Matt Rinella knocking it outta the park

[Irrelevant]

I think the challenge is to steer the power that media outlets have toward more habitat conservation and restoration. It will never get the clicks of some snuff film featuring another bull soaking up bullets, but it is what matters. (BTW, habitat loss includes habitat security lost to too much motorized access. When hunters expect to be able to drive to an elk and haul it out whole in a pickup or side-by-side, elk hunting loses.)

Ben, I appreciate your writings but that is a feel-good-pipe-dream that isn't based on reality and the promotion of it is only useful in the justification of more media.

Habitat isn't coming back. The entire US economy is based on growth. That growth requires more space. That's just the facts. We're never going to have more open space, nor appreciably better habitat. At best we can try to slow the bleeding, but as others have pointed out, at what cost?

 

[Ben Lamb]

At best we can try to slow the bleeding, but as others have pointed out, at what cost?

 

[hunter49]

If you're one of the new MeatEater era hunter I would say you're hunting has gotten better for YOU, but not those who hunted before you. You're now one more hunter in the pot competing for tags and access.

To answer your last question; I would say 3/4 of new hunters I interact with will bring up ME within our first conversation. There are a ton of guys at work who started a "hunting group" of buddies because they got bored during COVID and binge watched ME. All these new hunters were influenced by ME and other hunting media and are now reducing overall draw odds and access. Anyone who's been hunting out West long enough can see the downward trend when it comes to hunting opportunities. While I've become a better hunter over time, my opportunities have significantly been reduced.

I 100% blame hunting media for this.

So only people who hunted before ME started should be allowed to hunt?

What about before hunting television, or Eastmans magazine. Sure hunting was better for the folks in plaid before that to.

Guys think this is strictly a Western hunting thing. Don't think the prairie pothole region is getting blasted by out of staters, fishing out the perch populations everyday of the winter? Or the hoards of orange that show up and pound every GPA 4 times a week to kill a rooster?

The amount of guides around here running 2-3 snowbears every day from lock up to open water is ridiculous. Don't think we get sick of it?

Im sure there are examples across every state and outdoor activity.

 

[WapitiBob]

So only people who hunted before ME started should be allowed to hunt?

The way it works is, "we don't need new hunters", "unless they're my family or my friends". They just don't mention the last part.
Then there's the "Newberg is making drawing tags too easy, it needs to be hard", while they spoon feed their family and friends everything they know.

It's the same old "I have mine, the rest of you can pi$$ off" that's gone on forever. No different than whining about people moving into town, a year after they moved in.

 

[Matthew57]

The way it works is, "we don't need new hunters", "unless they're my family or my friends". They just don't mention the last part.
Then there's the "Newberg is making drawing tags too easy, it needs to be hard", while they spoon feed their family and friends everything they know.

It's the same old "I have mine, the rest of you can pi$$ off" that's gone on forever. No different than whining about people moving into town, a year after they moved in.

No, the argument Matt makes is he doesn’t want people who hunt for social media glorification. He’s fine with new hunters if they’re in it for the “hide, horns, and personal satisfaction”. So what’s your argument knowing that?