Social Media

[slonstdy]

I'm not a part of any form of social media and I don't consider this site social media either. This site is more like the local bar where everyone knows each other and it's the place to hang out, have a good time and shoot the s**t.

Hanging out here with like minded folks who share experiences and information about hunting and related activities is not even in the same ballpark as the users of social media trolling Facecrook, Dimwitter and Instafake looking to get validated by others for no other reason than to stroke their own ego and brag that they have X amount of followers (aka - the even weaker minded individuals with no sense of self worth of self esteem).

This is I believe one of the points Matt Rinella was trying to get across. Posting your hunting successes (kills) across a broad social media platform for all the world to see is not the same as sending the same pics to few friends. I agree with Matt that social media is not helping the hunting culture in a positive way especially in this day and age of instant gratification and narcissism. I'm sure there are new hunters that are getting involved in the sport because they love the outdoors and all aspects of hunting and that's great and I wish them much success but I also feel that the overwhelming majority of newbies are in it so they can post something considered "taboo" on their media in the hopes of getting recognized.

For 2022 I'm going to join Matt in his "no post challenge" so for our Saddle Hunter Contest you'll have to take my word that I shot a 24 point non typical...

 

[sureshotscott]

Jocko said something I find accurate here

‎Jocko Unraveling: Unraveling 27: All In Our Heads on Apple Podcasts

‎Show Jocko Unraveling, Ep Unraveling 27: All In Our Heads - Dec 14, 2021

podcasts.apple.com

it isn't "social media" it's really "emotional media" which is a rebranding I can get behind.

 

[thedutchtouch]

this isn't a social media site, it's a forum, and there's a very specific but important difference- in my expereince as a newer adult hunter, facebook and other social media sites are 98-99% cesspool, while this forum is the opposite, and a few other forums land in the middle. yes myself and a few others on here can get caught up in the gear, ad acting like experts when we're not, but in general, it's well moderated around here. i don't understand why people are bigger jerks on facebook when it's the "real" them vs here "hiding" behind a forum name, but it is what it is. my hope is it's growing pains, we made a push towards tech and are now figuring out how to chatch up as humans, but unfirtunately we've gotten so good at tech, it makes it appealing to be lazy/ignorant in the short term. i may be in my mid (who am i kidding... late) 30s, but i'm pretty sure i was born a few decades too late. bring back hand tools, carburated cars, and shop class and a lot of these problems would go away.

 

[tailgunner]

Jocko said something I find accurate here

‎Jocko Unraveling: Unraveling 27: All In Our Heads on Apple Podcasts

‎Show Jocko Unraveling, Ep Unraveling 27: All In Our Heads - Dec 14, 2021

podcasts.apple.com

it isn't "social media" it's really "emotional media" which is a rebranding I can get behind.

And this is it
.I don't understand how people are emotionally attached to what they or others say.i get blocked on here and had no idea cancel culture has crept int the hunting cumunity.i just asumed the mindset was different umungst people with the disposition to venture off in the wilderness alone.like usual i was wrong

 

[Jammintree]

Thanks for recommending that episode. The brothers arguments with eachother are greatly appreciated. Regardless of our positions, I think these are topics that need to be discussed, otjerwise we are at risk having our heads buried in the sand; change is constant and it’s wise to be aware and influence it happening in positive ways.

For all of the talk about too many vs too few hunters, I didn’t hear much reference to conserving access to land or creating and maintaining healthy ecosystems.

It’s too bad they cut the conversation off when the topic of Joe Rogan came up. Celebrities like him drive the narratives that appear in social media, he’s started a lot of pro and anti hunting conversations and those conversations really charge the social media tenor.

 

[John 35]

I do think social media has played a role in putting more hunters on public land. But the real reason for overcrowding on public is the loss of opportunity for hunting private land for the majority of hunters. Mostly it’s just not being able to get permission or not being able to afford a lease. Also a lot of the habitat on private lands needed to support the animals we hunt has simply been destroyed. Even if social media went away most hunters would still be concentrated on public land.

 

[floppyhera]

I do think social media has played a role in putting more hunters on public land. But the real reason for overcrowding on public is the loss of opportunity for hunting private land for the majority of hunters. Mostly it’s just not being able to get permission or not being able to afford a lease. Also a lot of the habitat on private lands needed to support the animals we hunt has simply been destroyed. Even if social media went away most hunters would still be concentrated on public land.

You've hit the nail on the head by highlighting the deeper-rooted problems. The real crux of the matter is the diminishing opportunities for hunting on private lands. Many hunters face hurdles like struggling to secure permission or bearing the high costs of leasing private land.

 

[HuskerInIowa]

It's probably funny but I 100% agree. While this site has got sucked into a lot of what is posted in that article by it's sheer size I started this site because I wanted a community of like minded hunters. I hate social media and I hate that this site is now considered part of it.

Been thinking about this about this post a bit the last couple days. Maybe it’s social media in the end, I won’t dispute that. I’d say it does way more good than harm though.
I’ve hunted for 30ish years but being newer to archery and saddle hunting I found a ton of support here. Rarely see a post about not shooting a doe, that’s a small buck, should’ve let him grow, etc. Mods and the gen pop here keep that in check quick if it pops up.
Chasing gear…maybe. Personally I think the for the most part we do a nice job of talking about new stuff while having plenty of dissenting voices to keep some things in check. And a support thread to chide each other when we know we go overboard. Classifieds may cost ya but I can tell you they save you some coin too if you’re gonna buy stuff anyway.
Expert wise I feel like we share info and ideas more than say that’s wrong this is right. I did some writing for gambling picks, got a pretty good following, and got offered money to use lines from a certain book. I took it for 2 months and quit because I couldn’t be genuine using their lines. Here people who have an interest have to state it, lets us commoners take it with a grain of salt.
There’s likely comparison, that’s human nature, but I’ve been told congrats and great deer for shooting a doe by someone who’s taking their P&Y buck to the taxidermist. If you compare yourself to that you’ll likely fall short but no one here is going to do it for you, this group remains a giant deer camp. Celebrate it all, lift you up when you’re down, and give a little crap.
Long post but I don’t think this site is the bad side of social media in any way. I disagree with some views but the way this is built doesn’t invite the fighting for the most part. Mods do a tremendous job of ensuring that as well. Maybe it’s a sappy holiday sentiment but from the knowledge I’ve gained to the gear I have to the meat in the freezer I wouldn’t be where I am today as hunter without this place. I don’t care for most people but a couple of you are alright in my book. Lol

 

[Plebe]

You've hit the nail on the head by highlighting the deeper-rooted problems. The real crux of the matter is the diminishing opportunities for hunting on private lands. Many hunters face hurdles like struggling to secure permission or bearing the high costs of leasing private land.

The current culture of trophy buck hunting is largely to blame.

 

[samuelharper]

The degradation of crucial wildlife habitats on private lands compounds the issue. As these habitats dwindle, it forces more hunters to turn to public land, creating competition and overcrowding.
Even if social media were to vanish overnight, the pressure on public lands would likely persist due to these underlying factors. It's a multifaceted challenge that demands thoughtful solutions.
In the meantime, if you're exploring YouTube to share your hunting experiences, you can discover where to get cheap YouTube views to boost your channel's reach.

 

[HuskerInIowa]

The current culture of trophy buck hunting is largely to blame.

I respectfully disagree with the idea that’s it’s a current culture thing, it’s been a thing for a long time. Before my parents moved last year my dad asked me if I wanted the VHS tapes we’d watched when I was a kid. It’s not a new trend.

 

[Plebe]

I respectfully disagree with the idea that’s it’s a current culture thing, it’s been a thing for a long time. Before my parents moved last year my dad asked me if I wanted the VHS tapes we’d watched when I was a kid. It’s not a new trend.

There’s more land locked up by fewer hunters than ever before and it has to do with trophy buck culture. While hunters have always appreciated and sought trophy game, the culture of that pursuit has changed and not for the better.

 

[HuskerInIowa]

There’s more land locked up by fewer hunters than ever before and it has to do with trophy buck culture. While hunters have always appreciated and sought trophy game, the culture of that pursuit has changed and not for the better.

Ok that 100% lands with me and makes sense. Sorry if I misconstrued what you meant in the original post, I should’ve read the post you were referencing.

 

[mschultz373]

social media is ruining everything so the question isn't if it's runing hunting, it's to what extent.

(BTW, I wouldn't consider a forum social media per se. membership is limited, the site is not on a major platform (FB, Insta, X, TikTok). so this is like social media adjacenet in my opinion.)

the article cites some negatives but in general I don't think social media is harming hunting worse than, say, popular culture or political discourse or music or adolescent brain development or attention-spans or alcohol/drug use or spirituality... et al. saying social media is harming hunting is like saying meth is harming single men... as if there was some demographic out there benefiting from meth?

old heads will know better than me what hunting was like back in the day, but I assume it's like the old heads in music all say: it was better. i don't know any old person (say, over 50) who would say that life at the granular level wasn't more peacable, joyous, and connected decades ago.

social media makes everyone, everywhere, all the time look like they are 10x more succesful, wealthy, attractive, important, prestigous, happy, beautiful, lusted-after... than 'you' are. it makes people look like they have everything, all the time. it is all a lie.

the whole design of social media is to capture your attention. and guess what captures our attention... success, wealth, sexiness, controversy, novelty, 30sec soundbites, extremes in any direction - all endless curated so we have a never ending wellspring of new amazing examples of success/wealth/sexiness/controversy/novelty/et al. (btw, this is basically why porn is so bad for you, too...)

sure, social media is bad for hunting. but it's probably less bad for hunting than a lot of other things. at least I get to see cats getting it done in areas I'm totally blanking on. that gives me some encouragement.

 

[redsquirrel]

Been thinking about this about this post a bit the last couple days. Maybe it’s social media in the end, I won’t dispute that. I’d say it does way more good than harm though.
I’ve hunted for 30ish years but being newer to archery and saddle hunting I found a ton of support here. Rarely see a post about not shooting a doe, that’s a small buck, should’ve let him grow, etc. Mods and the gen pop here keep that in check quick if it pops up.
Chasing gear…maybe. Personally I think the for the most part we do a nice job of talking about new stuff while having plenty of dissenting voices to keep some things in check. And a support thread to chide each other when we know we go overboard. Classifieds may cost ya but I can tell you they save you some coin too if you’re gonna buy stuff anyway.
Expert wise I feel like we share info and ideas more than say that’s wrong this is right. I did some writing for gambling picks, got a pretty good following, and got offered money to use lines from a certain book. I took it for 2 months and quit because I couldn’t be genuine using their lines. Here people who have an interest have to state it, lets us commoners take it with a grain of salt.
There’s likely comparison, that’s human nature, but I’ve been told congrats and great deer for shooting a doe by someone who’s taking their P&Y buck to the taxidermist. If you compare yourself to that you’ll likely fall short but no one here is going to do it for you, this group remains a giant deer camp. Celebrate it all, lift you up when you’re down, and give a little crap.
Long post but I don’t think this site is the bad side of social media in any way. I disagree with some views but the way this is built doesn’t invite the fighting for the most part. Mods do a tremendous job of ensuring that as well. Maybe it’s a sappy holiday sentiment but from the knowledge I’ve gained to the gear I have to the meat in the freezer I wouldn’t be where I am today as hunter without this place. I don’t care for most people but a couple of you are alright in my book. Lol

Thank you so much for your kind words about the site. Happy holidays!

 

[bowhunthard88]

Lotta people here that I personally would like to sit down with a beer with! Social media is here and we have to deal with it. I have Instagram and I scroll a little bit and post a little bit, but I'm not on any other "major" social platforms; nor do I post my every breath, just something every couple of weeks... Anyone that I want in my life I talk to anyway, so I don't need to "reconnect" with anyone via social... We're mostly all on the same wavelength here, albeit some differences of opinion, but that's a given, it doesn't make you bad! Merry Christmas everyone!

 

[Westdesign03]

I’m almost non existent on any social media for a variety of reasons. But one I would always recommend for everyone on here is GoWild. They’re the only social media on earth that I know of that truly supports us hunters in a variety of ways. If you actively resist most all social media like I do, I would highly suggest making an exception for that one.

 

[bowhunthard88]

I’m almost non existent on any social media for a variety of reasons. But one I would always recommend for everyone on here is GoWild. They’re the only social media on earth that I know of that truly supports us hunters in a variety of ways. If you actively resist most all social media like I do, I would highly suggest making an exception for that one.

I have an account, I just don't currently use it...