Is social media hurting the great outdoors experience?

[BlazerBeam]

Way more fishing pressure on the Erie & Ontario trib steelhead than I've ever seen before (then I see YouTube videos and Instagram posts featuring steelhead and it all makes sense). Everyone is hunting coues deer now - pre social media few people even knew that was a thing.

I've also heard social media is making some of Earth's best kept secrets crowded with visitors.

Is it all cyclical and the interest will die off or will it only get worse?

It is ruining the outdoors, yes. I wish more people would raise hell about this issue. I wish more would call out these folks who are monetizing hunting and fishing through youtube, podcasts, etc. What is the end result of all this publicity? I know some say that their "why" is to create advocates for public land hunting. But what is the end result of that "why"? Is it to have thousands of people with all the latest gear traipsing around the woods bumping into each other left and right but never harvesting an elk, deer, or catching a fish because there is nothing left to hunt or fish? Or rather, is it to have so many advocates who have been recruited that now in order to enjoy a hunting opportunity you have to wait 5 years to hunt in your own state or pay tons of money and take weeks off of work? It can only be one of those two scenarios. So if you care about preserving the hunting experience, and preserving the opportunities for your posterity to enjoy a quality hunt and to do it often enough that it is a tradition like it has been in your life, then we need to start pointing the finger of blame where it needs to be pointed and hold these folks accountable....

 

[MTGomer]

If it somehow magically became impossible or illegal to post pictures of Moab, Canyonlands NP, Horseshoe Bend, Havasupai Falls etc, I’d sure be interested to know what would happen to visitation levels.
Everything being or moving toward a permit system would be reversed.

 

[Bambistew]

Still lots of places most people will never go.

SM doesn't bother me helps me know where not to go.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

I struggle with it honestly.

Some say its hurting hunting and fishing, but then talk about how we need to recruit the next generation of hunting and fisherpeople...

I think it has good and bad, but the one good is it draws in more people to partake in the activities that we enjoy. Many folks don't want that, but me personally, I enjoy sharing my outdoor activities with other people or new hunters/fisherpeople.

But I do think many of them just portray the glory shot, not all the hard work that went into getting said animal or fish.

 

[Rmilanowski]

Way more fishing pressure on the Erie & Ontario trib steelhead than I've ever seen before (then I see YouTube videos and Instagram posts featuring steelhead and it all makes sense). Everyone is hunting coues deer now - pre social media few people even knew that was a thing.

I've also heard social media is making some of Earth's best kept secrets crowded with visitors.

Is it all cyclical and the interest will die off or will it only get worse?

How many times have you driven down two track, or through a boulder field and come across a Honda accord, or a mini van, with associated oil slicks?

They'll learn, wait until you start seeing teslas three miles down a dirt road with no charge or bent frames because of the weight.

Attached picks of my favorite road and my navigators who are always getting me lost..

 

[TheTone]

I somehow got on a couple IG profiles this morning and was amazed at the level of detail they were sharing. Pictures at the road signs for the area, pictures of their vehicles at the trailheads, enough scenery to know exactly where one of the bulls was killed and of course tight product shots and plugging the packer/employer to drum up business and maybe a sponsor. This was in an area I know somewhat well, it really isn’t that big, prone to over pressure/conflict and has seen a massive increase in pressure over the last decade. It was one of the Idaho elk zones that saw the biggest cut in non resident tags this year. But hey as long as maybe they get some likes, maybe get a plug, sponsor and one of them drums up some business then it’s all good

 

[TimeOnTarget]

I struggle with it honestly.

Some say its hurting hunting and fishing, but then talk about how we need to recruit the next generation of hunting and fisherpeople...

I think it has good and bad, but the one good is it draws in more people to partake in the activities that we enjoy. Many folks don't want that, but me personally, I enjoy sharing my outdoor activities with other people or new hunters/fisherpeople.

But I do think many of them just portray the glory shot, not all the hard work that went into getting said animal or fish.

In my experiences, the SM people seem to care more about posting it on social media than the actual hunt/experience. That's where the problem lies for me.

 

[BlazerBeam]

Still lots of places most people will never go.

SM doesn't bother me helps me know where not to go.

For now. But even in my lifetime I've seen many of those "places people will never go" start having people. Why? because OnX and gohunt tell them to E-scout for places that people would never go. And the clear picture of what kind of shape you have to be in and how crazy you need to be is also a part of the message being sold.
Last week I packed in 10 miles with a camp on my back to archery hunt a place here in MT that has always been loaded with elk. What did I find? elk that acted spooked and would not bugle, plus 8 guys from Wisconsin who had been camped there for a week. They told me that two guys from Idaho had been there when they showed up. This was the first time in 7 years that I have seen any sign of people in that basin. How did 8 guys from Wisconsin find that place??? And why did they think 8 people hunting in the same area was a good idea?

 

[jhickman1]

Awesome topic! Loved all the responses that seemed to be from many different angles.
Like most of you, I grew up in the days before social media nad now my wife and I work full-time in social media on the influencer/branded side. Obviously I don’t dislike influencers lol.
Do I think social media can be a bad thing? Absolutely!! However, I think it can be a good thing as well.
When any of us posts about hunting, being responsible outdoorsmen, resource conservation and topics like that, I think we show another side to this passion of ours. A side that doesn’t line up with the stigma of a couple guys drinking beer, throwing trash out the window and shooting everything that moves.
My first out of state hunting trip was to MT for a deer hunt. When I posted the pic of my harvest, my caption was about the time I spent with family and how the meat was donated to a food bank (I shot the deer the morning I was coming home and didn’t have time to process it). I used the the pic of a dead animal (offensive to some) to show that this is more than just killing… it’s about sportsmen making a difference.
I see a lot of guys on here afraid that an influencer post will flood your hunting spots, and it may but, influencers didn’t influence me to go on a DIY hunt in MT. It was you! It was guys on forums just like this talking about how possibly is and sharing their pics. Forums ARE social media just the same as FB or IG. If you are on here publicly sharing an opinion, a review, a pic, etc… you are an influencer lol.
Lastly, everyone says this sport is losing participants and advocates and that we need to share this passion to pull more people in. We can’t do that without doing it online in forums like this and on FB and IG and YT and TV.

 

[timmy]

Western hunting is certainly not losing any participants.

 

[noharleyyet]

Is Social Media the culprit...or our obsession with it?

 

[matechakeric]

Is Social Media the culprit...or our obsession with it?

it's probably the human requirement for acceptance and to fit in more than anything else...which requires likes, shares, followers, subscribers, and comments

 

[TheTone]

My first out of state hunting trip was to MT for a deer hunt. When I posted the pic of my harvest, my caption was about the time I spent with family and how the meat was donated to a food bank (I shot the deer the morning I was coming home and didn’t have time to process it). I used the the pic of a dead animal (offensive to some) to show that this is more than just killing… it’s about sportsmen making a

Why not process the deer when you got home? Every animal I’ve killed out of state was processed at my house and not in the field

 

[jhickman1]

Why not process the deer when you got home? Every animal I’ve killed out of state was processed at my house and not in the field

I was told by the processor at the time that any meat flown out had to be frozen… not on ice… frozen, before transporting out of state due to CWD. Since I was flying out in a few hours, I just decided to donate the meat and he cut the skull cap out and cleaned it since I was able to ship bones home.

 

[idahohuntr]

Social media has certainly replaced the sporting goods store billboards and campfires where hunts and pictures used to be shared...the latter being much less efficient! I enjoy the youtube videos as much as the next guy, but I do think the regulations need to be a lot tighter on commercial exploitation of public resources. Land management agencies and state wildlife agencies both could better regulate who films on their lands, the tags these commercial outfits get (would like to see a substantial limitation on numbers/applications etc.), and the rules associated with filming (no landmarks/location/unit info., etc.).

 

[matechakeric]

7 Reliable Spots to Hunt Elk in Idaho – Backfire

backfire.tv

I found 7 reliable exact locations in Idaho to hunt elk....more like I found 7 spots where bull elk will never be found again

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

In my experiences, the SM people seem to care more about posting it on social media than the actual hunt/experience. That's where the problem lies for me.

True, all depends on the person really. Many people also hunt high fences which I'm not a fan of. Many of the hunting shows are unrealistic with the hunts they do as well that I'm not a fan of.


Nothing is ever perfect, but don't forget its not just "influencers" its common folk like you and I posting as well. It's all in the same social media pot.

 

[TheTone]

7 Reliable Spots to Hunt Elk in Idaho – Backfire

backfire.tv

I found 7 reliable exact locations in Idaho to hunt elk....more like I found 7 spots where bull elk will never be found again

Yuck. No surprise he lives in Utah

 

[matechakeric]

True, all depends on the person really. Many people also hunt high fences which I'm not a fan of. Many of the hunting shows are unrealistic with the hunts they do as well that I'm not a fan of.


Nothing is ever perfect, but don't forget its not just "influencers" its common folk like you and I posting as well. It's all in the same social media pot.

guy from my HS is now a pretty small-time "TV hunting personality". 100% of his hunts are on private land with trophy-class animals. Not sure if it's high fence or not but it is absolutely private land rights acquired by his TV show. he posts all the time to help promote his brand and the show. just the tip of the tip of the iceberg for what's out there giving new hunters a false sense of what to expect.

shoots at least 1 elk and 1 deer per year that would be many public land hunter's animal of a lifetime

I'm not even jealous of the quality of the animals he harvests (perfectly happy with any old raghorn). I wish I could hunt unmolested by other public hunters every year without fail instead of having to play the tag lotto. lol

 

[2rocky]

sometimes though it is truly a gift.....