YouTube and public land

[owlhoot]

Have to agree that this stuff has been going on long before you tube. VHS and the hunting channels really kicked it into gear. A lot of good public spots can be found from the road listening. Driving by and seeing truck after truck parked in an area even can draw more to stop and hunt. If they aren't there is not many turkeys gobbling there.
I don't know why THP would purposely show where they are at? It would hurt them in the future too I would think. Catman goes spot to spot avoiding others it seems. And probably wants to go back later turkey or deer hunting. Pointing out a spot seems to be a mistake by them, not on purpose.
I started turkey hunting before turkey loads and turkey guns came about. Not many hunting, wouldn't that be nice again.
Oh almost forgot . There isn't no turkeys in Missouri !

[paboxcall]

Gobbling birds will make people do even crazier things.

No doubt. On a piece of public ground in Maryland, I set up on a gobbling bird I put to bed the night before. He was roosted off a main dirt road about 150 yards down the sidehill, my truck was parked in line with his roost tree at the ridge top. Got within 80 yards of his roost in the dark early.

He lit up at daybreak gobbling good, and right then, heard a truck stop, door open dinging / keys in ignition. Bird gobbles again.

Guy starts his truck, and parked where I was and few minutes comes sliding down the sidehill through all those leaves, sees me waving about 60 yards below, and slides to a stop at my tree. Looks at me and asks "you gonna hunt that bird?"

Duh.

Guy looks all disappointed, dejected, and watched him climb back up to the top, making a bunch of noise in the leaves, get in his truck, keys in ignition dinging, and drive off. Never heard that gobbler again.

Public ground. Most often everyone is courteous. Once and a while, you get a zero. That was before this youtube stuff was popular.

[Turkeyman]

Too many guys are out there hunting who can't wait to put their bird or deer on YouTube, Facebook or such. Sickening IMO. Not more than a few of them wouldn't even hunt if they couldn't post and brag on it. I elk hunted 10 years in CO and a fellow camp hunter, if successful, had it on Facebook long before rigor mortis set in. Equally sickening. And for those of you that do fit the aforementioned criteria at least have the common sense and decency to edit your pic prior to posting and delete GPS location.

[VA_Birdhunter]

Too many guys are out there hunting who can't wait to put their bird or deer on YouTube, Facebook or such. Sickening IMO. Not more than a few of them wouldn't even hunt if they couldn't post and brag on it. I elk hunted 10 years in CO and a fellow camp hunter, if successful, had it on Facebook long before rigor mortis set in. Equally sickening. And for those of you that do fit the aforementioned criteria at least have the common sense and decency to edit your pic prior to posting and delete GPS location.

Turkeyman here is in my opinion and the problem with ur statement.  You are painting everyone that post a pic on social medial with the same wide brush.  I've been turkey hunting 30 yrs now and thank God for that blessing.  But I can remember the days before the internet and social media the local sporting goods stores taking your Polaroid picture with ur bird or deer and placing on the wall with the many hundreds of pictures.  I can remember the local news paper having a section for picture of local hunters with the deer or turkey they bagged and even some magazines do the same.  We're they wrong to do that to share in there success back then with others?  Am I wrong because I've posted a pic of a bird I've killed on social media to share with my friends and family? I've shared many on here as well as others.  I enjoy a great success story and a pic to go along with it to enjoy there success.  I've never set out on a hunt saying man I hope I kill one just to post on social media.  We all have to be responsible!  I'm totally 100% against giving up locations...but it's been going on well before now.  People giving up locations at the local sporting goods store, at the local watering hole, people watching where others hunt etc.  now with today's advances it's just easier to obtain  and it's easier for people to travel and hunt multiple states than it was years ago.  Now are there some out there that do as u say that are in it for the glory...absolutely and have for years.  Same reason most poachers do what they do for the attention, glory and bragging rights...but people's been poaching for many many years.   What's truly lacking these days in my opinion my friend is hunting ethics, curtesy, respect, woodsman-ship etc.  Has social media help foster the loss of those yes it has but it's doesn't carry all the blame....a lot starts at home and how you are raised!  I was raised to have respect, to show respect, to be curtious, to have woodsman-ship, to respect the animal and do unto others as u would have to do unto you.  Unfortunately as we can all see in the news we're not going the right direction at all in any of those areas and it will bleed over into hunting as it already has!  Turkeyman please know I've not made this response in disrespect as I stand shoulder to shoulder with you brother!  I share your passion and your my turkey hunting brother no matter what!! God bless u!!

[Kyle_Ott]

I'd be plenty happy if they stuck their video cameras where the sun doesn't shine and let people figure things out on their own.

The wild turkey was doing a hell of a lot better than it is right now before all the youtubers and media brands began highlighting public lands and areas of the country with robust turkey populations.  Now we have a rapidly declining turkey population while turkey hunter numbers are surging and harvest rates are high.

If you believe the wild turkey is better off with the amount of exposure it has been and continues to receive, I've got some ocean front property in Colorado for you. 

[VA_Birdhunter]

I'd be plenty happy if they stuck their video cameras where the sun doesn't shine and let people figure things out on their own.

The wild turkey was doing a hell of a lot better than it is right now before all the youtubers and media brands began highlighting public lands and areas of the country with robust turkey populations.  Now we have a rapidly declining turkey population while turkey hunter numbers are surging and harvest rates are high.

If you believe the wild turkey is better off with the amount of exposure it has been and continues to receive, I've got some ocean front property in Colorado for you.

Kyle if videos has caused all this so has this forum and we all need to remove ourselves from it now because as we speak were hurting the turkey population! Hunting videos have been around for many years this is nothing new.  Habitat and the lack of people hunting and killing predictors in my opinion is the number one factor in declining turkey numbers.  If exposure of the wild turkey is whats hurting them so much then the NWTF has done more to hurt then ever help!  Which I don't believe for one second!  I'll say it again no one should ever give out locations (which has been happening well before the internet) but showing and sharing one's success if done right is not wrong!  Infomation is so much easier to come by look at apps like Onx...I can remember going to the local court house and researching property to help gain access to land for hours.  Now u can download an app and get that information.  Painting everyone with one broad brush that likes to film hunts is very narrow minded!  I also hope others will never take the stance of not willing to help others figure out how to truly turkey hunt something that is rare these days.  God bless

[aclawrence]

Page 14 has some funny stories about all the explanations for declining turkey numbers. It's refreshing to see that many of these types of arguments have been going on for a long time. I just want the turkey population to be healthy and for us all to have many opportunities to hunt them.


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[deerhunt1988]

I'd be plenty happy if they stuck their video cameras where the sun doesn't shine and let people figure things out on their own.

The wild turkey was doing a hell of a lot better than it is right now before all the youtubers and media brands began highlighting public lands and areas of the country with robust turkey populations.  Now we have a rapidly declining turkey population while turkey hunter numbers are surging and harvest rates are high.

If you believe the wild turkey is better off with the amount of exposure it has been and continues to receive, I've got some ocean front property in Colorado for you.

Kyle if videos has caused all this so has this forum and we all need to remove ourselves from it now because as we speak were hurting the turkey population!

One of THP's most recent turkey videos had nearly 100k views in a day. IN A DAY. Its much easier to watch something than it is to dig through forums. Just look at all the questions that are asked on here time and time again when the answer could be found with 15 minutes of searching posts.

YouTube and Facebook have substantially more "outreach" these days than forums. Forums are somewhat antiquated in comparison.

[VA_Birdhunter]

I'd be plenty happy if they stuck their video cameras where the sun doesn't shine and let people figure things out on their own.

The wild turkey was doing a hell of a lot better than it is right now before all the youtubers and media brands began highlighting public lands and areas of the country with robust turkey populations.  Now we have a rapidly declining turkey population while turkey hunter numbers are surging and harvest rates are high.

If you believe the wild turkey is better off with the amount of exposure it has been and continues to receive, I've got some ocean front property in Colorado for you.

Kyle if videos has caused all this so has this forum and we all need to remove ourselves from it now because as we speak were hurting the turkey population!

One of THP's most recent turkey videos had nearly 100k views in a day. IN A DAY. Its much easier to watch something than it is to dig through forums. Just look at all the questions that are asked on here time and time again when the answer could be found with 15 minutes of searching posts.

YouTube and Facebook have substantially more "outreach" these days than forums. Forums are somewhat antiquated in comparison.

I don't disagree at all with that.  My point is though one can't just lump everyone into the same group but if one social medial plat form has cause negative impacts  then they all have contributed to some point and if that really matters so much to someone then they can't  pick and choose which one is ok and which ones are not.   I'll use the NWTF for example which i know is not social media but they use social media to advertise etc...hundreds of thousands of people go to the convention now...many new hunters.  Much More than there use to be.  Should the NWTF be shut down? 

[WV Flopper]

 I have stayed away from this post for so long, probably should remain that way. But, oh well, here goes...

At one time, I believed the commercialization of turkey hunting brought more people to the woods and would ruin the sport one day. It does bring more people to the woods. It hasn't ruined the sport, made more challenging, yes. Sometimes.

I seen spot burning in Erie tribs years ago steelhead fishing. It got real obvious, real quick, what was going on. Yes it can happen. I seen that change as well, once people realized what was happening after they made the local waterway "reports". I myself watched them like a Hawk, and would drive 300 miles overnight when the reports were right and consistent.

People do come from far and wide, all around the world if you have something they want. How did these youtubers find this place to start out with? All of us have the same access as they do. Your on it now if your reading this. The mapping apps have made things awesome for us hunters. Awesome!

Think about this - 28 or so years ago I was riding a road before daylight looking for a bear track to run, snow was on. I come around the corner of this dirt road and my dogs start rigging/barking, no track in the snow? Next turn I go around there are 2 trucks in the road, and a bear track crossing it.

This was a single lane dirt road in WVA, N.F. land. These guys come to me and ask me what I am doing "I haven't left my truck" in a not so quit friendly tone? They explain to me how long they have hunted this National Forest! They explain to me "how many head of dogs they feed"! They make me believe, I am not welcome on that piece of NF land! In a very intimidating fashion, I will add! Still remember it today, still mad about it as well!

I was in my early 20's at this time. Like to think I could hold my own, as proven several times back then. But, 3 to 1 odds in the middle of Nowhere WV, where the buzzards have even migrated south and wouldn't find you for 3 more months at best? That ain't the time to puff out your chest!

Today I roll up on public and some dip wad does this, I will be on social media as fast as possible and unleash as many hunters down his throat as I can convince to go and hunt that spot. "Heard 12 turkeys in there hammering all morning, after I killed one I just set and listened for hours! Greatest hunt ever." Doesn't matter the game animal, that's not the point.

Not everything we see on T.V. is as conclusive as what we see on T.V.. Meaning, there is always more to the story. You jerk me around and I would spot burn your spot on Social Media in a heart beat, from a 1000 miles away. Just for fun. Think about that, when you roll up to YOUR parking spot on public and someone dares to pull in beside you. "I hate it too", but its all OUR land to hunt. If you come out of the woods and have 4 flat tires? More to the story eh?

Its easy to set here and beat someone down. But, maybe there is a little more to the story that we don't know. Think about that. I am by no means am a christian man, not even close. But, "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you" will make for a better place for us all! 

Another I like, "Eye for an Eye". That too would make a better place for us all, IMO.

[catman529]

Gobbling birds will make people do even crazier things.

No doubt. On a piece of public ground in Maryland, I set up on a gobbling bird I put to bed the night before. He was roosted off a main dirt road about 150 yards down the sidehill, my truck was parked in line with his roost tree at the ridge top. Got within 80 yards of his roost in the dark early.

He lit up at daybreak gobbling good, and right then, heard a truck stop, door open dinging / keys in ignition. Bird gobbles again.

Guy starts his truck, and parked where I was and few minutes comes sliding down the sidehill through all those leaves, sees me waving about 60 yards below, and slides to a stop at my tree. Looks at me and asks "you gonna hunt that bird?"

Duh.

Guy looks all disappointed, dejected, and watched him climb back up to the top, making a bunch of noise in the leaves, get in his truck, keys in ignition dinging, and drive off. Never heard that gobbler again.

Public ground. Most often everyone is courteous. Once and a while, you get a zero. That was before this youtube stuff was popular.

Before my channel really took off, I roosted a bird in 2017 and got there the next morning before everyone else. Two guys from another state parked by my truck and snuck in on me and shot the bird off the roost. I was 50 yards from the bird and got it all on video. That's got to be the best public land story I've had to date.


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[owlhoot]

Gobbling birds will make people do even crazier things.

No doubt. On a piece of public ground in Maryland, I set up on a gobbling bird I put to bed the night before. He was roosted off a main dirt road about 150 yards down the sidehill, my truck was parked in line with his roost tree at the ridge top. Got within 80 yards of his roost in the dark early.

He lit up at daybreak gobbling good, and right then, heard a truck stop, door open dinging / keys in ignition. Bird gobbles again.

Guy starts his truck, and parked where I was and few minutes comes sliding down the sidehill through all those leaves, sees me waving about 60 yards below, and slides to a stop at my tree. Looks at me and asks "you gonna hunt that bird?"

Duh.

Guy looks all disappointed, dejected, and watched him climb back up to the top, making a bunch of noise in the leaves, get in his truck, keys in ignition dinging, and drive off. Never heard that gobbler again.

Public ground. Most often everyone is courteous. Once and a while, you get a zero. That was before this youtube stuff was popular.

Before my channel really took off, I roosted a bird in 2017 and got there the next morning before everyone else. Two guys from another state parked by my truck and snuck in on me and shot the bird off the roost. I was 50 yards from the bird and got it all on video. That's got to be the best public land story I've had to date.


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JUST keep on going Catman. What you do in my opinion isn't hurting a thing for hunting turkey.
People have been chasing down gobbling turkeys for years, does not matter if your parked there or working a bird . Parking there means you maybe on turkeys. Plenty of dummies will park there with you knowing that. A few trucks in a parking lot or area and these guys say yep toms in here, lets go.
The ones that drive by ? Well they will be there the next day. Missouri public land oh boy.

[silent tom]

THP showed a fan coming up to them at a gas station one morning.  Just to prove a point, I told a buddy, give me 30 minutes and I'll tell you where they are.  Using google street view, Took about 10 before I figured it out. Guess what, they were right next to a piece of public, where they were showing gobbling birds.   
Same can be said for guys talking about a distance from an airport, city, etc. all it takes is showing an exit sign and people can hone in. 

If you guys think these YouTube hunters aren't putting a lot more people in these areas they publicize, you are dead wrong. 
Once you see an area(s) bombarded with people after someone puts a video out there, your attitude tends to change...
buddy of mine sent a podcast about Dave Owens talking about how bad the pressure on south FL public has became.  Why do you think that is

[eggshell]

Spot jumping,  stealing or whatever you choose to call it is not a new thing in any form. The one  thing that is true is it can be done a lot quicker now than in the past. I myself have figured out where someone is from a video, it's really not hard. You will notice that I never post panoramic pictures, it's me, the turkey and some dirt; unless it's at my home and then it's a mute point. We get our panties all bunched up over things we shouldn't. Let me ask a simple question; why is a singular spot so precious? Are we there for a hunt or is success at all cost the priority. I like working birds and killing birds as much as anyone, but I will hunt even if I don't think I will kill a bird. I like getting out and hunting, period.

Way back in my early years (circa 1980)  I was hunting the family farm and I had just started my career at the Fish Hatchery where we checked turkeys. I was after this one old bird and it was the only real active gobbler I new of. well I made the mistake of talking about it at the check station. The next day I was on the bird and he spooks for no reason. Next thing I see is 4 men coming  down the ridge like they are sneaking in to set up. Remember this is private land. I get up and whistle at them and they start waving me off, so I go to them. They instantly tell me to move off they are videoing this hunt for a turkey hunting video. Then I blow my top and tell them to get the hell off it's private land and they refuse. So I leave and when I get to work I make a call to the local game warden. well they show up at the check station and I tell them to wait someone wants to talk to them and I radio the warden. Later they confess to one of them hearing me talk about the bird and they asked a coworker my name and then asked around the community about where our land was. I had multiple run ins with this group over the years. You all know one of the guys name....he appears on many videos and calls himself a turkey thug. To me he's just a thug! So this isn't a new thing. I say keep your information close if you don't want to share it or deal with it. I have decided I would rather enjoy a day afield and not deal with the crap, so i move on. It's really just a dang bird and isn't worth a ton of heartache.

[kytrkyhntr]

Gobbling birds will make people do even crazier things.

No doubt. On a piece of public ground in Maryland, I set up on a gobbling bird I put to bed the night before. He was roosted off a main dirt road about 150 yards down the sidehill, my truck was parked in line with his roost tree at the ridge top. Got within 80 yards of his roost in the dark early.



Care to post a link catman? Id like to see that
He lit up at daybreak gobbling good, and right then, heard a truck stop, door open dinging / keys in ignition. Bird gobbles again.

Guy starts his truck, and parked where I was and few minutes comes sliding down the sidehill through all those leaves, sees me waving about 60 yards below, and slides to a stop at my tree. Looks at me and asks "you gonna hunt that bird?"

Duh.

Guy looks all disappointed, dejected, and watched him climb back up to the top, making a bunch of noise in the leaves, get in his truck, keys in ignition dinging, and drive off. Never heard that gobbler again.

Public ground. Most often everyone is courteous. Once and a while, you get a zero. That was before this youtube stuff was popular.

Before my channel really took off, I roosted a bird in 2017 and got there the next morning before everyone else. Two guys from another state parked by my truck and snuck in on me and shot the bird off the roost. I was 50 yards from the bird and got it all on video. That's got to be the best public land story I've had to date.


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