Summer thoughts: social media, money, Slams, and other gripes

[GobbleNut]

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And in the meantime while all of this banter does no good…….go trap a Coon or a possum (or 20) and knock him in the head!!!

The very same issues we have with social media impacting turkey hunting are also a big problem for us in terms of eliminating predators such as racoons.  Just get on YouTube and look at all the videos which portray racoons (and other similar predators) as furry little pets which people hand-feed at their houses like their pet pooches. 

How long does it take the urban YouTube surfer to start associating the control of these types of predators with something along the same lines as killing the neighbors pet dog or cat?  Again, we hunters have a big PR problem with stuff like this that is only going to get worse with the images portrayed on these social media sites. 

Succinctly stated, discretion is advised in dealing with the non-hunting public in these matters. 

[catman529]

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I just skimmed through your post, so sorry if I missed something. I have to say that forums like this one seem to be a place for a minority of hunters to complain about everyone else.

Yes there are issues in the hunting world, yes social media has spoiled a lot of good spots, I know from experience. I’ve been on Facebook longer than I’ve been hunting, and I’ve been on YouTube as long as I’ve been hunting (11 years), and believe me I’ve seen the good, bad and ugly. I have made a few mistakes along the way too.

But here’s the thing, do you think making enemies with your fellow hunters is going to solve anything? The real problem we are looking at is the human population growing bigger every year. If hunter numbers don’t grow too, we become a smaller minority every year. Unfortunately that means lower bag limits and shorter seasons in the long run. But we don’t want to become a minuscule minority of the general population, mainly for political reasons. People are worried about losing gun rights, but gun ownership is extremely strong in the US. Hunters on the other hand make a much smaller percentage of the population, and we need to stay strong because people do want to outlaw hunting.

We as hunters have done more for wildlife over the years than any other group of people has ever done. And we need to stick together and try to find some middle ground on our disagreements, rather than fight over petty BS. Our whole country is divided left vs right, it’s caused all kinds of problems and isn’t getting any better...let’s not let that happen to the hunting community.


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[silvestris]

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TurkeyReaper69, I examined your OP and I find myself about 100% in agreement.  However, the situation we find ourselves in is not likely to change.  I only hunt in two states, Louisiana and Mississippi.  I will likely only hunt Louisiana in the future because of the factors you mentioned.  Really, I only see one rational option for me, and that is QUIT.

[Chad]

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We as hunters have done more for wildlife over the years than any other group of people has ever done. And we need to stick together and try to find some middle ground on our disagreements, rather than fight over petty BS.


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A great compromise would be for youtubers to stop saying where they are hunting. No need to mention what NF they are on, 
what state they are in, or even if they are hunting public or private. Just show turkey hunting. That would be a decent compromise wouldn't it?

[Greg Massey]

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I just skimmed through your post, so sorry if I missed something. I have to say that forums like this one seem to be a place for a minority of hunters to complain about everyone else.

Yes there are issues in the hunting world, yes social media has spoiled a lot of good spots, I know from experience. I’ve been on Facebook longer than I’ve been hunting, and I’ve been on YouTube as long as I’ve been hunting (11 years), and believe me I’ve seen the good, bad and ugly. I have made a few mistakes along the way too.

But here’s the thing, do you think making enemies with your fellow hunters is going to solve anything? The real problem we are looking at is the human population growing bigger every year. If hunter numbers don’t grow too, we become a smaller minority every year. Unfortunately that means lower bag limits and shorter seasons in the long run. But we don’t want to become a minuscule minority of the general population, mainly for political reasons. People are worried about losing gun rights, but gun ownership is extremely strong in the US. Hunters on the other hand make a much smaller percentage of the population, and we need to stay strong because people do want to outlaw hunting.

We as hunters have done more for wildlife over the years than any other group of people has ever done. And we need to stick together and try to find some middle ground on our disagreements, rather than fight over petty BS. Our whole country is divided left vs right, it’s caused all kinds of problems and isn’t getting any better...let’s not let that happen to the hunting community.


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AMEN.. People better wake up and support these hunting organizations , like you said the good , bad and the ugly .. keep fighting together ..

[Brad_Colvin]

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First let me say I pretty much agree with with everything you said in your post. That said I always find it ironic when I read these threads. Guys on social media, forums are a form of social media, ranting about how social media is ruining turkey hunting. No form of social media can ruin anything in my opinion. It's how WE choose to use it and react to it. In my opinion it's the kill at all cost mentality that is going to ruin turkey hunting and that mentality has been around for quite some time. Back in the late 90's and early 00's every call and camo company were producing 2+ hour videos of rapid kill after kill after kill shots. They then saw an opportunity to compensate on certain crutches like strutting decoys and tents making it to where the guy who would kill maybe 1 gobbler every other year could now kill multiple gobblers. Not much thought was given to this because turkey numbers were still exploding. If a guy on a forum dared bring up a criticism he was called an elitist on all the forums, including this one. I cringe at some of the things I see on YouTube but the most popular turkey hunting channels actually emphasize the hunt over the kill. These channels have a huge influence and hopefully most  new hunters will take note.I do think we need to call out and criticize publicly the ones that are jeopardizing our beloved resource but by the same token I think we need to support the ones who are trying to help. Just last year The Hunting Public raised $35,000 plus put in $10,000 of their own proceeds for a research project in Alabama. Dave Owens with his partnership with Backwoods Grind coffee has raised countless dollars to be donated to TFT. Last off season I saw more people starting to trap than I ever have due to these "influencers" social media presence. Time will tell if these things are going to make a huge difference but it's better than what most are doing. Social media is here to stay. We have to do all we can to influence a change in the mentality and show other hunters, that in turkey hunting the hunt is the trophy.

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[deerhunt1988]

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We as hunters have done more for wildlife over the years than any other group of people has ever done. And we need to stick together and try to find some middle ground on our disagreements, rather than fight over petty BS.


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A great compromise would be for youtubers to stop saying where they are hunting. No need to mention what NF they are on, 
what state they are in, or even if they are hunting public or private. Just show turkey hunting. That would be a decent compromise wouldn't it?

Yes, that'd be an awesome compromise that the vast majority of naysayers would be thrilled with. However it comes at a cost to the YouTubers. And that cost is views. Which in turn affects their brand growth. Affecting their merchandise sales, partnerships, sponsors, etc.

So many folks watch the videos just to try and find out where the awesome hunts take place. Or they search " 'xyz state' turkey hunting" to watch a turkey hunt in that state. The YouTubers want their video to be #1 in search results. If they don't include the state name in their title, its going to be hard for their video to pop up.

I recently proposed this compromise to a popular YouTuber in person and the compromise was not very welcome! It was made clear that states will continue to be named.

[eggshell]

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I blame daffy duck, bugs bunny and all the humanized cartoons for the anti-hunting sentiment. Too, bad Elmer Fudd never killed that rabbit and duck on the first try.

This world is changing and nothing short of the second coming of Christ will stop it. We have crested the mountain and started the decent into the valley of anarchy. The brakes on this train have no hope of holding, all we can do is hope for a controlled crash. There are many points made that are all valid and none that will systematically change anything in the near future. The problem we face is not in our woods, all creation is capable of taking care of it's self, if given a chance. The basis of conservation is to give them this chance.

The primary nemesis of turkeys and all wildlife is Man. In a society that has become more heartless, selfish and bereft of morality the fight is within each of us. Ethical compromise has become self justification and legalistic rights to do, as I please! We most likely will wait until the train wrecks and then clean up the carnage and see what we can salvage. There are those in this country that see it as a way to ultimate rule. Turkey hunting is just a side game. Think about it, conservation is caring enough to sacrifice for a greater good. The atmosphere in society has become, "I am owed something and by god I'm taking it". Not until we fix ourselves will we fix something as minor as The wild Turkey.

[Chad]

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Just last year The Hunting Public raised $35,000 plus put in $10,000 of their own proceeds for a research project in Alabama.
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These yahoos have also make money off of pimping out public lands and the wild turkey all across the southeast. Telling everyone how easy it is to get license with online apps, you get to shoot multiple turkeys, lots of public land, yadda yadda yadda. Then in their next episode they are crying with Dr Chamberlin about the decline of the wild turkey in the southeast and talking about research that needs to be done. They are simply trying to wash away their sins with that research money donation and look like good guys...

[TurkeyReaper69]

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We as hunters have done more for wildlife over the years than any other group of people has ever done. And we need to stick together and try to find some middle ground on our disagreements, rather than fight over petty BS.


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A great compromise would be for youtubers to stop saying where they are hunting. No need to mention what NF they are on, 
what state they are in, or even if they are hunting public or private. Just show turkey hunting. That would be a decent compromise wouldn't it?

I recently met with one of the most if not the most popular turkey YouTuber out there who relies on his videos for a living. I mentioned this and it was shot down very quickly.

Yes great idea about not mentioning the state, public or private, etc.

Said youtuber I met with who is presumed to be hunting public in most of his videos, told me “I don’t know why you think I caused the Non Resident explosion in _____ state, I hunt private land in _____ state and have been for several years”
So there ya have it. Folks rushing into that state under the assumption he’s on public, when in fact it’s private.

Who really cares where the bird was killed? Whether you are a DIY Hunter or have an outfitter bring that bird to gun, just have fun. No need to mention all the nitty gritty details.

The YouTubers reasoning for not quitting naming states was summed up to be
“I’m a traveling turkey hunter and I want everyone to know that I am traveling by naming states”

Uhhh….? I think it’d be pretty apparent your not just hunting one state when you kill 30 birds a season and have multiple diifferent subspecies/ terrains on your videos.
#MakePrivateLandCoolAgain

[THattaway]

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Don’t have time for summer thoughts. Pulled and put up 40 dozen ears of corn yesterday, picked beans, okra, squash, tomatoes etc. Finished up gutter guards today and then set 40 t posts on a new fence line, another 40 tomorrow then will pull wire. When that’s finished I am fishing till deer season. Turkey season will be here soon enough. That’s about as good a dissertation as I can manage right now.

[TurkeyReaper69]

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I just skimmed through your post, so sorry if I missed something. I have to say that forums like this one seem to be a place for a minority of hunters to complain about everyone else.

Yes there are issues in the hunting world, yes social media has spoiled a lot of good spots, I know from experience. I’ve been on Facebook longer than I’ve been hunting, and I’ve been on YouTube as long as I’ve been hunting (11 years), and believe me I’ve seen the good, bad and ugly. I have made a few mistakes along the way too.

But here’s the thing, do you think making enemies with your fellow hunters is going to solve anything? The real problem we are looking at is the human population growing bigger every year. If hunter numbers don’t grow too, we become a smaller minority every year. Unfortunately that means lower bag limits and shorter seasons in the long run. But we don’t want to become a minuscule minority of the general population, mainly for political reasons. People are worried about losing gun rights, but gun ownership is extremely strong in the US. Hunters on the other hand make a much smaller percentage of the population, and we need to stay strong because people do want to outlaw hunting.

We as hunters have done more for wildlife over the years than any other group of people has ever done. And we need to stick together and try to find some middle ground on our disagreements, rather than fight over petty BS. Our whole country is divided left vs right, it’s caused all kinds of problems and isn’t getting any better...let’s not let that happen to the hunting community.


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I see your point Catman, but in my opinion between the new locavore/ organic food group of millineal hunters we’ve seen rise in the last few years coupled with the kids whose father figure whether it’s dad, Grampa, uncle, neighbor down the road or whoever introducing folks to hunting I don’t believe your videos of turkeys getting shot out trees is needed as an extra catalyst to spur more hunters, or in this case more unethical killings. Sure I’d love to get a kid or two out hunting and grow the sport, nothing wrong with teaching a young whippersnapper how to hunt small game, deer, or even turkey. But not everyone needs to be a traveling turkey hunter, or a turkey hunter at that, or applying for western big game tags. But that is the trend going on. Pretty wild in a conversation you’ll have now a days a typical question to come up is “so how many states did you hunt this year?” Up until a year or two ago I didn’t know many folks who hunted more than 1 or 2 states outside of their home state. And typically it’d be a state like Kansas, Texas, Florida, etc. Now I can’t go scroll on a Facebook group without seeing some wingnut gloating about his turkey tour and the 14 different states he hunted this past season.

Turkeys are a finite resource, I do not wish to see my oppurtinites limited. I wish some Crappie influencer would come along, and everyone would drop their slate call and pick up a fishing rod in the spring. Maybe I’m just selfish, but then again. Most turkey hunters are.

[Stoeger_bird]

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Don’t have time for summer thoughts. Pulled and put up 40 dozen ears of corn yesterday, picked beans, okra, squash, tomatoes etc. Finished up gutter guards today and then set 40 t posts on a new fence line, another 40 tomorrow then will pull wire. When that’s finished I am fishing till deer season. Turkey season will be here soon enough. That’s about as good a dissertation as I can manage right now.

Then why even make this post to begin with? U obviously had enough time to get on here to decribe ur day.

[Happy]

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This thread is almost as entertaining as watching someone try and sandpaper the arse of an alligator in a phone booth. Very entertaining indeed.

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[eggshell]

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come on Happy, you can do better than that? Stoke the fire and watch the barn burn....

A man carries a duck into the house under his arm and says, "this is the pig I was talking about, and his wife snaps back, "that's a duck you dumb Arse" and the man replies, "I was talking to the duck".

See it's all in context, if you don't know the context you can't see the meaning.