor a complete little innocent joke. You take yourself too serious. I never cussed, I never 'cut' anyone...I never crosed any line - I was joking....gee whiz!
Are you still joking,it's hard to tell ? I'm wondering why you use a quote written to Oly? :D
Dan,look through my posts and you will see I haven't defended Axemen and I've only watched a few minutes of it and my thoughts were similar to yours and I shut it off.
I'm sorry you are out of work,I haven't worked since early Dec either.
Come grab a brush saw you two. ;D
I'll be back to work in a week or two but hang on to those saws just in case :)
I'm watching the show this year because its a chance to get you guys a few free hats. Its no skin off my butt whether someone likes the show or not. Fact is, this year so far I am finding it something I would rather not watch if it were not for running the contest. I hate the parts with the aqua logger. He looks like an abusive fool. But hey, its part of the show. Some like the character, I don't. I'd much rather be doing something else other then tying myself to a tv every monday night for the next 13 weeks, but I did it to give you guys something that might be a little fun.
It has been inferred that I dont know what it is like in the real world when it comes to dealing with the public related to the business we are in, that reference comes from someone that has no idea what my background is or the paths I have taken to get here apparently. Yea, you Marino. This forum would not exist if it were not for my standing up for our industry in the past so when you post an opinion, if its directed towards me, do your homework. If you are having trouble in this economy, I feel for you, and I hope you find a way to claw to the top and stomp the pile down, but dont use me, or the forum, or some tv show as your scape goat. Many a man has walked where you are trying to walk. You aint the only one.
I watch the show with the sound turned down. When the aqua logger comes on I read the newspaper until he's gone.
the best part is the fact that the aqua loggers is running his abusive mouth and in the end he,ll end up with a river full of loggers taking the logs too.he keeps bragging about how much the lumber is worth and i bet that right now some other dude is building a barge.
i hope his son wises up and goes to work for the other guy.
delbert
Quote from: Jeff on March 12, 2009, 06:29:49 PM
I'm watching the show this year because its a chance to get you guys a few free hats. Its no skin off my butt whether someone likes the show or not. Fact is, this year so far I am finding it something I would rather not watch if it were not for running the contest. I hate the parts with the aqua logger. He looks like an abusive fool. But hey, its part of the show. Some like the character, I don't. I'd much rather be doing something else other then tying myself to a tv every monday night for the next 13 weeks, but I did it to give you guys something that might be a little fun.
It has been inferred that I dont know what it is like in the real world when it comes to dealing with the public related to the business we are in, that reference comes from someone that has no idea what my background is or the paths I have taken to get here apparently. Yea, you Marino. This forum would not exist if it were not for my standing up for our industry in the past so when you post an opinion, if its directed towards me, do your homework. If you are having trouble in this economy, I feel for you, and I hope you find a way to claw to the top and stomp the pile down, but dont use me, or the forum, or some tv show as your scape goat. Many a man has walked where you are trying to walk. You aint the only one.
My name is Jason. Sorry to upset your apple cart. I should have just did what I always usually do and mind my own business. Im not using you, this forum or any show as the sole reason for any problems I have. I just think that anything negative makes it more trying to than ever to get anything done in logging. Sorry.
You mean these aqua loggers...
Quote'Ax Men' Crew Salvaged Logs Illegally In Wash.
Posted: 3:00 pm PDT March 13, 2009
SEATTLE -- The state Department of Natural Resources has seized more than two dozen logs it says a timber crew featured on the History Channel's reality show 'Ax Men' salvaged illegally.
DNR chief enforcement officer Larry Raedel says officers served a search warrant Friday on S&S Aqua Logging to retrieve timber the company had pulled from the Hoquiam River.
Raedel says the company didn't have a permit to salvage those logs, and DNR officer were tipped off after watching the show.
Calls to the company were not immediately returned. The company is one of several timber crews featured in the second season of "Ax Men."
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18927425/detail.html
Shows the guy is an all around person eh? Fits in with the abusive fool label I gave him.
::) Just read that on the Fox page.
:D :D seems he actually figured out how to get a log home if they confiscated over 2 dozen of them....... i couldn't work for the guy, but i think it's what america is about....he had an idea, found a way to do it and was starting to be succesful it seems and then wham!!!! our fricken government steps in and makes a mess...... again.....it;s one of the reasons i left WA state.....to much government bs... i'll hush or i might get us moved to the restricted area and this thread is to fun for that.. 8) i did watch the second episode and wasn't as bothered as I was by the first.....some of you that mentioned just watching it as entertainment rather than as a documentry helped me tone it down a bit....thanks..... still like watching the guys fell..... that is one thing I miss about the west coast, tallllll trees
Steve
Well, with 20 logs confiscated, there goes $200,000 out the window!
So far in everything that I have seen, this guy has done nothing right.
Should make the next episode all the more entertaining :D :D :D
Kinda changing the topic some but still on the same show, I've noticed that most of the trees spin on the stump when they are cut. Is this common? I've never had on do that.
I just read all the posts on this topic, I don't agree with the producers scripted approach either. It takes away from who and what we are and what we are striving for, better business, efficiency, public relations, buiding better communities, and what ever other way we can add, instead of subtract. Browning and Phil logging have contributed more to our local communities than I care to account for. This show seems to want to smother all that effort. I'm glad to see most of you see through the editing.
That's too bad about aqua logging.He should of checked into it more and got the permits.The state of Maine is the same way.Any water way you do not want to get the dirt moving. Don't want to stereotype the guy,but it does not surprise me.
Hey there Darryl, good to see you coming around. I hope you and the Gustafson crews are doing well, even though your not on the show keep us up to date on what yall have going on.
Hello all, thanks for having me back. Gustafson logging is doing well,its business as usual here. After our big storm last year we had to mass log before we lost the timber on the ground, now it seems we can"t sell it. That puts us all in a pretty tough position. I hope for the sake of our local and national economy wood products start moving again soon!
I enjoyed the first season a great deal. I realize that TV producers, and their editors, can present things however they feel will make the most sensational television. I try to see through that, and watch the way logging is done in other parts of the country.
Welcome to the Forum, Darrell, I hadn't noticed that you were a member before.
I like the show, I live about 100 miles from darrell in wa. and have cut for browning several years ago. As has been said if you don't like don't watch it.Darrell spot on with our markets here that storm put a lotta volume on the market, right now most of pihls iron is for sale, We are all crappin in the same nest so let's make the best of it.
i,ve always wondered why the dnr,ect is so worryed about somebody working around a stream.last i know a yearly spring flood pretty much changed the whole stream bed anyhow.. pulling a few logs out of a stream bed won,t do any damage compared to a flood.
i had a job that required me to work on every stream and river in my area.it didn,t take long to see how a flood changes the waterway.
another note.over the years i,ve taken people on the logging jobs.i just went to work and did my thing.all the people i took loved seeeing how logging was done.these tv shows don,t need to play things up to draw veiwers in..just go and film the everyday workings of a logging crew and it,ll sell.
one job i did was cleanup after a very big ice storm.i worked in several town and i always had people watching me and taking pic,s and videos.all i was doing was using a dump truck with a log loader to pick up brush and trees to big to chip.
delbert
Do-gooder environmentalists, and older women, are what causes the lack of removing sunken logs. The wildlife experts don't want to harm the fish habitat ::) ::) ::)
Ever see fish eating-spawning, UNDER the sand and silt ???
Too much young women teachers, "Teaching" the under 15 year old students, their "OPINIONS" instead of researching the facts, just like happened to Paul-h's kids.
We were constantly being questioned about "Stealing" the logs, by the over 50 crowd, especially women.
DEP agent got REAL tired of all the complaints, and, finally told the people to stop calling.
WE had permit signs displayed on both sides of the boat, and were even told, "Anyone can make up signs". ::) ::) ::) ::) It's *DanG hard to educate people beyond their thoughts.
You think they would get that upset if you pulled a Plymouth out of the river? That's a lot better habitat than a 1/2 burried log.
Erosion from a flood really does make changes. That's why they're so peculiar 'bout what you do on the bank. Suwannee River Water Mgnt won't let you cut a *DanG thing on the bank. Dead or alive. That they know of. ;)
It doesn't seem to be strictly enforced around here when there is suppose to be a 100 foot set back and 30 foot no machine zone from a water course or wetland and you see the new cutover goes to the water and not even an alder left standing. The logger sometimes gets free wood when he tells the owner he can't pay for wood he can't harvest. Yeah right! They gutted 10 acres of stream side on dad's farm, beavers moved in and the size mushroomed into 25 acres.
Most of what I was talking about is 1/2 acre vacant lots. Water Mgnt has bought most of the large tracts form the private land owners and that hurts the county by taking the property off our tax rolls. The only benifit is they allow some hunting on that land but not all of it.
You're right about a logger cutting all the way to the water but they need all they can get. If you don't cut it the river will take it or it'll die of old age and fall in the river. Then you need to wait 110 years to harvest it and we're right back where we started making some old woman mad.
We do not cut to the watercourse. We honor the BMP's.
Quote from: WDH on March 16, 2009, 08:52:46 AM
We do not cut to the watercourse. We honor the BMP's.
As do we. Its the right thing to do.
Twenty years ago I seen the worst mess I can ever remember for operating in a wetland. The skidders utterly destroyed the area. It was heavily aldered and looked like scattered softwood had grown up into it with the stumps that were left. The ground was very mucky and a stream channel used to traverse and meander through it with feeder springs off to the sides. It was also trout bearing. Well you couldn't tell where the brook was with all the skidder ruts cris-crossed all through it. There were pools of water that got dammed up by the ruts and brook trout were trapped in the pools. You'd walk by and they would be squirming in the mud trying to hide. This was on industrial freehold timber land. Things have changed a lot since then, but there are still violations that aren't hard to find.
We can cut 50% of basil area here, but most of the time it is better to just leave alone. If you get mud running into the water it gets expensive quick.
Ditto! to what WDH and ChevyTahoe said. We stay out of any wetland and riparian areas with Hydric soils.
can somebody tell dwayne to bring his hardhat and lunch pail with him the next time he walks off the job...he,ll catch a ride much quicker that way... ;D
ooo,the ryyquard crew needs to clean the evergreen neddles out of there machines more often too...it saves on those $$$$ engine fires.
delbert
I finally got to watch the first 2 episodes (my MIL tapes it for me, as I don't have cable). Personally I like the show alright, but the language is pretty severe in places. I especially like the J.M.Browning crew, seem pretty professional to me, most of the time anyway. ;) Anyway, just figured I'd throw in my 2 cents. :) TT
id say there is WAY to much drama in the woods on the west coast for me. i will stick to new england ( east coast ) . just my 2 cents, browning and mike pihl seem down to earth and professional, they did not get where they r overnite, the ryguard crew.......you could not pay me enough to work for them. around here, all that yelling,screeming and cussing you would have no help. all they would get is good slap in the kisser!!! they r trying to be camera heroes. we need melvin back and let them go belly up. they suck!!!
I wasn't going to say anything, but - maybe it's just me, or the editing, or something - but it looks like those Rygaard owners are literally trying to kill their new guy. I mean, sending a guy who had never climbed before 80 feet up a tree to set a block? Then whining about how much time it was taking on national TV? Looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
And that aqua logger guy? I think enough has been said about him already.
I'd say the History channel is doing their best to show the world that logging is dangerous mostly because of unsafe work practices and unqualified/untrained/inexperienced workers.
The heli-logging is interesting, but I suspect that if it wasn't for Browning and Pihl still being on the show, I probably wouldn't be watching.
I liked last season better.
your right on how there treating the greenhorn.if a new guys isn,t keeping up just unhooking chokers and your all worryed about him getting hurt why in the world would you send him down in the brush and/or send him up a tree.i hope he toughs it out and does well.
i laughed my butt off when,the ryyguard boy tryed!!! running acrossed the landing to the fire...cripes man get in some kinda shape.i was already to call 911 for ya....lol
delbert
If that kid is as bad as they say, why is he still there?
because new guys are fun to torture... ;D
delbert
Quote from: WH_Conley on March 18, 2009, 09:30:24 PM
If that kid is as bad as they say, why is he still there?
Because the producer wants in there to induce drama.
To me, the new guy is doing a pretty good job.
i feel the same..atleast he,s trying.
delbert
I would not want to climb no tree with 5 minutes worth of training. I feel they are way to hard on the new guy.Maybe if they spent the time working instead of standing around complaining about how slow or bad the greenhorn is they would get more work done.But I suppose that makes better TV in someone eyes. ::) I noticed this year they are not spending much time on showing how things are done.Like how the yarders are set up,or doing the guy lines or showing how the sky car works.If you watched last year than you can understand how it all works.
Quote from: thecfarm on March 19, 2009, 04:24:56 AM
I would not want to climb no tree with 5 minutes worth of training. I feel they are way to hard on the new guy.Maybe if they spent the time working instead of standing around complaining about how slow or bad the greenhorn is they would get more work done.But I suppose that makes better TV in someone eyes. ::) I noticed this year they are not spending much time on showing how things are done.Like how the yarders are set up,or doing the guy lines or showing how the sky car works.If you watched last year than you can understand how it all works.
You're right about that.
Quote from: twobears on March 18, 2009, 09:52:19 PM
i feel the same..atleast he,s trying.
delbert
He is getting special treatment. A new guy has to work down in the brush hooking chokers on the crew. Then if he can handle that, and shows promise, he might get to "pimp" the hooktender and start learning rigging. West Coast logging is not that dramatic. Usually, the carriage goes down, logs are hooked, the carriage comes up, logs are unhooked... There are breakdowns, and bad language, but not every 2 minutes (breakdowns) or who could afford to log? Riggin' fits happen, but that too is exaggerated on the show. This season looks like there's been some extreme editing and a lot of acting/staging of scenarios. I hope the production company compensated the crews for time lost.
Another note..tail trees are usually rigged ahead of time. The rigging crew keeps choking logs while the hooktender rigs trees for the next setting. There shouldn't be any waiting for a tree to be climbed, although it has happened when the crew is shorthanded. That crew is not shorthanded if the hooktender has a pimp. When the next setting is going, the hooktender goes back to the old tail tree and derigs it..either climbs it again or cuts it down to get the blocks and straps off. Once again, no long wait should happen.
Bear in mind, that last fall, when this was filmed, there was a surplus of experienced loggers looking for work. The logging slowdown was in full force. I doubt if anybody would have had to hire a new guy, or wanted to, what with all the unemployed loggers around.
STUMPHUGGER:i was wondering why the ryyguard crew would hire a greenhorn like,you said there has to be a bunch of experienced loggers looking for work.
even last year i wondered why the crews didn,t seem to plan ahead.i wouldn,t want a whole crew standing around just to putup a skyline for a new move.
delbert
i have no respect for ryguard, ( the father & son who owne it ) i know everyone needs a job and has to put food on the table, but come on!!!, u want the kid to produce, teach him and show him resspect and he will respect u, also, going back to the 1st epsiode, you r telling me, knowing he is "green" theydid not told him he needs a hard hat, calks and gloves????? the show is staged!!!
Looks like Brad is going to earn their respect.
If you want to see the real truth, go to the Short video clips on History.com, look for the clip "Greenhorn gets gear."
Gabe told him to get a list of things. A hard Hat, Spiked Boots, Weather proof clothing and Chaps. Brad didn't follow thru with what he was told. They didn't show that part on the show you saw. The only thing they showed you was the crew's expression when Brad showed up without his safety gear.
The crew did get him some gear so he could work.
http://www.history.com/content/axmen/ax-men-videos
S&S' Hoquiam logging headquarters on a map
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=hoquiam+river+wa&ie=UTF8&ll=47.005437,-123.88101&spn=0.002283,0.004828&t=h&z=18
The episodes just keep getting better and better... spreading the positives of logging to all the world.
Quote from: Dan_Marino on March 04, 2009, 07:34:03 AM
Hey, I like the show and will continue to watch it...
Make up yer mind, will ya?
Turn the thing off, go to the woods and save us all some aggravation.
I kinda got renewed interest in S&S, waiting to see what episode the DNR people show up.
Quote from: WH_Conley on March 24, 2009, 06:58:11 PM
I kinda got renewed interest in S&S, waiting to see what episode the DNR people show up.
I doubt they will in the series. The show was taped months ago, and the DNR just now got involved (after watching the show). Who knows though.
Quote from: Jeff on March 24, 2009, 03:41:44 PM
Quote from: Dan_Marino on March 04, 2009, 07:34:03 AM
Hey, I like the show and will continue to watch it...
Make up yer mind, will ya?
Turn the thing off, go to the woods and save us all some aggravation.
A few problems with this - Its 10:00 at night and the last time I cut a tree in the dark I dropped it onto my skidder ;) The second problem - If a had the work I would be doing it >:(
And lastly - Im trying to figure out the use of "all" in your statement. Is the "all" refering to "all" of us admins.? Or "all" of us on the forum. Because not "all" of us fit into the same hole. If your round, your going to fit into a round hole. If someone is square...square hole ect. So what shape am I? Not everyone on the forum can fit into an perfect "all" hole :-*
i just wanta know how much the fines are on that big log s&s dragged out of the river.
the dad bragged how it dragged bottom all the way down the river and then he digs a trench thur the river bank.. $10,000 log and $50,000 in fines...lol
next year they,ll have a new logging show.."loggers fight back"" kinda like the speeders show...they get caught speeding in there cars and another show lets them fight it in court.
i,de like to see loud mouth aqua logger in that red headed judges court room... :D ;D
delbert
I really don't know what the squabbling is all about. A man gets land basted for an opinion driven by a TV show sending a message to an audience that may or may not sway public opinion. I suppose it depends on whom the message is getting to. But, then we happen to have a contest based on the show to add a little class to the forum and things get personal.
It's just my opinion that if you don't like logging your not going to watch it anyway. If your curious enough to watch it and misinterpret it as news, then depending again on which side of the fence your on, your going to like it or not like it. Most people already have their minds made up about whether they like the industry or not. Just like they already made up their minds about who they are going to vote for. You couldn't change their preference with a ball-peen hammer. Even if you like logging you may have enough after a few episodes anyway and decide to move onto something else.
I think I'll just hit my thumb with a hammer so I can scream "OUCH!" ;D
i like the show. it does have its annoying moments, but i look forward to it every week. i dont care for numb nuts on the boat, and greenhorn brad is frustrating. but i like to cut trees and like to see other people doing it too. i watch for the little things, not really listening to the narrator. reading between the lines sometimes is more effective.
ok,correct me if i,am wrong...didn,t greenhorn brad say he had a degree in envormental science?? in this last show he was hooking chokers and the exp logger was telling him which tree to hookup. now here's the part that has me wondering.the exp logger was telling brad to hook up ooooo!! say a hemlock then a cedar...brad couldn,t tell the diffrents.
i would think you would learn tree species in school/college.. :o
delbert
PS:altho,come to think of it i once worked with a forester that was afraid to go in the woods by himself..he was afraid of getting lost.he came to the landing one day..stood on the landing looking at his compass.i slashed a log and started to turn around to drop it in a pile..he walked out of the woods behind the pile then he got in his truck never to return..lol
Quote from: stumphugger on March 19, 2009, 08:56:25 AM
Quote from: twobears on March 18, 2009, 09:52:19 PM
i feel the same..atleast he,s trying.
delbert
He is getting special treatment. A new guy has to work down in the brush hooking chokers on the crew. Then if he can handle that, and shows promise, he might get to "pimp" the hooktender and start learning rigging. West Coast logging is not that dramatic. Usually, the carriage goes down, logs are hooked, the carriage comes up, logs are unhooked... There are breakdowns, and bad language, but not every 2 minutes (breakdowns) or who could afford to log? Riggin' fits happen, but that too is exaggerated on the show. This season looks like there's been some extreme editing and a lot of acting/staging of scenarios. I hope the production company compensated the crews for time lost.
Another note..tail trees are usually rigged ahead of time. The rigging crew keeps choking logs while the hooktender rigs trees for the next setting. There shouldn't be any waiting for a tree to be climbed, although it has happened when the crew is shorthanded. That crew is not shorthanded if the hooktender has a pimp. When the next setting is going, the hooktender goes back to the old tail tree and derigs it..either climbs it again or cuts it down to get the blocks and straps off. Once again, no long wait should happen.
Bear in mind, that last fall, when this was filmed, there was a surplus of experienced loggers looking for work. The logging slowdown was in full force. I doubt if anybody would have had to hire a new guy, or wanted to, what with all the unemployed loggers around.
The all knowing powers must decide who is square and who is round who is right and who is wrong ala shalom the mod ;Ds
Seriously I think you jumped Marino a little hard over a pos tv show This as a forum and diff folks have diff opinions
Chico
I never see enough of these shows to form serious likes or dislikes.
I will admit I shy away from anything with "Reality" in the title. This thread has been educational/entertainment enough I don't need to see it on TV too :D I can't believe I read the whole thing ::)
Ha, my worst nightmares have came true! :o I got a lead on a small tract. I go meet the landowner... nice little lady in her early 80's - A sweet little grandma. So I talk to her about boundary lines. I look at her maps she has, and I ask her what her goals are. She says "make me some money but please leave some for another cutting in the future". I make a lot of small talk with her and I am ready to head out to cruise it and then she says "now wait a second, I have some questions for you"..."are you gonna act like some of those loggers on TV"!!! :D ;D I had to laugh. I said no I wont do that. I redirected the conversation...what a sweet lady.
Your worst nightmare was that you were able to use your reality to conduct the direction of the situation and not let a television show do it?
We are in control of our own destiny, not hollywood. That's what I was trying to tell you all along. A blame it on the other guy or this or that attitude will find you doing just that. Finding yourself in a place where you are left feeling the need to find someone or something else to blame, when you are the one that is in the ultimate command of what you do each day. Maybe you should thank the show. Hopefully they just gave you the chance to make yourself and your profession look good. Its up to you now to prove you do not act like "some of those loggers on T.V.", and if you don't, well, who do we blame then? :)
Quote from: Jeff on March 27, 2009, 11:24:41 AM
Your worst nightmare was that you were able to use your reality to conduct the direction of the situation and not let a television show do it?
We are in control of our own destiny, not hollywood. That's what I was trying to tell you all along. A blame it on the other guy or this or that attitude will find you doing just that. Finding yourself in a place where you are left feeling the need to find someone or something else to blame, when you are the one that is in the ultimate command of what you do each day. Maybe you should thank the show. Hopefully they just gave you the chance to make yourself and your profession look good. Its up to you now to prove you do not act like "some of those loggers on T.V.", and if you don't, well, who do we blame then? :)
the worst nightmare story is meant to be humorous. When she said it it made me laugh out loud. I thought it would be nice to share a humorous situation. i dont think you recognized as such.
I got news for you. Im not in the ultimate command of anything that has to do with logging right now. If you believe that then your fooling yourself.
As far as blaming people i think I cut that off along time ago in this thread. The show isnt doing anything positive for logging. I will stand by that opinion forever. Dont try turning around my opinion of something negative as a fault of my own.
I apologize, as some how I had totally missed your humor throughout this thread.
There's always a positive side.
After the first episode this season, my wife thinks I've made a complete turn around.
Rather than insisting that we watch Axmen, I've actually sat and watched Dancing with the stars with her. :D
That should tell you what I think of Axmen this year.
Andy
That's the way I feel, although I haven't resorted to Dancing With The Stars :D :D :D
I have enjoyed Helli Loggers tho.
Those guys run a pretty professional crew. Seems like it's safety first and foremost
Come on now, fess up. :D :D
News article on the front page today.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/loggers_see_tall_tales_in_ax_m.html (http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/loggers_see_tall_tales_in_ax_m.html)
That was a good write-up, in my opinion.
Fine by me that the show is made up for entertainment. Bothers me, though, that it is on the History Channel. Seems that has been one place I've enjoyed because I thought there was an attempt to tell "real" history. Now I suspect all of their shows are "for the entertainment value".
Works for me to watch Ax Men, with the sound off.
Well, I've been reading this thread for a couple of weeks and I have to chip in with my two cents. I have worked for others logging and operate my own seasonal full time operation. There are few things I like more than turning trees into logs. I have never found logging to be boring but it has rarely, in my experience been as dramatic as Axmen. I also am a truck driver and I've driven on the ice roads. Driving on ice roads is bORING, bORING, bORING, but it pays well. The depiction seen on Ice Road Truckers is absolutely over dramatised. I know many drivers who go through season after season on the ice and the biggest challenge is overcoming boredom. I simply can't stand it myself. These kind of programs are made to depict an adventure for folks who spend their days in office jobs and the like. I thinks that one has to accept the entertainment aspect of the programs. 'Reality' shows aren't documentaries.
I don't watch more than a few minutes of either of these shows. On the hand, I have never been crab fishing and I never pass up an episode of Deadliest Catch.
Thing is they depict it as a true reality The History Channel? they need to put it on Spike tv or something like that imo I saw it for about 20 mins and thought it was BS .OSHA would be on them like stink on crap. I've really wonder why they haven't checked on it with some of the antics they show.Why not put a disclaimer that says something like Bleepers and bloopers. As most have said they wouldn't last 10 secs in most places cursing their workers like they do They'd be getting an attitude adjustment
JMO
Chico
Quote from: arojay on March 29, 2009, 01:03:45 AM
Well, I've been reading this thread for a couple of weeks and I have to chip in with my two cents. I have worked for others logging and operate my own seasonal full time operation. There are few I don't watch more than a few minutes of either of these shows. On the hand, I have never been crab fishing and I never pass up an episode of Deadliest Catch.
Deadliest Catch, I don't miss that either, even watch the re runs. I realize we see the "highlights" in each epsiode, but it's good just the same.
Harvey
Most people have jobs that are not tremendously exciting. They may be fulfilling, but don't get the adrenaline going very much. Axmen is feeding that need to have something exciting.
Cutting trees down is kind of like playing football. You know pretty much how the play will go, but you can never be quite sure. Most trees fall the way you want them and then there are others that will do things you didn't quite expect. The dispatcher for the mulch company we sell to in Indiana was killed Thursday evening by a small tree he was cutting that broke his neck.
Something I have been wondering since last year was how far the camerman stands back from the fellers. On last nights previews they show a feller cutting the last bit of the tree and his hinge isnt small enough and the tree starts to barber chair. I have seen trees do this and then shoot 30-40 backward elevated in the air... wondering if there was ever any 'close calls' for cameramen.
they showed a cameraman close call last year leland the yarder op hit the wrong lever and almost dropped a skyline on one of the cameraman.
i see the greenhorn is holding on it said he has lasted thur five weeks..good for him.i,ve seen alot of guys go alot faster then that... ;D
i could have done without seeing the non-english speaking border jumper tho.he might be a nice guy and hard worker but that burns me to no end.. (jeff..sorry if i over did it there)
i,am curious..how long does it take to tear down and resetup a yarder??
delbert
Quote from: twobears on March 31, 2009, 12:16:21 PM
they showed a cameraman close call last year leland the yarder op hit the wrong lever and almost dropped a skyline on one of the cameraman.
i see the greenhorn is holding on it said he has lasted thur five weeks..good for him.i,ve seen alot of guys go alot faster then that... ;D
i could have done without seeing the non-english speaking border jumper tho.he might be a nice guy and hard worker but that burns me to no end.. (jeff..sorry if i over did it there)
i,am curious..how long does it take to tear down and resetup a yarder??
That depends on the crew, the yarder, and the terrain. There is no set answer. A yoader wouldn't take long---no guylines, and a short yarding distance. One logger here said it should only take his hooktender an hour to rig a tree. The same for an intermediate support. He said this while figeting and mumbling about said hooktender taking so long and he needed him up on the landing...Once the trees are rigged, what is the yarder setup going to be? Do you have to unhook everything and move it down the road? Or just turn it, and use some of the same guyline stumps. Is there a road at the bottom to pull the haywire with? Do you have to rig a tail tree across the valley? Just a few of the details that affect the time. Normally the hooktender is working at least a setting ahead dragging the haywire and getting everything ready so when the yarder is ready, they just have to hook up the skyline to the haywire and then attach it to the gear already rigged.
De rigging takes less time. The yarder pulls the line in. The hooktender sometimes gets to fall the tail tree instead of climbing it to get the gear down. Then he skips and hops through the brush, happily packing the blocks and straps to the next setting.
Man...I been tryin' to watch this year, but this week's show was about all I can take.
That bumble headed water monkey is unwatchable. How could they put him on the show? They give him a lot of the show too. Do they think that's entertaining to us, let alone the general public??
If he gets 10 grand a piece for them 2 scraggly logs he hauled back this week, I'll move out there and get into the business myself. ::) ::)
Them 2 logs Jeff got last year must be worth 5 grand a piece then. Right now I'll bet he wishes he wuddna give 'em away ;D ;D ;D
Runnin' his chainsaw in the water with not even any safety glasses let alone chaps or decent boots. He's really teachin' his boy well.
I see next week he's threatnin' ta sell the company!! I'd like ta meet the guy that would pay any amount for the collection of junk that guy's runnin'.
Now he's "put a down payment" on a tub that prolly won't see open water for more than the first trip, if that !!
Two weeks ago if he was tearin' up a stream bank like that in Wisconsin a warden wudda shot him on site ::) ::)
Jesse Browning could take a lesson or two from this guy on how to throw a tantrum. I thought he was bad last year, well I'd rather watch Jesse scream and yell and throw his chainsaw for 2 hours than watch this fool for 10 minutes >:( >:( >:(
Just my opinion tho ;D ;D ;D
I feel a little better now ;D ;D
I agree with ya Burl. I've been sort of defending this season based on my opinion that it's just Television and we should understand why they add all the drama and stuff. This weeks episode with "Dumb and Dumber" the water loggers, however, was over the edge. They should not be shown as members of the same industry as the others. They are a disgrace to Loggers, Sawyers, Small businessmen, Guys who like to tinker with machines and stuff, and entrepreneurs of any type. Now I feel alot better too ;D
I absolutely agree. Those guys aint loggers, they are scavengers. How oe who they duped to get on that show baffles me.
Dont'cha all realize that this program is run by "Hollywood", the La La Land ??? How better for the Greenies to get the public behind them, and put MORE regulations-restrictions, on the Lumber-Mining, etc. Industries ???
When I was interviewed for one of the Treasure Hunting History Channel shows, they managed to turn around enough of what the THOUGHT I said, to make it look like we were raping the ocean floor.
Ed had the same type interview for his Treasure Hunting History Channel show. They did the same to him, but, not as much as the one I was on.
Gold Prospecting, has a black eye, because the uninformed have visions of Suction Dredges tearing up the River beds. Never mind the floods that completely change the river bed and dumps MILLIONS of tons of silt in the rivers.
It's ALL a political stunt by Hollywood, folks. ::) ::) ::) Glad I'm NOT getting the show down here. :) :) :)
All agreed Harold, but this aqua-guy doesnt need anybody but himself to come off looking bad. You can't put a pig in a tuxedo and call it anything other then what it is.
I've worked for a Potato Farmer who is an exact twin of the Aqua Logger. His name was Bert and he always had a heart problem as far back as I can remember but that didn't change the way he carried himself. Go figure. ::)
I picked Potatoes for him, rolled Barrels, drove Truck and worked in the Potato House loading Bags for Market. I enjoyed the work but it was purely a survival mode type living and would never work with that type person again. Oh the shouting matches. :-X
One time while turning the truck around at the edge of the field I put a little dent in the front bumper when I nudged a small tree. I worried about it for a few days, he didn't notice and I didn't tell him either. :D
Someone may have got yelled at for it but it wernt me. ;D
You can contribute to his defense fund here ...
http://www.ssaqualogging.com/ ;D
Being as how I can't view the show, that $10,000.00 per log sounds REAL familiar. Wasn't that the same price given to sinker logs that the Lake Superior guy was first quoting ??? I believe they were recovering in Lake Superior, EH ??? This was many years ago ???
That big price tag just screams that underwater loggers are stealing the logs and making a fortune. ??? All about stirring a Turd for the Whackos to try to shut down the Industry.
Possibly that water logger guy is just staging his actions ??? How could that stuff be real, when the State just found out about it, AFTER filming was started ???
I saw a guy on Axman tonight using a heavy chainsaw, well over his head, with one hand, and not using any eye protection.
Makes me wish there were a law against showing such outragious practices.
using a saw over your head is common practice in the pacific norhtwest, This is not flat country by any means. things are definetaly different here than the east coast. washington and oregon are already nanny states don't give em any more ideas.
That's true. Sometimes the uphill cut can be on the dirt and the lower side it's over your head. Mostly it's a good idea to use two hands though.
Having cruises timber on the coast and doing waist surveys on cut overs I can also say there are some precarious positions to measure and cut trees from. Good thing they make D-tapes with sharp hooks on the ends of the tape to whip around the tree trunks. Make sure your compass man is not on the back side of the trunk. ;D :D
15 minutes of that dramatized crap was enough for me :-X....Last years season was much better ::) If I worked for aguy like the "aqua logger" he would end-up a "sinker" himself ;D..........American logger I can watch ;)
I just watched this weeks episode. Hilarious!!! The aqua monkey has no idea what he's in for with his new boat. I saw the clip where they looked down into the bilge bay and it's full of coolant. He's probably in for fifty grand a piece to rebuild the mains, and god only knows what for the auxillary. The other thing that cracked me up was when he jumps in the boat and tries to fire up the mains with all that water and coolant in the bilge, are you sure you don't want to get the aux up and running first, and maybee charge the batteries and pump out the bilge? Just a thought. After seeing this clown run that barge on the river I can't wait to see him put out to sea in that new boat. 9/5 odds that boat goes down... any takers?
i dont think he will ever own that new boat let alone get it in operational condition. besides that with that torpedo recovery boat he might be a bit limited in where he can go and where he can turn around. that boat isnt meant to be run in shallow rivers, i can only imagine what the prop and rudder would look like after aqua-numbnuts gets his hands on it. it sure seems to me that he could do it alot easier with the RIGHT gear. when i was looking at getting a small log loader i ran across pictures of a blue-ox loader on a small barge.
I had to chuckle when I saw TRB 32 being looked at. That boat was at NUWES Keyport Wa when I was stationed there in the mid '80's. She spent more time on the ways being repaired than working, what with worn out main engines, leaky hull from banging on bouys while setting a 3-point moon for recovery craft, constantly leaking main shaft seals. Brought back a lot of memories.
lol the show has its moments .. the best is the view of the country side as well as the old timber that is left. as far as all the drama ? i am sure it could be left at home!! for sure if all logging was a dangerious as they picture it we would never get anything done... but you still have to laugh !!! lol
lets face it, it's all about the editing. The benefit is that know matter how bad the people in the industry think it is it is attracting people that would've never learned anything about the industry. Ultimately the general public is learning something about the challenges of logging and that is better than them conitnueing to be ignorant.
I found the greatest alternative to AX men. About 7 years ago I ordered several videos from Baileys from the U.S. Logger series. I had not watched them in years and I started looking for them a few weeks back. I finallly found them in storage and watched them again. These are super informative videos. I have the independent logger volume along with the Mt St Helens 1 and 2 and skidder logging. No drama no BS. A true depiction of what logging is and the people who work in the woods out west.
They are on DVD now. I recomend these to anyone who wants to se the real side of logging out there. http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=297%201
The one independent guy with the Bikini Inspector Shirt :D is a good watch
In this week's episode, I see Brad finally quit. He was a whiner. Six weeks of basic training might wean him. Yeh, the bosses can be a little rough around the edges, but it's a harsh business for hard working men.
the show is a lot of drama, and so are the logger actors. brad is a whiner as well as the owners of rygard logging! in one of the episodes the father/son of the rygards said that they had went " fist to cuffs " ? talk about whiners who in there right mind would raise a fist to their father or son in a hurting manner and call themselves a teaching boss or owner of a legitiamite work base? the verbal abuse yet alone with the s&s crew are bad enough!! any boss that has to bully or try to intimidate a worker is no kind of boss. sure working in the woods is not all roses ! but then again the work force they hired for the show( peeons ) were not well trained . so with being woods men ourselves ,the true question is "would you work for these boss's in those conditions " not meaning weather conditions??????
I'm impressed with the owner of Conner aviation for his part in the show. He's this year's Darryl. Professional. Gustafson Logging made a very wise move not to be part of this show any longer. I have the hat that Darryl swapped me for a forum hat, and I wear it quite often.
It's gotten so on the show, you're not sure whats hype & whats real? It's still better than most of the other junk on the tube. On the show, it's all push push go go go - Like thats all that matters is the 'load count' Get everybody home everynight in one piece.
I DVD'ed some of these episodes. I know nothing about logging but I do know scuba diving. Someone needs to take that guys cert away before he gets hurt.
Son had to help him sit on dock even though he didn't have tanks on, plopped face first into the water wearing his mask, and hanging onto that boat in the front while under weigh with his tanks on?
I wonder why he couldn't have just attached to that log from the boat part of the log was out of the water.
Glad I didn't sign his card. ::)
I know I am not in good graces with my opinions or maybe its the way I voice my opinion but I really want to say how ugly last nights episode was with the young Rygard. If anyone can say that didnt paint the ugliest picture about logging youve ever seen then you are lying. It was not TV drama it was pure stupid (tough guy) B.S. That young man they brought in was willing to work hard. And that idiot young Rygard threw him to the wolves. The way he treated him was pathetic. The kid had no idea what a choker was and they said "go out there and see if you know what to do". Anybody in their right mind would have trained a kid or a new worker. They would have went step by step with him - just like the veteran helicpter pilot...he took the rookie out for 6 hours.
Its no wonder the new guy almost got crushed. They were behind him barking at him to hurry up first...look at safety second. I would love to go toe to toe with that tubb Rygard. He talks a big game from the operators seat.
The Ryygards turn me off too. That is no way that real people act. Actors act like that, and they are poor actors at that.....
hey dan! ive got your back !! wanna watch the other big mouth(papa ry) with the big watch tuner in his hand. the rygards look like there about as hard nosed as the mud they work in ???? lol
OK - I'm going to chip in here. I agree with the criticisms about safety issues as demonstrated on the show, but I have to disagree about Connor Air's commitment to safety. Didn't they get into trouble on consecutive episodes with fog coming in? I would think that, if their primary concern was safety, their chief pilot would have called it a day much sooner than he did. Unless, through the magic of editing, the fog appeared out of no where, I would think he should have seen it coming and taken a safer course sooner. Maybe the narration overstated the problem.
Also - do I remember correctly from the first episode of this season, but wasn't Steve the pilot that crashed the chopper in the previous cutting season? How can a helicopter pilot be prone to motion sickness and still be certified to fly?
WoodMiller
I didn't watch last night. It seems that I didn't miss much.
I watched it. Should have went to bed. Why do we watch these show when we know they are an editors dream? In regards to young Rygard, my wife walked through and stopped for just a minute, looked and said, "He acts like xxxx", a local guy. Nobody has any use for him either.
I watched last night and two parts stood out to me that I really liked. The Pihl crew all working together to get the big tree down was really good. I loved it how they all took turns beating in the wedges and everyone was there together encouraging each other rather than what had happened the day or so before.
And an scene that caught me off guard was when Senior Aqua let Junior Aqua run the boom truck and then made over him for doing such a great job and then giving him a hug as they walked down the road at the end of the day. Under the Screaming Cussing Aqua Man is a pretty soft fellow that seems to want to do good.
great show last nite! never in all of time has man ever been able to work together with out some kind of temperment . this just showed the real life drama that has its time as well as the better moments we share as an affect from our pent up fusstrations with the work conditions..... fathers also do learn as they get older and wiser!!! i praise all the crews for their best judgment!!
i really hope it,s just to make a show for tv..otherwise,some of the guys on ax-men are the dumbest jerks i,ve ever seen.
the ryyguards are the dumbest of the dumb in my opinion.like dan said how in your right mind would push a greenhorn like that?? as long as the guy shows up on time every day and trys to learn and work and doesn,t hurt himself or you..be happy.
i,ve taken two guys to the hospital,been there twice myself and lost a friend last summer to logging..going home every night is by far the most important thing.
over the years i,ve trained alot of newbies and safety was number one and always will be.
DAN:i have to disargee with on the aqua dumba tho..one hug doesn,t make it right..his son still needs to disown him and move away from him..if you walk in the house and kick your dog against the wall then give him a bone and pet his belly it don,t make it right..not even close!!
phil:needs to fire the loader guy,give dwayne and the new cutter a spanking and lay the law down to them..theres nothing wrong with taking a day off but,be man enough to tell the boss your doing it before hand..in my opinion it,s very disrespectful to just not showup on the job. dwayne disrespect his own son by not showing up for work that day he went hunting.(i bet it was hunting)
delbert
I never did watch many episodes at all. Maybe 3 full ones and 2 partials.
Got burned out real quick.
It seemed that the workers were trying to put on a bit of showmanship too, with the cameras around.
::)
It is a soap opera for men.
If you don't believe it is scripted and faked, please answer this question.
Why would an experienced hooktender allow a "greenhorn" to rig a snag for a tail tree?
How did the camera just happen to be on the snag when it tipped over? And the camera where it fell?
A good crew and yarder engineer know how to pull over a tree with the yarder.
Definitely scripted and staged.
Real men don't need soap.
:D i can smell that !! ???
Stumphugger is right, but if I don't have nothin better to do i'll watch it just like my Mom use to watch Days of Our Lives. ;D Tim
yep,and with so many good loggers out of work why would you hire a greenhorn??
delbert
If there wasn't danger at every step who would watch it?
Amazing what will be shown as a reality show
I think "Hookers on parade" would get some attention 8)
Quote from: Scuba_Dave on May 15, 2009, 07:27:32 PM
I think "Hookers on parade" would get some attention 8)
Now dat's something I can get into, a good fishing show. 8) :D
............the only real loggers they show, Levi and Dwayne, they only show for a few, or show them after they pi$$ them off..................the rest is crap.......im done........those two have had some good things to say and some good info here and there, its just hard to find buried in all the other dumb crap! >:(
Someone help me out that knows about the "log season" out west. A couple questions:
Why is there a season? Second - Do they really leave all the wood that they didnt get to the mill in time? Or is that just for the drama of the show?
I hate it that the Rygards won the "mythical" log load championship. But oh well.
I caught part of the show last night. The language is rediculas, and the producer or director responsible should be fired. I turned it off about half way thru. Too much staged drama and vulgarity. Keep in mind im an x Navy man so these ears arent virgin but thats uncalled for! bedway
And now on to the 3rd season of Ice Road Truckers which begins May 31st 8) 8)
Quote from: Dan_Marino on May 19, 2009, 09:58:54 AM
Someone help me out that knows about the "log season" out west. A couple questions:
Why is there a season? Second - Do they really leave all the wood that they didnt get to the mill in time? Or is that just for the drama of the show?
I hate it that the Rygards won the "mythical" log load championship. But oh well.
It's weather related but actually the dates are arbitrary, so even if it doesn't get nasty they have to shut down. The spawning streams are behind it, not the comfort of the loggers. Trying to keep mud out of the creek basically. When it shuts down, you go home and leave it until spring. If there isn't enough to make going back and setting up again pay, you just leave it period. USFS lays out the rules in the contract, and they have differences from site to site.
I DVR'd american loggers and watched a couple the other night. I liked it a lot better.
I do have to say that both have gave me the utmost respect for you guys. That's hard work......
Cowboy Bob is completely addicted to Ax Men and American Loggers. He even watches the reruns of the reruns.
Last night, I almost fell out of my chair laughing at S&S Aqua! The boat ramp incident was hilarious! You couldn't have planned better schtick. :D
I saw a 2nd season episode for the first time yesterday. I don't stay up late enough to catch it, but they were giving a marathon. I had to turn the channel after 10 minutes. Nuff said.
Quote from: Dan_Marino on May 19, 2009, 09:58:54 AM
Someone help me out that knows about the "log season" out west. A couple questions:
Why is there a season? Second - Do they really leave all the wood that they didnt get to the mill in time? Or is that just for the drama of the show?
I hate it that the Rygards won the "mythical" log load championship. But oh well.
It depends. In some areas, there's closures for various reasons. Spotted Owl Nesting season, Marbled Murrelet season, etc. But I'm pretty sure they were on private ground. You can operate a skyline yarder during wet conditions as it doesn't disturb the ground as much as a skidder. So I'm thinking "The Season" is a made up thing for the TV Season. Last year mills began shutting down sporadically. They still are. That snow storm hit about the middle of December and the snow stuck around for a couple of months. We had a log truck go off the haul road here, and the logger decided that "his season" was done for. Then the mill quit taking logs due to market conditions.
As for the silly load count? I'd go with Browning as the winner. His crew was awesome to keep up so close while working in a thinning unit. Rygaard was in a clearcut all the time, with prebunched logs.
Too bad they didn't show more footage of yarding in the thinning. There's a lot of skill involved. They have to work the trees through the standing trees and try not to scar up or knock down the standing trees. 6 loads a day is a good day around here in a thinning.
No season here, you can log year around. The load count is to add drama where there isn't any. In a race for pieces to the landing the helicopter will win usually especially a big one.
There are seasonal restrictions depending on ownership. USFS has the shortest season usually confined to the fall. For state forests, the most restrictions are during the summer with Murrelet restrictions ( April 1 to Sept 15) being the biggest one. Owls you can work around as long as you are not within the core owl circle. There are also heron, eagle and osprey restrictions but they are rarely a problem.
During the time the show was filmed most mills started to curtail operations working about 3 weeks per month.
The S+S boat ramp scene was a riot!! :D.........................but he is still a dope, Thanks for the real info Tillaway.
I visit a "green" forum for ideas on saving energy, built a greenhouse
Sometimes "treehugger" views tick me off
I believe in conservation, but some idiots have no clue
QuoteWhen watching these new reality shows it just appalls me to see these thugs with IQ's no bigger than their shoe size cutting down trees that took thousands of years to grow just like it was nothing. They argue that they have to feed their families. If they would have applied themselves in school and had an ounce of ambition they wouldn't have to cut down trees. If they want to cut patches down in areas of non-old growth that's one thing. But these idiots are clear cutting God's most precious gift to the planet
http://forums.treehugger.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10303
...........you have to be careful when hugging trees, you may get your arms sawn off!
It has been a long time since there was a post on this thread, but I thought I would post here rather than start a new redundant thread.
I have stuck with Ax Men, watching because some of it was interesting in spite of all the drama. However, after getting through the first 2/3rd of the season premiere this season, I could not believe how bad it was. So, I deleted it off the DVR, cancelled the series, and I will not be watching it anymore. Seeing the one lead hook tender in Alaska choking one of the employees on the deck, and seeing those two clown Aqua loggers constantly hollering at each other with every other word bleeped out, I gave up.
Me too Danny :-\
I will third those views. I have a hard time watching those shows where the nonsense is out of control.
Me 4, and off the DVR too
Ditto.
I'm right there with ya. It's a shame.
I'll continue to leave it on and the Gold Miners too. Sure it's stupid, but most of the other stuff available is too. Storage Wars, Pawn Shop, Deadliest Catch, etc. No "reality" show is reality. It's for entertainment, or maybe distraction. ;D
Maybe if they took it off the history channel and but them on E-TV or the Oprah show.....
I still haven't figured out what Ax Men and other reality shows have to do with history. The closest is Pawn Stars. At least they have historical items come into the store.
Un-Reality TV wasn't made for me.
I was hoping that the show would school me some on western logging and ways about it. I had never been near or seen a yarder before let alone how one worked one. I was watching hoping to see a new to me forestry but I gave up on it a long time ago. They (history cha. ) had what I thought a great subject to work with and royaly screwed it. I aint even going near what I thought of the man in a boat pathethic at the very least.
I have worked in forestry camps where we where 150 men doing all of the operations from cruzing the woods to haulling it to the mills and all that is envolved in between. Yes there are at times some hat throwing... but nothing like they depict on that show, unless you guys out west are a different breed ;D :D wich I doubt very much. No way anyone would work for a loud mouth yelling boss like that three hundred pounds of live dynamite ::) I know I would of walked off that job in a hurry, no one has to work that bad, at least not I :-\ I would never have been yeld at like a dog .. never !! When new to a job, there are things to learn and a way of teaching it he sure as hell had no teaching skills what so wever. :P :-X
I am now watching Licenced to drill, again it is something I have never been in touch with but having been a high steel rigger/welder for about the same amount of time as a logger/trucker it is very informative and no yelling or bleeping. Might not be as entertaining as smashing cameras with trees and messing with greenhorns, but at least it gives to making of drill wells in the north a very good perspective. Last night they had a greenhorn there and they where teaching him , not yelling and putting him down, ok , he was told a few times to pick it up , but thats normal, he needs to know that he has to pull his share.
Theres a cold snap out there this morning ;D Guess its time to go and see the critters in da barn ... :D
I watched about 20 minutes of axmen a couple years ago when the minitower was stuck in the mud and the donkeypuncher was having a tantrum and threatning to quit.We owned the same machine and the donkeypuncher should have stopped before he got that far.We would have sent him down the road and most anybody on our crew would have filled his position.
Couldn't watch anymore.
I like Ice Pilots and figure that is as close to reality as anything and doesn't seem to be over dramatized.
What about the "Swamp Logger" show on Discovery?
I like this show, there is not the antics you see on Ax Men. I have not watched the season opener of Ax Men yet, I may end up deleting it.
Ice pilots is on my watch list also , same as Flying wild Alaska, Ariel is quite the number , nevr know she will come up with. :D
The Swamp loggers was one I watched and liked , did not seam to have any BS or made for tv on there, even had a few hats thrown from frustration, in Boby's defence having the mill pull your quota would be enough to get a hat airborn :-\ .
Gold rush is getting to be like Ax men ... Way too much drama for me ::) Was nice to look at the scenery but soon realized it was all or for the most part for the camera.
I recently added the following post on the "American Loggers" topic, but thought I would repeat it here to confirm anyone's suspicions as to how much "reality" there was in a reality show:
I will not be watching Axe Men anymore as it does not meet my expectation of a "reality show". My friend's son attends a major university in the upper Midwest. There is a reality show that features five students from this school. This fellow is acquainted with one of the gals in this series. She was given a shopping list of action she could take to make extra money during the filming.
She would be paid $500 if she started an argument. She would get $1000 if she drank enough that she got sick. There was a page full of other actions that would bring in extra pay for her performances. So much for "reality"!
I expect that the characters on Axe Men have a similar shopping list. They must be way behind in their truck payments to act as they do in their show! They have to be play acting to behave in the manner that they do.
Sparky
Reality TV is equivalent to Military Intelligence.
I have been at the annual Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts the last three days. I flipped on the TV in my hotel room to pass the time and the first episode of the new Axe-men series was on. Thinking it would be informative I started watching it. I did not last 10 minutes.
This show is a travesty. Over the past ten years the industry has made great strides educating the public on proper forestry management and the use of BMPs. This show will set that back a generation. The depiction of a bunch of jacka$$es destroying a stand of timber for the camera is criminal. I find it hard to believe they can get any decent prices for the logs with major fiber pull depicted. Maybe it is all pulp?
The lack of safety equipment is equally appalling. None of the fallers were wearing any eye protection!
A show such as Axe-men with the caricatures crafted for the camera will give a platform to those folks who want to depict all logging as wasteful and unnecessary. >:(
Kinda funny when one of the swamp rats dredges up some piece of rotten crap and it's instantly worth $2k, ya right.
I was also disgusted with the first episode of Ax Men. Actually it was over the top stupid.
I used to like the cajun Shelby but he is outta control stupid.
Yes, it is a shame. It could have been a good platform for the Industry. Instead, it is a tragic, pitiful, soap opera.
The Gold Rush teasers show all the miners getting shut down for safety issues.
I suspect there have been many calls to the complaint departments of multiple regulatory agencies trying to shut them down. It's a shame when they are so close.
OHSA will propably catch up to Actsman.
I have to say, I'm looking forward to seeing at least one episode with the horse loggers this season. We'll see how episode two is.
How would you like to be Shelby's nephew with that gaping wound in his arm? You could have pushed a golf ball in that hole. :o ... And all because Shelby was hot dogging it for the camera.
I do like Shelby's dog "Willy" though. I think he's my favorite character.
You guys are one season ahead of me .. :-\ :'( I am watchiung Son's of gun's , now these guys have my attention, they play with the coolest of gun's ;D :)
The State probably gets to pay the hospital bills for Shelby's exploits.
I think there was an unsafe teaser preview of the Horse Loggers also. :D
Willy has more teeth than the whole bunch, better looking, & definetly smarter than anyone on the show. Too bad He can't speak for himself, cause, He'd be OUTTA THERE :D
Quote from: Decked on January 11, 2012, 10:45:49 PM
Willy has more teeth than the whole bunch, better looking, & definetly smarter than anyone on the show. Too bad He can't speak for himself, cause, He'd be OUTTA THERE :D
+1...
horse logging has me hangin in there too. ???
Horse logging,what channel? The very first season of Axman I did enjoy. Not much fighting and I learned alot about west coast logging. They told what was going on with drawings,explained the equipment real well. But that second season was bad. Not much educational stuff at all,just fighting and bickering and making fun of the "so called" green horn.I gave up on it after a few shows. I'm not big on TV anyways,so it was a real turn off for me. I did enjoy swamp logging with Goodson. He should sell off all of his equipment and retire. :D He has some equipment to get the logs out. But that what people enjoy watching,these reality shows. ::)
When the logging first came on we called it "cussin-n-draggin".
As thecfarm said above, I enjoyed it because it showed something completely different from our local logging activity.
I won't let my boys (10, 7 , 4) watch Axe Men because of all the foul language and stupid things they do. It's unfortunate because they love anything woods and equipment related. I do let them watch Swamp Loggers. Bobby Goodson sets a good example as a logger and a Christian. I'm sure they edit things to make it appear more dramatic with them as well.
Bobby Goodson appears to be an all around good guy. Sure hope the directors dont screw that one up also.
I like to watch Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations", but do you know they have a parental warning/disclaimer on his show? It's no where near as inflammatory as Ax Men. Certainly not as violent. Although, occasionally some "adult" topics come up in conversation on his show.
What is the logging "season"? They always talk about load count competition from one outfit to another.
I work year-round; there is no season. As far as load counts, how can you compare that with different geography, wood quality, equipment, etc?
The tease for next week is Gabe dropping a tree on a truck with a misdirected felling. He then goes into a hissy-fit of epic proportions, on camera obviously,smashing a thousand dollar saw repeatadley.
Wooodbiscuit.......Now I have to watch.
There is also the threat of showing a New Hampshire outfit. That may keep me watching. I'dlike to see a cable skidder/chainsaw team working in -10 weather. Maybe I could learn something.
I have learned that I have no desire to visit the swamps of Louisianna- a man could get shot there in boat-by shooting.....
Trust me ...you won't miss a thing by never visiting the swamps of Louisiana. ;)
I like visiting them throught the tv, aint to sure about riding around them for real.
The season here is all year. It is also all year on the West Coast because the Loggers that cut for my Company harvest all year. The "season" is just a figment of the TV show.
I live in Louisiana and these idiots make us look bad. You can't run a business like these fellas do fighting and cursing each other out all day long. This is all scripted, scripted, scripted!!!!
The oilfield one that was called Black Gold was just as horrendous as the logging shows. Maybe a little bit of the show was true to history from when I first started in the late 70's, but those days are long gone.
There is a season many places on the coast,just inland unless the companies chart area has good areas for winter logging shows.Our season was mid March through Nov-Dec depending on weather.
We were taking the equipment off the hill one year in the Pemberton area and the tank drill threw a track so we moved it into the ditch side of the road(steep) and couldn't get back until late May.The heavy gauge hood over the compressor and engine was bent like an old swayback horse and there was still 7' of hard packed snow in the shadows.
Our chart area just an hour and a half South was clear through most of the winter but we didn't always have clear blocks available.
Quote from: beenthere on March 03, 2009, 02:31:07 PM
PS I turned the sound off and enjoyed the rest of the show scenery, equipment, and logging.
LOL. I don't watch much tv, and very little to no reality tv, and had never heard of this show. However, being new to this forum, I did recently read parts of this thread as my introduction to this show.
Last night, my family went to a new Indian restaurant in our area, and Ax Men for some reason was on their tv (with the sound off). Even with the sound off, it was quite clear that it was poor, over-dramatic show. I just caught the end and people were fighting and choking each other, and involved in all sorts of non-logging activities. I had to laugh out loud when I realized that it was the show that I had just read about.
I will have to watch it (or American Loggers) sometime with the sound on, to see the scenery and to see what you guys really do (in the rare minutes that they allow between the drama).
Cheers
Steve
Sitting here watching Ax Men and Shelby is trying to cut down a rotten cypress. He is using his 44 mag as a wedge. How can this man stay alive working this way? I know it is all show but he is a IDIOT!!! :D :D :D :D
For you Ax men fans, we have one of Melvin Lardy's stumpbranch logging hats in the forestry forum auctions right now. You could win it and pretend yer one of the guys. ;) :D :)
dont wanna be associated with any of em :-\
Dang I thought this was my competition !!! :-X
Where I worked on the Charlottes there was a chance of a blizzard right around Christmas time and often the camp was shut down for 2 or 3 days and soon the snow was all gone again and it was like spring time the rest of the winter. ;)
I did watch it a few Sundays ago just to see the Swamp Buggy!! I like that rig.I see the Father and son still don't know nothing. The Son is dumb enough to put up with the abuse from his Father. I could treat that poor kid alot better. I call him a kid because he don't have the get up and go to go find a real job and get away from his so called Father. I recognized a few others. Some just don't change.
While channel surfing last night i watched about two minutes of ax men. Way back when we were all looking forward to this show with much anticipation little did we know how bad it would evolve. With all the contrived drama and every other wood having to be bleeped i havent a clue how it stays on the air.
It's just an entertainment ploy; can you imagine how stinking boring it would be for the general public to watch loggers? You and I would be glued to the set, but most folks would surf off into "The Simpsons" or "Hoarders" or some other reality smack. I find Shelby at least entertaining from a "redneck" perspective - I am one so I can say that :D
I have to say Shelby is quite the timber feller, BANG-BANG, then used the gun for a wedge, he got it down, hes very entertaining. :D
I went to work on a yarder in Montana in 66, i was running chockers. They ran it about the same way as these guys on tv. The guy with the beeper didn't wait on till i was out of the way, i ran my butt off. I was the new guy they thought it was funny, i worked two days, then told them where to put their job. ;D
Quote from: lumberjack48 on February 20, 2012, 12:49:57 PM
The guy with the beeper didn't wait on till i was out of the way, i ran my butt off. I was the new guy they thought it was funny, i worked two days, then told them where to put their job. ;D
I worked for a guy like that in 82 that would blow the whistle and say "run or die" to the last man out of the turn.He could take what he dished out and I learned a lot from him and he taught me how rigging backspars.
Sounds like it would suck to be slow eh?
Indeed. ;D
What I didn't like about that job was I was the youngest by 10 years and conversation in the crummy and at lunch revolved around mortgages and bank rates and dirty diapers.Not very stimulating for a 20 year old.
The good part was the teaching and discipline learned from working alongside them.The older guys were early 60's.
The fastest rig up we had with the 90' Madill was 45 minutes from the time we dropped the pad til the spar tree was standing and rigging in the air.Jay had already notched the stumps so we just had to run the strawline and guylines out.
Whats that old saying, i dont need to be fast, just faster than you. :D
I could see where it would be fun working with a yarder. But everybody has to work together, i love the fast pace. Back then those Western loggers loved to see us Flatlander's garbing for air and dirt to get out of the way. As soon as he seen me hook the last chocker he'd push the beeper, he's supposed to give you about 30 seconds. When i look back it was all fun and a learning experience.
Are those beepers/wailers / squawkers they use radios that trigger a speaker on the yarder? How do they work?
The talkie tooters we used had a mercury switch in them to prevent blowing the whistle accidently.You had to tip the "Bug" near vertical and squeeze the strap.It sent a radio signal to the receiver at the yarder which would trip a solenoid to release the air to the air chime.It worked pretty good most of the time.
You could take the bug off your hip and speak into the end and the donkey puncher could hear you on the phone at the receiver.
The bug is the red object in the pic below the receiver.The receiver shown there is more modern than the ones we had but the bug is the same.
http://www.talkietooter.ca/html/tktr2009.htm
Thanks Paul That's what I thought but being a "City Boy" had to ask. ;)
No problem Bill,it was a trip down memory lane. :)
Quote from: lumberjack48 on February 20, 2012, 03:55:19 PM
I could see where it would be fun working with a yarder. But everybody has to work together, i love the fast pace.
Yes,it was a lot of fun working with a good crew.Hard work and good banter makes the day go by fast.
My bug is still in operation. :)
Do you have a pic handy?
I do now, and a video as well. :)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/DSC03825.JPG)
http://youtu.be/_2-tfavoa-4
:) That's a old school bug,the type used with a length of wire that the whistle punk strung out through the bush to a vantage point where he could hear and relay signals to the donkey puncher.
My brother Don punked whistles one summer but that was the last year(1973) my dad used that system before going to the radio controled system.
The sky car's where invented to pull slack from the sky car so the choker setter's did not have to pull the main line from the line machine. The sky car clamp's onto the sky line and then clamps to the main line to pull slack so the setter's just have to donkey from the car not the line machine. When your under the hill a couple thousand feet that line get's heavy quick on not so steep ground.
Here is a link to the manufacture's of the green sky car you see on Ax men. Scotty Baker at Eagle, the inventor is my uncle.
http://www.eaglecarriage.com/pullingcarriages.htm
Those horses on the horse logging team are awesome. Really something to watch. That young, muscular horse they walked out of the trailer in tonight's episode was one handsome, impressive animal.
I don't watch the show, only have rabbit ears here, but work horses are still common in the north woods (private woodlots) for those that want to go at a slower pace through life. :) My uncle's horses were more pets than workers, but that's all he had to cut firewood and logs on the farm and the local reservation land.
As far as public opinion, might be better to have them think its like AXMAN, instead of showing some of the super duper operations and crews that just make it look easy and appears to be making somebody filthy rich from natural resources. I think thats what alot of them really don't like about the idea.
I think it is hard to capture on film what it is really like to just to be there in 3D in person doing something like that. The constent rush you can get from something so big, with the everyday little surprizes. I also worked on large offshore rigs, and placer gold mining with large equipment, along with large sawmill and logging large trees. Kinda like trying to take a picture in the mountains, you really can't capture the huge depth of it. Next adventure, ride logs down rain swollen river? Need to finish building new shed first.
Quote from: Overlength on March 19, 2012, 05:18:23 PM
Next adventure, ride logs down rain swollen river? Need to finish building new shed first.
Saw that a couple weeks ago on PBS. Some old film footage from the 40's in Maine on the river drive. My grandfather did all that and there were times he had to sleep in lean-toos, no warm camp, just the horse. But, that was right up his alley anyway. He had his own camps all over the country, but they were guide camps. 8)
That would be something.They still float the logs down the rivers in Central and South America. Thats faster than the bad roads full of truck size potholes they have.
I have a friend gave up his electric engineering job to go work for a hunting guide outfit in Canada. On the way up in Canada his truck started a "hissing" sound. He knew something was wrong,jumped out just in time, and the truck blew up. A rock or something had knocked a hole in the gas line. Why isn't the camera rolling when you really need it?
There's an old picture around here someplace where gramps had the canoe and gear in it and the mattress just thrown out on the shore rocks along the river. Good enough for camp tonight. :D :D
Quote from: LOGDOG on March 18, 2012, 10:45:44 PM
Those horses on the horse logging team are awesome. Really something to watch. That young, muscular horse they walked out of the trailer in tonight's episode was one handsome, impressive animal.
That was a very good piece with the horses Sun night. It brought back a lot of good memories when i helped my father log with the horse. [1955-58]
Shelby was funny, he had his cousin helping him [female] it was good. The rest of the gang were out of on control, same ole stuff.
Quote from: Overlength on March 19, 2012, 07:15:05 PM
......... On the way up in Canada his truck started a "hissing" sound. He knew something was wrong,jumped out just in time, and the truck blew up. A rock or something had knocked a hole in the gas line. ...........
There is something about hearing a "hissing" sound, and a truck blowing up that just doesn't sound right. ;) Maybe it was ax men material after all. :)
My uncle used to log with horses up by Rhinelander, WI. They were great big Belgians. Beautiful, impressive animals. Sometimes I wish I would have known to pay more attention and appreciate what was in front of me when I was younger, but you can't always know what you'll end up valuing later in life.
Shelby and his cousin are funny. She's a brute that one.... in a fun way.
I kinda liked the 3rd cousin that was helping him a few shows ago. I'm dearly afraid that this cousin may have ate that one.
Yep ...that other cousin was cute. ;D She didn't look like any logger I'd ever worked around.
She is the only one who hasn't been hurt working with Shelby. ;)
Shelby said he had to watch out for her big Guerrilla hands, they were scary. Throw this gal a little hay and a hand full of oats once in awhile she'd be good to go.
Shelby found the "BOGALUSA RAFT". Are those logs worth what they say? Millions? ???
I'd like to see that Cuban Mahogany opened up. What could that have been doing in the big Lake in South LA? It didn't grow here did it?
Quote from: Bogue Chitto on May 20, 2012, 10:35:22 PM
Shelby found the "BOGALUSA RAFT". Are those logs worth what they say? Millions? ???
A lot of BS.
Did not see the show containing the "Cuban Mahogany",,,, no telling what it is if Shelby is one naming the species ;D. As far as a raft of lost cypress, not too likely. Hundreds of cypress log rafts of different sizes were floating throughout the local river systems out across Lake Maurepas thru Lake Pontchartrain. The rafts with logs Floating, had no reason to sink as a group. Many times interior logs would sink out of the raft, but it would not be logical for a raft or a group of logs to sink in one loation while being rafted. There are many tales of 'Rafts'. I have found two logs dog chained together before, and a few logs with dogs in the ends. That tells me that the exterior connected logs beagn to sink and they were disconnected from the raft and left. Sometimes a big sap heavy log would start to drop out and it would take several other down with it.
All those shows are staged with lots of drama induced to keep the public tuned into the series. All are scripted by producers who think they know what will draw the most viewing time, seems like one way or the other, those guys are getting thier job done, or we'd not be tallking about them, ;)
Stump
It was Shelby's log buyer that identified the log and the subsequent value. Shelby had no idea of it's value, other than it was a very large log.
I enjoyed watching Shelby and the Oxen teams in New Hampshire this year.
Gotcha Roxie..thanks.
Shelby is a hoot, he's exactly like in real life as reflected on the show. Wide Open ! Good guy that would give you the last 10 cents in his pocket. It bothers me the ratty rigging and pratices that he uses tho.
Wish they had more horse / OX logging and less S&S Aqua idiots.
Buck's diver girl can stick around though .... :)
Quote from: Raider Bill on May 21, 2012, 11:22:49 AM
Wish they had more horse / OX logging and less S&S Aqua idiots.
Less S&S and get rid of Rygaard too....idiots.
i dont watch often, but i seen the morons that get logs in florida, father and son "team" i believe. plus the guys in washington state that are related too. they never seem to get along, absolutely no respect.
i told my dad after 10 minutes of that show yesterday," im not sure which person i would beat down first"
ive worked alot of places and in the real world people do not talk that way to employers or employees.
also fun is fun but who would have been liable if one of those greenhorns racing down that hill and back up would have suffered some head injury or neck trauma.? probably the show would be of limited interest if they lost all the BS drama.
When it first came on years ago I enjoyed watching how the other guy logged but any more I don't care to watch. There setting a poor example for the logging industry as fas as Iam concerened.
I wonder how many times osha is going to visit these boneheads on this show!!!
I never watch it anymore. Worst show on TV.
Quote from: Autocar on May 21, 2012, 01:41:16 PM
When it first came on years ago I enjoyed watching how the other guy logged but any more I don't care to watch. There setting a poor example for the logging industry as fas as Iam concerened.
Enjoyed it in the beginning watching JM Browning.. He seemed to know his stuff and cared about doin it
I just can't watch Axmen.
Swamp loggers was the most realistic logging show. Just not enough drama, I figure that's why they got canceled.
Andy