Hunting Quietly.. unfollowing hunting social media will make hunting better

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tomt

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www.huntquietly.org

UNFOLLOWING HUNTING SOCIAL MEDIA WILL MAKE HUNTING BETTER — Hunt Quietly

Over the past decade, hunters have increasingly publicized pictures and videos of their kills to large audiences on social media. This monumental change in hunting norms occurred gradually and with little thought for its consequences. These consequences are overwhelmingly negative. Don’t get me wron
www.huntquietly.org www.huntquietly.org

Check out the guys at "hunting quietly" I absolutely hate the posting of hunting videos etc, especially the ones that say they are doing what they are doing to promote conservation. BS, I more and more convinced that it is about ego and monetizing wildlife, chasing the almighty buck. Read this if you care. Think about the points they make and let's discuss...

And there is a distinction between posting videos for friends and family (which I consider many of our pics and videos on this forum are geared towards) and posting videos for "sponsorship opportunities "

Goose, you're gonna love these guys! 😉
 
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If I'm some Yayhoo sitting down in California, and I see a pheasant hunting video on YouTube, and I already have scratch, because I live in California, so I can afford to go bird hunting in South Dakota, so that's what happens. That's why you see so many people out there.
 
This is exactly why a lot of people have issues with hot spotting. If you give the spot, area or even county in which you were hunting it doesn't take long for that area to be overrun with other hunters. All it takes is one guy going to a that spot, he then tells his other buddy who brings a couple other guys and next thing you know you'll have extra pressure on a spot, and it'll turn into a deserted field of crp. I have no problem telling people the general part of the state I am hunting in, but if you're looking for a specific spot or even county, I say good luck. I spend a lot of time, money and effort finding the spots I hunt. To many people have become lazy and don't want to put forth the effort, and for me that is part of the fun. Not to say I won't point people in the right direction, but I am sure not going to give specific coordinates to a spot!
 
I've had people steer me in the right direction, and I've paid it forward, but I didn't post a YouTube video about it. I'm sure when people see A5 or gold knife post a video,they no where it is but a lot of times I think those guys are on public property.
 
Interesting read. Some of it seems to make sense, but for discussion's sake, I can really only apply it to what I know, which isn't deer hunting, bear hunting, waterfowling in Arkansas, etc. When it comes to pheasant hunting in the upper Midwest, I think Rinella is somewhat off-base. In SD, the most popular pheasant destination on the planet, license sales are still down significantly compared to 10-20 years ago, not up, while pheasant numbers have been great the last few years! I frequently hunt public land in some pretty popular areas, & I haven't noticed it becoming more difficult to find a place to hunt. Also, I'm quite involved in the social media aspect of pheasant hunting. I don't believe it has created a significant number of people who "hunt for the wrong reasons". I believe social media has increased hunter interest, and mostly for the "right reasons". It just hasn't been enough to offset numbers dwindling for other reasons. Speaking from experience, people who don't hunt, or are anti-hunting, don't frequent hunting media sites. Anyway, suffice to say that applying the article to SD pheasant hunting, it comes off to me as sort of a cry that the sky is falling.

For what it's worth, here are the main reasons I make pheasant hunting videos & post them to YouTube.

1. I like watching them. Yes, my own hunting. Not much, if anything, gives me more joy than watching Ace do his thing. Obviously I do a little catering to viewers, but that wasn't intended initially. Turns out people (a small number) DO like them, so I make minimal effort to at least explain the situations. But the content is there simply because I like it. I use Youtube so I access them anywhere, anytime.

2. I'd like pheasant hunter numbers in SD to INCREASE! It's great for our economy, but most importantly, it'd be the best thing that can happen to ensure SD pheasants & pheasant hunting flourish. I want people to know they CAN come here & be successful on public land. Simply, I want others to love the thing I hold so dear, for their enjoyment, as well as for the benefit of hunting.

3. I hate hearing so frequently that SD releases pheasants & that so many of the pheasants shot on SD are pen reared. It's untrue & a slap in the face to a wild population of birds that's truly fantastic. I want people to know that the vast, vast majority of pheasants in my state, particularly on public land, are as wild as they come. They're the wildest, most sought after pheasants on the planet, conceived, hatched, & reared in the wild (under harsh conditions), like 100 generations before them. I've said this before, but no other creature I'm aware of possesses the will to survive, & the ability to do it, of a rooster pheasant. They're absolutely incredible animals.
 
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I record and post my hunts because I like to have them for posterity's sake and I enjoy engaging with other hunters. Actual hunters. Guys who save up a week of vacation and trek across the country to grind it out on public land. I know it can be tough, but it's also greatly rewarding. And I don't try hard to cover up where I'm at because it isn't hard to figure out. And I want folks to hunt pheasants in SD.

But there is a HUGE industry of digital content creators who are more concerned with the video and end of day pile/antler pic than they are with just hunting. And that is unfortunate and damaging to those types of hunting.

I think that is one thing that the wild, public land pheasant hunter has going for them is there isn't a face to us. And there never will be. We're a small group who understand the nature of the game and respect for our quarry. At the root of it all are some pretty friggin' amazing dogs.
 
Interesting article indeed. I'm still wrapping my head around his logic that it's ok to share pics of your harvests on social media with your friends but not on hunting groups/forums/sites. I can understand how he can see it as hunters these days feel like they need to brag about their harvest and that media has contributed to a craze that commodifies hunting (like Lee and Tiffany), but I can also see the perspective that hunting always has had some sort of community or family tradition to a lot of folks and that it's exciting sharing your success with others. Even if that's to hundreds or thousands of strangers online. I think others enjoy seeing success and that it motivates them to get out and hunt.

But, then I agree with him on how hunting social media shows "too many smiling faces and too few fading blood trails" and doesn't highlight the importance of conservation as much as it should. @BakkenRoosterMan had a really great point in one of his pheasant videos where he talks about how his/hunting videos show the action of the hunt - the flushing rooster, the rutted up buck coming in hot - but they rarely show more than a few seconds of the miles walked or the half day deer stand sit. And, so on a not-so-eventful hunt, he mentioned how that's really the case 95% of the time you're hunting which is still ok - to be out in nature enjoying yourself - which I appreciated.
 
I rarely if ever watch a hunting video on YouTube but know that several "creators" have resulted in public land areas be infiltrated with people.

I will admit I have never watched a single video post of Bob's, Golden Hour's or A5's (or any other) on you tube and fairly sure I have not opened a video file on this site either. To be honest - I have enough memories of my friends, relatives, and my dogs to entertain me ... Rather pop up a photo (or short video clip) or two on my phone than watch someone else. I enjoy getting photos of my dogs working or on point even though I know it may cost me a bird or two by not being gun ready.

I like this forum to share ideas, trouble shoot issues, and exchange information (dogs, clothing, technology, guns, ammo, but NOT locations). This forum has changed a bit, and I check-in less and post far less than I used too ...

My favorite thread is the Lets See Your Dogs..post some pic's thread. I enjoy seeing other hunter's dogs and puppies. I know that for many their dogs are their favorite hunting partner and like me ... enjoy their activities and success just like they are one of your kids.

Better yet - just go out and hunt a bit or run the dogs somewhere to refresh the body and the spirit.
 
COST OF A GOOD HUNTING DOG(S)
COSTS OF TRAINING IT
COSTS OF VET
COSTS OF DOG FOOD
COSTS OF VEHICLE OR DOG CRATES ETC
COSTS OF LODGING
COSTS OF GAS
COSTS OF TIME FOR THE HUNTING ROAD TRIP VS. TIME DEMANDS AT HOME OR WORK
ON AND ON AND ON.

DO ONE REALLY THINK THAT A VIDEO IS GOING TO AMOUNT TO A DECISION TO GO THERE AND TRY OR JUST ENJOY THE VIDEO FOR WHAT IT IS - SEEING OTHERS EFFORT AND STYLE OF HUNTING.
I ONLY HUNT WITH A SMALL GROUP OF 4 OR LESS AND MOST OF US ARE SATISFIED WITH A COUPLE OF BIRDS IN THE BAG . NOT THE NUMBERS.
 
He has some points and is spot on with the videos and ego stroking. I guess I post pics here, I haven't posted a single pic on FB this year, not sure if subconsciously I was feeling what the article is addressing?? I don't follow or watch the "Meateater" deal or even watch videos posted here any more. I do get to see things first-hand and couple times a week, enough to satisfy my desire to see some decent shooting and dog-work...sometimes.
When it comes to recording events that YOU were in, I have over the years have recorded everything from weddings (even my own) to all those events the kids have had....how often do I view those again? Almost never. I was there, I know how those end. I have now reasons to record my hunting events, I don't feel the need or want any financial gain from this....Doesn't uTube pay you from posting?
 
I got off of facebook 2.5 years ago and seldom miss it. Only once did I post a tailgate shot. I'll post an occasional photo here, but only maybe a once or twice a year.

I enjoy the videos that people post on here, but not as much as I once did. Pheasant cover is different across the country. I used to watch to learn about what kind of cover people were hunting in South Dakota. There was one video A5 posted that had some unique features and I thought I could find the field on SD's on-line atlas. I'm pretty sure I did; it wasn't even that difficult. But I've never been there to verify or hunt it, so who knows? Now I'm 4 years into annual public-land trips to SD, and I'm developing my own "eye" for a good spot. And while A5 hunts mostly WPA and GPA, we hunt mostly Walk-In.

On the way back from my Sunday day-trip last weekend my hunting buddy and I were discussing a related topic. It was more about deer/turkey/waterfowl hunting that seem to be doing better that bird hunting. Social media is a part of my theory on that. Social media is a perfect platform for the sort of d!ck-measuring that seems to accompany those forms of hunting. Those forms also require more gear. And gear companies fund (some) content creation, both on those platforms and in traditional media.
 
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