I’m sure you’re a good guy
@rjthehunter , not a personal attack here, I just think you have a different idea about the value of certain aspects of a hunt than some of us. Plenty probably agree with you, and some are surely somewhere in between.
Like some others I have grown tired of hearing that hunters sticking together is the highest priority. In some cases we may disagree on things that are fundamental to what hunting is about.
I’m certainly not against all guided hunts, and not against kids having neat and unique experiences. However, when some of us see what looks like a big celebration of: 1)cutting the line with $$$ to get opportunities 2)emphasizing the result over the process to a tremendous extent, it doesn’t sit right. If you don’t think those two things are at least worth examining then there’s probably nothing else to talk about.
If I need to make room to consider the viewpoint that this is a good thing to celebrate, I think you should make room to consider the viewpoint that it emphasizes some problematic aspects of hunting culture.
At the end of the day we probably just disagree about what makes hunting meaningful and worthwhile. I’d much rather read about a kid who followed their dad or mom around to the deer stand year after year, learned the country, the wind, themselves and shot a basket rack WT than the OP article. But which one is getting a more clicks?