Warning: The content and video in this story may be offensive to viewers.
(July 10) — It’s a new form of adult entertainment, and men are paying thousands of dollars to shoot naked women with paint ball guns. They’re coming to Las Vegas to do it. This bizarre new sport has captured the attention of people around the world, but Channel 8 Eyewitness News reporter LuAnne Sorrell is the only person who has interviewed the game’s founder.
George Evanthes has never been hunting. “Originally I’m from New York. What am I going to hunt? Squirrels? Someone’s cats. Someone’s dogs? I don’t think so,” said Evanthes. Now that he’s living in Las Vegas , he’s finally getting his chance to put on his camouflage, grab a rifle and pull the trigger, but what’s in his scope may surprise you. He’s not hunting ducks or even deer. He’s hunting woman. Naked women.
“I’ve done this three times,” says Nicole, one of the three women allowing themselves to be shot at. “I’ve done this seven times,” says Skyler, another woman participating. “I’ve done it seven times,” says Gidget the third woman.
Hunting for Bambi is the brain child of Michael Burdick. Men pay anywhere from $5000 to $10,000 for the chance to come to the middle of the desert to shoot what they call “Bambi’s” with a paint ball gun. Burdick says men have come from as far away as Germany. The men get a video tape of their hunt to take home and show their friends.
Burdick says safety is a concern, but the women are not allowed to wear protective gear — only tennis shoes. Today while the Eyewitness News cameras were rolling, one woman chose to wear bikini bottoms but normally all they wear is their birthday suits.
Burdick says hunters are told not shoot the women above the chest, but admits not all hunters follow the rules. “The main goal is to be true as true to nature as possible. I don’t go deer hunting and see a deer with a football helmet on so I don’t want to see one on my girl either,” said Burdick.
The paint balls that come out of the guns travel at about 200 miles per hour. Getting hit with one stings even with clothes on, and when they hit bare flesh, they are powerful enough to draw blood.
Evanthes shot one of the women and says, “I got the one with the biggest rack.”
Gidget is the one who took the paint ball shot to the rear. She says, “It hurt. It really hurt. I didn’t think it was going to be that bad. When asked if she cried she says,”yeah, a little bit.”
So why do women agree to strip down and run around the desert dodging paint balls? Nicole says it’s good money. “I mean it’s $2500 if you don’t get hit. You try desperately not to and it’s $1000 if you do, said Nicole.
Now both the men and women say this is all good, clean fun, but in Part 2 of this story, reporter LuAnne Sorrell spoke with a psychologist who says for some men playing out this sexual aggression may lead to other more violent acts against women.