Then let’s also play the flip side of that coin. What do we call the people who use all those items you listed above to make their hunting better but look down on people who don’t? There’s just as much that contingent here as “Fudds”.
The real point is that most of the equipment we argue over will probably work just fine for most people. Finger pointing and name calling over the use of said items really just makes everybody look like 3rd graders…
You're somewhat getting at the issue - it's about
limiting mentalities, based on identity. You see it in the car world too.
In this case, using terms like "Fudd" is a kind of shorthand that does have some utility that's worth considering. Because things that demarcate a Fudd include being stuck in very old ways out of
identity - not because they work best -
and then being smugly dismissive of the new.
And you're right, there's a flip-side to that Fudd coin - in the tactical world they're Tactical Timmies, where if it's not the absolute newest, most high-speed cool-guy gear, it's junk.
Tactical Timmy is smugly dismissive of the old and even not-so-old...the fashonista of firearms. These are the guys who'll spend $10k on a "platform" but won't even spend $500 to attend a training class with it. Or they spend $20,000 to attend multiple courses from different celebrity instructors, and blast it all over instagram to show how cool they are, buying all that status.
Part of what's interesting about Fudds, is I think they get that way somewhat because they've seen multiple generations of cool-guys come and go with their fads and their purchased status-posturing. It's a dad's eye-rolling at the enthused ravings of his 14yo's opinions.
I don't know what a big-game hunting version of a Tactical Timmy would be called, but you can be sure part of what he's doing is trying to buy status with his gear. And he's the kind of guy who will feel like his hunts just aren't
complete without putting it on instagram. Again, limiting mentalities.
The vast majority of shooters and hunters are between these ends of the spectrum, but having terms for these ends of the spectrum helps people recognize when they're taking things a bit too far.