Decline in hunters....The Hunting Public

[SD_smith]

I am a young guy of only 24 years and learned the art of turkey hunting from a couple of longtime Osceola hunters and guides (one happened to be my father and the other Tom Gaskins). I moved out west about a year ago and have quickly realized that there are NO TURKEY HUNTERS my age. It would be nice to see an average age of users on this forum because I think it'd prove my point. BUT! I do believe that most of the younger generation (not all) tends to look for easy satisfaction when it comes to the hunt and kill. We were raised with watching these so-called "Professional Hunters" and their many adventures hunting the "low pressure farms and high-fenced places" they get to go for free or discounted. Now not all TV hunters fit this stereotype, but the vast majority do. Turkey Reaping is something of a new thing in our world and I've already read on here and 99% curse it every chance you get. Point-blank all of you know a dead bird...is a dead bird and most of you will do just about whatever it takes to bag an old gobbler today or in the past. Whether that would be crawling across a field in a ditch, getting as close to the roost as possible in the dark, decoying(reaping just without a moving decoy---fun fact!), running-n-gunning, or bushwhacking one walking down a logging road at 11 AM. You've all done something of this sort.

Back on topic now, I feel modern TV hunting has somewhat desensitized (if that is a good word for it) younger hunters to killing an animal and has made it all about just that. I will admit that I love it when a plan comes together and I get him 10 minutes off the roost on opening morning in private ground, but like I told a first time hunter the other day after that exact situation happened...it ain't always that easy! I take pride in going into my local Black Hills, SD (and yes I gave away my spot, more on that later) and going to a brand new location I've never been in and hunting the hell out of it until I find a bird and take him. Even if he was my only kill of the season it wouldn't matter to me because I put in the time and effort it took to actually HUNT. What I am finding with my age class is that they do not want to put in the time to be a successful hunter and look for that instant gratification and the hundreds of likes on their Instagram picture claiming they're the "Great White Hunter", "Huntress", or seeing all of their "sponsors". Yet if you took these same people and threw them out on some over-hunted public they'd give up in a day and go back to seeing how many beers they can smash over their head before they go brain dead. Which leads to my next topic...

I was recently turned onto a youtube channel called The Hunting Public and I was skeptical of the reviews I was seeing on this page of how great it was. After binge watching all the way up to about halfway through their Oklahoma hunt I can honestly say I am hooked! It's what I am assuming a bunch of 20-30 year old guys doing a turkey tour across the nation and all on public land. They start in Alabama, which may be one of the harder states to hunt, and move to Mississippi after that. What is the neatest is watching how their skills progress throughout the show. One of the lead guys I think is Aaron? Is one heck of a caller, but is still pretty good at what he does yet still has his flaws and you get to see how after meeting Mike Pentecost his calling changes with some of his tactics. I've immediately become a fan of tag-team calling and the effectiveness with using it in hilly country. Jake yelp...I don't know seems dumb to me hahaha. Its a show with a bunch of misfit hunters using whatever they can get ahold of to get after birds and stay in the woods. One guy uses a womens' vest he got on sale for $20, another guy drives his mom's Hummer and another has a crappy little car they tie deer down on top of, one guy is the editor and I think may do that as a profession. They camp everywhere they go and you get to experience it all with them. If it was up to me I'd put them on prime time Outdoor Channel, but the sponsors would corrupt them as well I'd think. The good news is that they give me hope in knowing that maybe they will influence more people my age to spend more than just opening weekend out there and to cherish and learn from the hard hunts. I am gonna quote Star Wars here, "The greatest teacher, failure is." -Yoda    Everything I have learned as a hunter is by doing it the wrong way. Trying to gobble with my mouth...doesn't work. Taking 50 yard shots...wound birds. Walking loudly on a gravel road...do it with me now and you'll get shot. These are just some of things I've learned, but they're basic yet necessary. The Hunting Public actually spends half their episodes showing failure at every turn and its refreshing to say the least to see young hunters doing it right and not giving up.

My last little bit is this...we got to stop bashing each other all the time. It pains me to see that this is so prevalent on this forum. Just because someone doesn't hunt exactly how you do it in Possum Cornhole Ranch, GA that doesn't mean its the wrong way. Way too many threads have people threatened to shoot someone reaping or saying using decoys is cheating. Cool little fact about me, I freaking hate cheesecake! I love chocolate cake though, but just because you prefer to eat cheesecake with a spoon doesn't mean you're wrong. I am not going to bash you or tell you that you're wrong, I am just gonna snicker because I'll have all of the chocolate cake to myself and you don't know what you're missing! To add to that take someone new to hunting with you or even someone that hunts a lot. All of these threads asking how to hunt a certain piece of ground is an opportunity to grow our ever-shrinking community. Example: I had the privilege to hunt with ddturkeyhunter from Minnesota this past Sunday and we had blast! He hunts out here in the hills every year and this time he was having a hard go at it after some of my public land location tips fell flat for him. So we met up in the morning and I took him to different pieces of private land and we were able to get on multiple different birds throughout the day. I haven't hunted with a true fanatic in a while and I hope we can do it again someday. I've pointed multiple hunters on this forum like wade and boone to different areas and specific spots this season and have offered to go with all of them if I had that time during the weekends. I've also had the honor of taking two first timers out this year and get them their first gobblers on their very first hunts. One on public and the other on private. Now when it comes to my private land I'd take people if I have room, but most of them can't go on without me on these pieces anyway. With public land its fair game I think. Its for everybody and not just me. If any of you PM'd me asking for advice I'd give you my phone number and we'd have a pretty conversation on it and if you don't believe me then ask the three I've mentioned. Because one day here soon I am going to do my dream hunt across our great nation in a single season and you can bet I am going to be asking for all the help I can get!

Moral of the story is help each other, love thy neighbor, and watch The Hunting Public! This is Dylan and that's what I think.

[POk3s]

You're awful animated aren't you Dylan hahahaha! As for "western turkey hunters" its all relitiveky new out here and you're right, most people our age are far more inclined to instant gratification. But that doesn't mean there aren't ANY! I ran into two younger guys bowhunting public land in Nebraska. They were pretty rude but they were out there. I met 4 guys in their 20's from North Dakota while I hunted Montana. Other than that I've introduced some guys "our age" to turkey hunting. I'll hunt solo and still have a blast if I need to. I enjoy turkey hunting so I'm going to keep doing it. Other people would rather shed hunt. More power to em.

Also there's been a handful of posts about the hunting public in the last week or so.

[SD_smith]

Your posts pointed me towards that show actually. But really we are outnumbered and that show just really makes it easier on my conscience knowing there are other young hunters out there that does it like you and myself.

[ArkyRidgeRunna]

Plenty of young Turkey hunters in the south I can assure ya

[SD_smith]

Plenty of young Turkey hunters in the south I can assure ya

I am from the south as well and there are some, but not a lot. The hunting numbers are going down and that is a fact! Why? Comes down to no place to go and less hunters. So why less hunters? Because the old ones are disappearing everyday and new ones aren't taking their places. I grew up hunting South Florida public land in wma's and in the Everglades so trust me I know how hard it gets when you wade in 2 miles in belly deep water to hopefully find dry ground. You know how many other kids my age were out there doing it...two. But this doesn't come down to no young turkey hunters, it comes down to the amount that actually will hunt a full season "The Die Hards" and carry the torch on to the next person.

[catman529]

I am 25 and hopelessly addicted to turkey hunting


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[POk3s]

I agree with you. The vast majority of the public land hunters I see I would guess are 35-60. I think guys much older than that have a nice cozy private land place figured out. I can't say I blame them! Probably not near as fun out working other hunters as it is for us right now. I love the challenge of it, as I know you do too. I was told the other day "How can you turkey hunt when there's bears to chase? I really want to try and kill a bear this year." My response "well, I've killed 5 bears and right now turkey hunting sounds more fun to me than bear hunting, although I'm sure I'll go spot and stalk some later this spring." "YOU'VE KILLED 5 BEARS!?"...and then came the multitude of questions that I wasn't interested in answering after he already tried to downgrade me by telling me how my springs should be spent.

[ArkyRidgeRunna]

I just can't seem to believe Hunter numbers are declining. Everywhere I've been from Florida to Kansas there is a ton of turkey hunting pressure. Run into a lot of younger guys as well

[SD_smith]

I agree with you. The vast majority of the public land hunters I see I would guess are 35-60. I think guys much older than that have a nice cozy private land place figured out. I can't say I blame them! Probably not near as fun out working other hunters as it is for us right now. I love the challenge of it, as I know you do too. I was told the other day "How can you turkey hunt when there's bears to chase? I really want to try and kill a bear this year." My response "well, I've killed 5 bears and right now turkey hunting sounds more fun to me than bear hunting, although I'm sure I'll go spot and stalk some later this spring." "YOU'VE KILLED 5 BEARS!?"...and then came the multitude of questions that I wasn't interested in answering after he already tried to downgrade me by telling me how my springs should be spent.

The closet thing to spring turkey hunting is archery elk hunting during the rut

[SD_smith]

I just can't seem to believe Hunter numbers are declining. Everywhere I've been from Florida to Kansas there is a ton of turkey hunting pressure. Run into a lot of younger guys as well

Well one man can create a lot of pressure, don't believe me then give me some tss and a crow call and I will show you how its done hahaha I am not saying there aren't any young hunters around, but that number is not high and there are a lot of younger hunters that go hard for a week or two and that's it. I just don't feel that type of hunter will do a great job on average of passing it on to the next generation.

[ArkyRidgeRunna]

I would disagree on that number not being high. You'd be surprised how many young turkey hunters there are in Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama.. sure other states as well those are just ones I am familiar with. Im not talking about fair weathers either I'm talking about hardcore kids

[Big Jeremy]

Go to Alabama, Mississippi, or Tennessee...there are most certainly a lot of young turkey hunters. Maybe not all over all of those states, among other southern states, but the number of young hunters (15-35 years old) around where I hunt, and some of my friends hunt is huge.

[codym]

I agree with you all. I'm 31 and when I started turkey hunting here in the west about 10 years ago there we much fewer turkey hunters of all ages, now its exploded. Some of the trail heads I go in at look like a walmart parking lot. There's plenty of young guys out there.

[coonhunter]

Here in NC there are NO shortage of hunters young or Old!  Every year I see more and more people taking up turkey hunting.  Turkey hunting in this area is somewhat still new.  We only have had a season for less than 20 years.  Turkey numbers are higher than they have ever been but so is the number of hunters.

[turkey_slayer]

I just can't seem to believe Hunter numbers are declining. Everywhere I've been from Florida to Kansas there is a ton of turkey hunting pressure. Run into a lot of younger guys as well

Same here. Turkey hunters were scarce 20 years ago. Now they're everywhere

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