OTC AZ Archery Units closed

[Bigjay73]

We need to start having a conversation about the amount of people in our country. I think 300 million was a good cut off point,, but nobody wants to talk about the fact that people need to start thinking and talking about how many kids they have

 

[Pedropistola]

We need to start having a conversation about the amount of people in our country. I think 300 million was a good cut off point,, but nobody wants to talk about the fact that people need to start thinking and talking about how many kids they have

Despite how blessed the world would be with more of our genetics, my wife and I have talked about the decision to only replace ourselves

 

[LuketheDog]

@LuketheDog do you see this slowing down or truly getting better down the road? I guess I just have a hard time feeling good about where this is all heading.

I see hunting dying a legislative death long before we've run out of places to do it. As far as timmy's dire forecast, he is correct that camping reservations and all that crap make recreation difficult in highly-trafficked areas, but that's in the summer. My experience tells me that's not the case in the fall and winter, when we're hunting, and I live outside the biggest metro area in the Rockies. His assertion that social media is killing hunting is wrong. I believe that while social media can bring negative attention, it also plays into our hands nicely as we are able to use it to raise awareness of current issues affecting hunting and conservation far more effectively than we ever were, it happens all the time on here.

 

[DouglasR]

Then you understand what all the bickering is about, and maybe why it's a good thing. There are a lot of things at stake right now that can drastically change the future of hunting. Especially out West with the droughts, fires, population increases, access issues, tag allocation decisions, ballot box science, etc. I'll bicker as much as I can to try and get the most and best hunting opportunities possible and to protect the public lands from being totally wrecked

Just out of curiosity how many tags do you plan on hunting this year?
Did you return any tags?

 

[Pedropistola]

The reality hunting in the west is on its way out. Try to find a camping spot in a campground. Getting harder, soon it will be reservations for a campsite like a hotel. Then they will do environmental impact on wildlife and you will have to get a permit or reservation to hike. Tags will all be limited, covid sped the process up influencers put the peddle to the floor. We will turn into the European model of pay to hunt. That’s dooms day scenario but unfortunately that seems to be the way we are heading. Social media was the boot on the throat of public hunting.
We are loving it to death.

Now is the time to make a change, I think the ship can still be righted

 

[Bigjay73]

Drought is over, yay science!!!

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nypost.com

 

[Pedropistola]

Just out of curiosity how many tags do you plan on hunting this year?
Did you return any tags?

I got lucky and picked mostly easy units, drew 6 as a resident in WY. bull/ cow elk, buck/doe antelope and buck/doe(whitetail) deer, I don't plan on returning any although I may not hunt my antelope doe tag seeing as how bad they are hurting in the area right now.

I filled a general deer tag, hunted general bull and leftover cow elk tags, and filled an antelope doe tag last year.

The year before I shot 4 whitetail does in an unlimited unit on leftovers, and one antelope doe and a turkey as a nonresident.

The year before that I hunted OTC archery deer in AZ as a resident.

We don't buy beef since moving here. I spend all my spare time and extra money on hunting/scouting and now packing. I belong to RMEF, Muley Fanatic, NWTF, BHA and try to get involved with at least one project a year. Still waiting to hear back from MF about the next one in my area after COVID slowed things down. I've taken a new hunter every year for the last 3 years. I got a bachelor's in parks and recreation management to help support public land use. Ive worked professionally in state, federal and private habitat/wildlife management roles. I call it a lifestyle.

 

[Falcon75]

Its public land. I got no problem with anyone hunting there. I just wish they would be more discreet on their footage.

No I think it is fun to try and figure out where they are with a gas station shot and the wrong booking company mentioned like in Randy's Southern Arizona hunt. It is tough when obvious clues are in video. A turkey spot here in Ohio got ruined by odnr with a video they made and showed shot of turkey research center and area sign. Then bunch of hunts around the state but they didn't say that and everyone thought they were at that spot.

 

[BlazerBeam]

I see hunting dying a legislative death long before we've run out of places to do it. As far as timmy's dire forecast, he is correct that camping reservations and all that crap make recreation difficult in highly-trafficked areas, but that's in the summer. My experience tells me that's not the case in the fall and winter, when we're hunting, and I live outside the biggest metro area in the Rockies. His assertion that social media is killing hunting is wrong. I believe that while social media can bring negative attention, it also plays into our hands nicely as we are able to use it to raise awareness of current issues affecting hunting and conservation far more effectively than we ever were, it happens all the time on here.

Raising awareness, conservation, public land advocacy and all those other buzz words is not happening to the degree than just entertainment, making money, promoting brand and gear is. There's 29,000 members on this forum. Who knows how many are active, but of the active ones how many really give a squat about anything other than getting and filling a tag. Take whatever number actually care about important stuff.........and then realize how tiny that # is compared to how many bros are out there watching youtube, buying gear, and applying for tags. Got a kick out of this dude from Delaware being so awesome on another forum as to compile a list of influencers for me to follow....

As far as the influencers that, in their mind, think that that their "why" is a noble cause: they need to eventually wake up and realize the negative impact they are having on the public land hunter and the hunting experience. And until we quit kissing their asses, buying their gear, paying the subscription fees, its going to take a lot for them to do that.
These influencers have become kind of like eating at my grandmothers house when I was a kid: she'd stuff you full of delicious food and then keep forcing you to eat more until even the sight of it made you want to barf. Too much of a good thing becomes not a good thing anymore...

 

[LuketheDog]

Raising awareness, conservation, public land advocacy and all those other buzz words is not happening to the degree than just entertainment, making money, promoting brand and gear is. There's 29,000 members on this forum. Who knows how many are active, but of the active ones how many really give a squat about anything other than getting and filling a tag. Take whatever number actually care about important stuff.........and then realize how tiny that # is compared to how many bros are out there watching youtube, buying gear, and applying for tags. Got a kick out of this dude from Delaware being so awesome on another forum as to compile a list of influencers for me to follow....

As far as the influencers that, in their mind, think that that their "why" is a noble cause: they need to eventually wake up and realize the negative impact they are having on the public land hunter and the hunting experience. And until we quit kissing their asses, buying their gear, paying the subscription fees, its going to take a lot for them to do that.
These influencers have become kind of like eating at my grandmothers house when I was a kid: she'd stuff you full of delicious food and then keep forcing you to eat more until even the sight of it made you want to barf. Too much of a good thing becomes not a good thing anymore...

So why are you here then? What's your purpose?

 

[BlazerBeam]

So why are you here then? What's your purpose?

1. The classifieds section
2. To be the thorn in the ass about influencers and hunter recruitment

 

[Big Fin]

I am curious why you decided to decline this opportunity in other states with the success of this plan, would you do it over again in AZ if given the chance to go back? Do you think those hunts would have been cancelled regardless if you were promoting it?

Doing this from my phone while on the road, so I hope spellcheck doesn't mess me up.

I declines other states for many reasons. Mostly, I think Arizona has the best long-term value proposition for a non-resident investing in a hunting license and building points. It would be hard to promote the aspects of other states when I feel Arizona has the best value, from birds to small game to javelina to big game, especially measured against the amount of public land to hunt and the lower non-resident cost when compared againstother states. I've been hunting Arizona as a non-resident since long before I started these platforms and I think it has a lot to offer the traveling non-resident.

From a pure business perspective, I'm not interested in building a business that is reliant on agency contracts, something that would get more reliant if we took on other state agency work. Too low of profit margins and can be a very unreliable income stream. If this contract is not around, it has almost no impact on pur business operations. That is how I intend to keep it.

Would I do it again, given the same situation? Yes, absolutely. Like I said, I'm proud of the work we have done. We accomplished what the ad agency asked us to do. We have done good stuff that hasn't shown up on footage or in podcasts that has raised money for access and conservation. We have helped increase awareness of small game and helped dispell the perception that javelina are a "throw away" species.

Do I think hunts would have been changed without our contract? Yes, I think the changes would have happened regardless. Given the extended drought that is negatively impacting doe-fawn ratios and the huge increase in archery success rates starting around 2014, the Arizona policy guidelines related to deer management would have resulted in these same, or similar, outcomes. Two factors game managers have no control over; factors which result in metrics that trigger more restrictive deer management. When the targeted archery harvest is to be kept at/below 20% and archery success rates double in less than ten years, the added consequences of a long-term drought would have likely triggered changes to OTC archery deer hunting, heavily focused on mule deer that are far more influenced by drought and more susceptible to hunting pressure.

 

[timmy]

I believe that while social media can bring negative attention, it also plays into our hands nicely as we are able to use it to raise awareness of current issues affecting hunting and conservation far more effectively than we ever were, it happens all the time on here.

I have a very narrow view so you might have to educate me. How has social media improved conservation? Are the wildlife thriving in the west since this got started, more quality hunts, more opportunities for hunters, better habitat? I’ve certainly not seen it I’ve seen the opposite. That is a great talking point though, hard to argue with conservation.

 

[Big Fin]

2. To be the thorn in the ass about influencers and hunter recruitment

I'm probably the most tolerant forum owner you'll encounter. But, I'm not interested in people refining their "thorn in the ass" skills at the expense of this forum and the members interested in discussion and different perspectives on these important topics.

If you want to be part of worthwhile discussion, you're welcome to be here. If your main goal is "being a thorn in the ass," without adding anything of value, you're likely a short timer.

Hopefully you can provide your perspectives, however contrary they may be, in a useful manner and you hang around for a long time.

 

[BlazerBeam]

I'm probably the most tolerant forum owner you'll encounter. But, I'm not interested in people refining their "thorn in the ass" skills at the expense of this forum and the members interested in discussion and different perspectives on these important topics.

If you want to be part of worthwhile discussion, you're welcome to be here. If your main goal is "being a thorn in the ass," without adding anything of value, you're likely a short timer.

Hopefully you can provide your perspectives, however contrary they may be, in a useful manner and you hang around for a long time.

Thorn in the ass is only verbage chosen because it seems that that is how most on here feel about anybody bringing up the opinion that there are detrimental effects of social media on hunting. That would probably be nothing of value to you, you’re right. But there are some (like the comment right above your last one) who do feel that that discussion is of value

 

[timmy]

Thorn in the ass is only verbage chosen because it seems that that is how most on here feel about anybody bringing up the opinion that there are detrimental effects of social media on hunting. That would probably be nothing of value to you, you’re right. But there are some (like the comment right above your last one) who do feel that that discussion is of value

Randy has been very professional and forthcoming whenever I’ve asked him anything when I always haven’t. I disagree with some of the stuff he has done but I also appreciate his stance on public land. I do feel we are headed down a bad path for the future of western hunting but I’m not sure there is any stopping that train at this point.

 

[brownbear932008]

When I saw the "Hunting Public" show up in Arizona I knew it was going to be the beginning of the end. lol

Last year, HP put a video of them shooting a good buck about 50 yards from where I hunt on public ground in GA. That was fine but then they proceeded to show a hunt re-cap of them with the deer at the road with the only gas line marker on the entire place behind them.

So far this year there is 5 treestands within 200 yards of that spot and it is in a place on public land where I have never seen a hunter in the last 7 years. lol

They probobly are pretty nice guys and I will give it to them, they were hunting a good spot but I hope they dont intend to replicate those results in the next 10 years. lol

Showing hunting of public land on TV is a double edged sword.

Yeah this group absolutely put a hurting on some turkeys in an easily recognized spot near me this year if you are familiar at all with the area. Shot a half dozen birds off the public land there in a tough turkey year. Lost a lot of respect for them after that.

 

[brownbear932008]

The reality hunting in the west is on its way out. Try to find a camping spot in a campground. Getting harder, soon it will be reservations for a campsite like a hotel. Then they will do environmental impact on wildlife and you will have to get a permit or reservation to hike. Tags will all be limited, covid sped the process up influencers put the peddle to the floor. We will turn into the European model of pay to hunt. That’s dooms day scenario but unfortunately that seems to be the way we are heading. Social media was the boot on the throat of public hunting.
We are loving it to death.

It's not just the West let me say. Many places in the East are experiencing the same movements aside from the inflated pricing of tags. Which if I had to guess is coming soon also.

 

[TheTone]

My guess is almost every state wildlife agency has a talk with employees regarding “hot spotting” areas to the extent it has a negative impact on the resources and/or others already enjoying the area in question. I wonder if the AZGFD marketing folks get the same talk?

I’ve absolutely loved hunting Arizona javelina for a number of years with a close knit group of friends. Had lots of other acquaintances want specifics on the where, when and how of it but always kept it close lipped due to worry of the good times for us ending. I worry what the future of my friends and I going down may look like. We watched a person filming last year which was comical as the “hunter” drew multiple times with no animals around him, the camera man circled around him getting b roll, etc

 

[Skynard]

This thread warrants further conversation on the interaction of media, internet, hunting vocations, and the public land hunter etc...

In my opinion, these are thing that we must adapt to as hunters and advocates in today's world. As with every other aspect of life, hunting is not left untouched by human progression. Most of us have adapted alongside everything else in society. Most of which, have been collective change over decades that goes unconscious and unnoticed as we live our lives daily. Hunting and conservation are no different. However, we can be aware of the change if we take a minute to quit blaming others, take responsibility, and take an objective look at the situation. If we can do that, then we can shape the future story of hunting and conservation in this country.

I specifically went to AZ with my friends because of a deer hunt @Big Fin uploaded. Never been out west. Don't think I would be involved in this forum if it wasn't for that.