@TN_Rifle_Junkie
I find it interesting how many people on HT are so against new hunters.
(Mostly not true)
I thought new hunter recruitment and retention was one of our goals?
(Yep)
I understand the aversion to giving away you honey-hole, special spot, best hunting place. What I do not understand is the lack of support for a generalized discussion about an area.
(The forum is public, aka "google-able" most members prefer information exchanges to be with known persons, one person will read a question but potentially thousands will read the reply)
ANYONE who spends more than a casual week on any hunting forum will be well informed of most of the resources out there. There are banner adds everywhere for goHunt, onX, and the state "planner" websites. All this information should be considered common knowledge by now. Heck, I am from Tennessee and I found all the land owned and leased by a prominent Elk outfitter in a western state just by searching it on one of these programs.
(Agreed, this is a forum for public land hunters, not one of those planner resources, we don't get paid to give you tips)
With the invention of, and highly promoted, E-scouting touted by our HT owner and proprietor, you would think that people on here would be a little more open to sharing the tidbits (privately) about areas they may have hunted in the past. I have no secrets, and if someone posts a question about an area I have hunted, I feel obligated to point out things I learned about the unit and places overlooked by most.
(All do respect, bull shit, or you don't have anything worth sharing... said from someone who joined in '15 with nothing worth sharing and now shares cause he still doesn't)
My frustration comes when every time a newer hunter posts a thread asking for a some help, the forum (police) immediately jump the thread and go into "don't tell people about hunting xxx, it might actually cause them to go" mode. What the &@*%???
(If you don't have the perseverance to get through a little hazing good luck with the elk)
THIS is the reason why people who should be hunting, don't. Some of you will say, "good riddance", or "more for me then". But I feel you are missing the bigger picture.
(Naaaaaa, there are reasons, rejection by a bunch of keyboard warriors on a forum isn't one of them)
I live in one of the most biological diverse locations in the entire US, The Great Smoky Mountain National Park area. We have whitetail, turkey, black bear, elk, and a lot of other fowl, fish, and small game animals. I openly share my knowledge of the area with NR hunters, hikers, and visitors so that they can be successful. This is how we help them continue to personally grow, and grow the sport. These
NR are only around for a few weeks, shunning them because you are
greedy beleaguered exploiters is not helping anyone in the grander scheme of things.
(Yeah well we live in the west it's 24/7, 365 not a few weeks, and people are moving here by the hundreds of thousands, state populations are doubling in peoples life times, we have tourists here in the summer, during the winter skiing, fall and spring hunting and biking... it's a perpetual shit show of people, it drives our economies and pays our bills but also grates on our nerves)
You want to know why NR hunters hire outfitters and pay more for a hunt. Because of the people who are not willing to share hunting knowledge. Currently a western state is entertaining the idea of slashing NR tags and giving a lot more to outfitters. I would normally jump on the opportunity to write an actual letter to the governor and state legislatures about this proposed bill to try and sway their thoughts. But honestly, as the time goes on, I see how we treat our own here on HT, and I question as a TN resident why we let so many of you openly come hunt my state when you are not willing to reciprocate.
(Dude, and I'm not trying to be a huge ass here... no one from CO, MT, WY, etc comes to TN to hunt, your NR are from Florida or Georgia... just the reality)
Some final thoughts and then I will don my flame suit for what will most definitely be a CA wildfire.
First, we all started somewhere. No one was born with all the knowledge of every unit in every state to hunt.
Secondly, treating others as you would like to be treated could go a long way to improve how we perceive ourselves and other hunters.
Lastly, if you want to hunt Tennessee black bears, turkey, hogs, or whitetails, hit me up and I will try and help you be successful in your hunt.
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I joined the forum as a non hunting adult, hung around for a couple of years, engaged with some great folks, and learned a ton. To be honest I think hunting spots are the least valuable thing the forum has to offer... if that's what your looking for there is a Doc Holiday meme for you.
What this forum does offer, in spades, is 1. a diverse, active, and supportive hunting community and 2. a profusion of knowledge about, e-scouting, habitat, regulations, equipment, tactics
The motto of the forum seems to be: "Give a man a hunting spot and he hunts for a season; teach a man to find his own spots and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Some parting words, search the forums for threads about first timers sharing their hunts... might help you understand why people stick around.
