YouTube and Hunting videos

[the Ward]

With all due respect, i just can't get worked up over people making hunting videos and posting them on u toob. I don't have a problem with them making money at it either.If you don't like them, don't watch. But be careful what you wish for, banning stuff you don't like only leads to banning stuff you do like. If you hadn't noticed , there has been a pretty concerted effort to stop the free flow of ideas and speech going on in this country.Those kind of people would love nothing more than to ban guns and hunting videos. They would be delighted to know that others are doing their work for them. There is no putting the social media genie back in the bottle. I don't like it, but  we are all going to have to learn to deal with it.

[eggshell]

Dang Shilo, I like to whine almost as much as I like to turkey hunt and as I get older I am actually getting better at whining   

I actually have a strategy that makes their blunders work in my favor, but I sure as heck ain't sharing it here.

I agree it's more fad than a "here to stay" thing. I have seen a lot of turkeys hunters fall by the wayside when it turned out to be more then they bargained for. When we had the boom and you could go out and sit on any X and kill a gobbler we had a bunch of hunters. After the population leveled off and birds started getting wiser, the human strutters disappeared

[Greg Massey]

With all due respect, i just can't get worked up over people making hunting videos and posting them on u toob. I don't have a problem with them making money at it either.If you don't like them, don't watch. But be careful what you wish for, banning stuff you don't like only leads to banning stuff you do like. If you hadn't noticed , there has been a pretty concerted effort to stop the free flow of ideas and speech going on in this country.Those kind of people would love nothing more than to ban guns and hunting videos. They would be delighted to know that others are doing their work for them. There is no putting the social media genie back in the bottle. I don't like it, but  we are all going to have to learn to deal with it.

X2 ... AMEN.. again watch for what you wish for ....

[Shiloh]

Hey Eggshell......same boat here!!  I have 3 kids that all love to hunt, so I will be a staunch advocate for anything that helps them going forward. 
I have been talking to and paying attention to what guys on here say and from what I can gather the most reasonable thing is to ask these guys to not mention the state.  I personally think this might even play to their favor. 

[Shiloh]

I am also in agreement with you guys above.  We probably need to keep our extra curricular activities in perspective.  I know I have to work at this!!!  Not happy about 9u baseball running during turkey season?

[El Pavo Grande]

With all due respect, i just can't get worked up over people making hunting videos and posting them on u toob. I don't have a problem with them making money at it either.If you don't like them, don't watch. But be careful what you wish for, banning stuff you don't like only leads to banning stuff you do like. If you hadn't noticed , there has been a pretty concerted effort to stop the free flow of ideas and speech going on in this country.Those kind of people would love nothing more than to ban guns and hunting videos. They would be delighted to know that others are doing their work for them. There is no putting the social media genie back in the bottle. I don't like it, but  we are all going to have to learn to deal with it.

I respect your opinion, but disagree and here is why.  I see a lot of messages in this thread and others that suggest we deal with it, accept it, and that it just "is what it is" as a product of the social media driven world we live in.  Thats the definition of apathy.  I also see messages with warnings to be careful what we wish for and banning, or in this case, demonetizing YouTube channels are dangerous for the future of hunting.  But, what about the obvious negatives that a "few" are responsible for, and should we just accept it as hunter opportunities continue to decline?  Should we accept the added stress on the localized resource?  Simply not watching or changing the channel doesn't address the problem.  Not to get political, but does changing the channel on the news stop the flow of illegal immigrants at the border?  Of course not.  Fad or not, these guys continue to fuel the fire.  I'm open to listen, but in multiple  discussions on this subject have yet to read one plausible explanation that sharing specifics is good for the resource and the future of turkey hunting.   

I will continue to speak out, as will others, and to be honest I think it continues to grow as more people put two and two together and realize how this is a detriment to the resource and fellow turkey hunters.  Some are exploiting public land and game species for personal gain at the expense of those game species and hunters.  I'll never understand how we just accept that.  Someone else mentioned that these are great guys, and I've not seen anyone say otherwise.  But, no matter how likable they are as individuals or how awesome their content is, it doesn't negate the negative effects they inflict.  That argument adds zero credence to the discussion.  They have been presented with concerns, so let's see what adjustments they make with the content shared moving forward. 

[Sixes]

I'm not here to fight there fight for them, but the information about what THP got paid in Georgia is incorrect.  The info from GA says that "$23k was spent on a project involving The Hunting Public".  It does not say that THP was paid $23k to do the project.  And although it won't satisfy some of you, some will be appreciative when they reveal what they did with the money they received. 
I can say from personal experience that the ones of them that I have spent time with are stand up guys.  If you'd like to see them do things a certain way I'd encourage you to reach out via social media in a respectful manner and you might be surprised at the response you get.

I don't care if they received the full 23K, 23 hundred or 23 dollars, paying "influencers" to exploit a falling population is wrong no matter how you view it. We've managed to lose 2 weeks, one gobbler and go to a limit of one bird a day. Our population was falling  over the last few years and sure did not need our "great" hunting shown to millions and then pay them to bring in hunters.

Another issue that I have is that they (youtubers) are whining about losing money, but I stand by the fact that the platform that they are using is free and gets their videos out to billions of people.

I've always questioned how they could be so "poor", but be able to afford multiple out of state licenses, gas and convenience store food, but their "wannabees" would defend them.

Now, don't get me wrong, I have watched and will watch some of their videos, but I would enjoy them more if they would be upfront with these issues and admit that they are being paid to exploit hunting.

[Shiloh]

El Pavo I have two honest questions:

1) Who said to ignore it and let it go?

2) What do you think we do to fix it?

Honestly not trying to be a smart booty with these questions......

[WV Flopper]

A year or so ago it was just because they would show too much content. Then it was, they were bringing in to many new hunters, and I am loosing opertunity. Now its that the states are paying them.

Just curious, do you guys feel the same about professional guides? And, if not, why? They are making money from the resource.

Like I said, I am curious to a few of the guys view on this.

[Sixes]

A year or so ago it was just because they would show too much content. Then it was, they were bringing in to many new hunters, and I am loosing opertunity. Now its that the states are paying them.

Just curious, do you guys feel the same about professional guides? And, if not, why? They are making money from the resource.

Like I said, I am curious to a few of the guys view on this.

The vast majority of guides are not on public land and if they are, they are not broadcasting to the world where they are hunting.

[WV Flopper]

 Alot of guides use public ground. Alot of them 100%. It is not cost effective to lease acres of ground to try and make an honest hunt.

There was a post a while back, not long ago. A turkey hunters worst enemy, or something very close. "It's a disgruntled turkey hunter" .

[Stoeger_bird]

I'm not here to fight there fight for them, but the information about what THP got paid in Georgia is incorrect.  The info from GA says that "$23k was spent on a project involving The Hunting Public".  It does not say that THP was paid $23k to do the project.  And although it won't satisfy some of you, some will be appreciative when they reveal what they did with the money they received. 
I can say from personal experience that the ones of them that I have spent time with are stand up guys.  If you'd like to see them do things a certain way I'd encourage you to reach out via social media in a respectful manner and you might be surprised at the response you get.

Thats a bunch of crap! How many times have they been asked to just not name the states they are hunting. Jusy say Southeast or midwest?  They keep doing it because when it comes down to it all they care about is the money. More views for naming XYZ state equals more money!

[El Pavo Grande]

El Pavo I have two honest questions:

1) Who said to ignore it and let it go?

2) What do you think we do to fix it?

Honestly not trying to be a smart booty with these questions......

#1.  It's been pretty well the standard response and message shared by the majority defending or at the least, turning a blind eye to these issues.....

"Public land is crowded.  Always has been and honey holes come and go.  Have to be creative."
"Magazine writers have always been guilty of sharing specific information."
"Deal with it.  Social media isn't going away, so you just have to adapt and adjust"
"Covid is the reason for increased hunters."
And the list goes on and on. 

This line is thinking is ignoring it without directly saying, "Ignore it."

#2.  An abbreviated response... I think it begins with each individual self reflecting on how his or her own actions effect not only the resource, but also other hunters.  Make an honest assessment of whether I am placing personal gain (money, notoriety, or FB likes) over what is most important.  As a whole we continue to discuss it and EDUCATE the dangers for the resource and turkey hunters, not to just alter the direction of YouTube, but also users on Facebook and forums.  We look past what is enjoyable entertainment and determine if it produces negative results, and if it does we hold those accountable that continue to be poor stewards. 

[eggshell]

what can we do to fix it ? I believe this very thread is part of the solution. Get it out in the open and discuss it, comment on their channels and talk to your agencies. Here in Ohio, I believe it is illegal to guide on public or charge. I'm not sure how profiting from hunting public goes, but probably is legal. If you ever encounter these guys respectfully tell them how you feel.

Last spring my hunting buddy and I went on our annual out-of-state trip to the same spot we have hunted for 35 years. The first morning we walked into a cluster muck. The woods were full of yahoos and some had set up camp right in the turkey roost on National forest. If you struck a bird you better kill him quick or the hoards would descend on your location. Well, we packed it in early and went to the truck. While we were getting ready to go here came some of the yahoos, of course toting a video camera. My buddy said, "lets get the heck out of here and I said, "no wait I want to talk to them". They were very pleasant young men and excited about what they were doing. They actually admitted they set up on a bird they knew someone else was on, but also said, "hey it's public ground". Now they were not any of the ones we have discussed on this thread, but they were "wanna bees". We talked about turkey hunting in general and how our hunts had went. After we had built a little comfort between us I told them how I felt. I explained I was happy to see young hunters with a passion, but they need to be considerate of those around them. I explained some of my gripes about the youtube crowd. I told them I had hunted this valley for 30+ years and never had such a poor experience as that morning. I told them I had killed over 40 birds out of the area and they thought that was great. One asked where the hot spots were. My reply was that I would not tell them and until they gained some respect for those who came before them they would get no tips. I told them they could have the valley we'd move on to plan "B". During the conversation we did give them some hunting strategy tips and we were friendly. I actually gave one young man a call. When we were leaving, one young man took off walking to their camp, but the other hung back and thanked us for the honest conversation. He did say he could tell we pissed his buddy off, but he said it was an honor to talk to two guys with 50  years experience each. He promised to do better, but he admitted his buddy just wanted to be famous. I think it was a half hour well spent talking. Whether it stuck or not I don't know, but we at least made our points. We moved on and never saw them again. That's an example of what we can do

[the Ward]

Me apathetic? Nobody who knows me would use that word to describe me ha ha! Anyways, I still don't understand how stopping/banning guys from making videos of their hunts and posting them on social media is going to protect the resource. I mean that line of thought includes arms and ammo manufactures, clothing, and hunting equipment and call makers. Everyone of those are making money off of a public resource, and use it in advertisements to further their business. In the last few years small numbers of activists have used social media to project an image all out of proportion to actual mainstream public opinion.Squeaky wheel gets the grease and all. And lawmakers paid attention, and look what is happening to our country. We must use social media to our advantage to expand the public's exposure to hunting and outdoor pursuits, not limit it. The chasm between urban and rural populations widen with each year. Fewer and fewer people have a connection to the land. We need to use social media to project a positive image, and a united front, and also try to narrow that chasm, or at least slow that gap from widening, or we are going to lose it all in another generation or two.