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?

 

[rjthehunter]

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?

I still haven't met someone who hunts for social media gratification. Who do you know that hunts for the social media attention? If it's social media attention they want, they can take off most of their clothes and get way more attention than they do with a dead deer or elk. Only about 4.8% of the US population hunts. Who would seek attention amongst less than 5% of the population?

I HAVE seen people who continuously brag about things like "number 92" or something trying to brag about how many elk or deer they've killed.

 

[WildWill]

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?

Meanwhile Matt uses social media to glorify not glorifying these guy's and promote his own version of how hunting should be. Almost like he's a social media hunting influencer.

 

[Matthew57]

I still haven't met someone who hunts for social media gratification. Who do you know that hunts for the social media attention? If it's social media attention they want, they can take off most of their clothes and get way more attention than they do with a dead deer or elk. Only about 4.8% of the US population hunts. Who would seek attention amongst less than 5% of the population?

I HAVE seen people who continuously brag about things like "number 92" or something trying to brag about how many elk or deer they've killed.

The “hunting” side of instagram is littered with examples. I don’t hunt with or associate with people that hunt for that reason but it’s not hard to spot honestly. Even some of my friends talk incessantly about influencers though.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

@rjthehunter 4 separate hunters gave us their Instagram handles without solicitation from us this year during archery elk. Im a 42 year old man, in what world would another grown man think I want his Instagram handle?

 

[brymoore]

I’ve had two spots blown up from out of state YouTubers explaining a little too much about the spot and unit in videos.

 

[SaskHunter]

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

I never once alluded that I don't think those hunters should be able to hunt, at all.

But who recruited them and what was their actual goal? Hunting media doesn't recruit hunters out of the goodness of their heart, they do it to generate revenue.

That revenue is generated on the backs of the animals we hunt. This is literally the commercialization of hunting.

Hunting is not conservation, hunting is hunting. One more hunter is not one more "conservationist" and advocate, it's one more user of a finite resource.

 

[geetar]

I still haven't met someone who hunts for social media gratification. Who do you know that hunts for the social media attention? If it's social media attention they want, they can take off most of their clothes and get way more attention than they do with a dead deer or elk. Only about 4.8% of the US population hunts. Who would seek attention amongst less than 5% of the population?

I HAVE seen people who continuously brag about things like "number 92" or something trying to brag about how many elk or deer they've killed.

You need Buzz like the Republicans need the Democrats.

 

[SaskHunter]

EVERY outdoor activity took a turn for the worst during covid.

... and to be honest, I blame influencers for that too. Filters, trick picture angles, photoshop, etc., paint underwhelming landmarks as absolutely gorgeous and spectacular.

IMO, a lot of people travel for the Gram and pictures they can post and boast about. We took a family trip to Iceland late Spring. We did a lot of research ahead of time and my observations are that a lot of the popular spots are grossly inflated. IG and social media pics do not paint a realistic picture of what is presented to you.

By contrast, the sights that were slightly off the beaten path were significantly better and far less crowded. The overwhelming majority of tourists there were doing photo shoots at those major/popular spot and looking at the beauty in front of them through cellphone lenses (to each their own, but how f'n sad...). Again, based on my observations, those who were willing to go deeper/farther were enjoying the sights far more in "real time" and significantly less through their cellphones. Again, this was based on my wife and I's observations. A lot of those "non-popular" spots were easy to find in travel guides or books, just not as popular on Social Media.

Google AI Overview states:

"While there are no definitive studies on how many people wouldn't travel without social media, evidence suggests a significant portion of travelers are motivated by it. Studies show that social media influences travel choices for a large number of people, with some even selecting destinations based on how "Instagrammable" they are. For example, one study found that around 43% of travelers wouldn't go on a vacation if they couldn't share their posts online. Conversely, another study indicated that prohibiting social media sharing might lead to more immersive experiences and higher revisit intentions for some locations.

• Significant influence on travel decisions: Studies show a large percentage of travelers are influenced by social media. For instance, 75% of travelers use social media to research destinations, and 52% have decided to visit a place after seeing images or videos from friends, family, or peers.
• Impact on destination choice: A notable portion of travelers, especially Millennials, pick destinations based on their "Instagrammability". For example, one survey indicated that about 40% of Millennials choose vacation spots this way.
• Motivation to share: For many, the desire to share their experiences online is a key part of the travel motivation. One study found that 43% of people would not go on a vacation if they couldn't post about it online.
• Potential for deeper engagement: Some research suggests that prohibiting social media use can lead to a more immersive and satisfying experience. For example, one study found that visitors who were asked to refrain from posting on social media felt their engagement with the site was enhanced, even though they initially found it disappointing. "

 

[MTLabrador]

Some of you guys clearly don’t bring enough beer when you go hunting. Must be present to win…