Matt Rinella Speaks to Pope and Young

[dirtshooter]

MeatEater has Rogan to thank for it's explosion in popularity.

 

[bmrfish]

So if we aren’t going to look at ourselves as a community and ask the tough questions if what we are doing is truly helping in the long run or hurting hunting who is?

Certainly we should all be asking these questions of our own selves for our own behaviors. My issue is with people who feel like they should be able to dictate their subjective value-based judgements on me where they disagree (obviously within the bounds of legality). Play your own game.
Yes certainly things have changed and other people’s behaviors have affected my opportunities. Nothing ever stays the same. We can all decide whether we are just going to complain about things we can’t change because the good old days are gone or go make new adventures and opportunities.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ddd-shooter]

I think this conversation goes hand in hand with what social media has done to society as a whole.
That being said I don’t have any family or friends who hunt, at least not as a child. I watched Cam, Hush and those YouTube personalities and that’s what got me into hunting. Bow hunting more specifically.
I think it’s a double edge sword but at this point the bad outweighs the good.

Ive noticed it’s all the newest hunters who dont mind social media and think “the good outweighs the bad”

 

[woods89]

I listened to this this morning. I agree with pretty much everything he said. I'm to the point where I will buy gear from outside the hunting industry if I can reasonably get what I want. It's a little hypocritical, as the mainstream outdoor companies engage in content marketing as well, but at least they aren't doing kills for clicks.

 

[KurtR]

I listened to this this morning. I agree with pretty much everything he said. I'm to the point where I will buy gear from outside the hunting industry if I can reasonably get what I want. It's a little hypocritical, as the mainstream outdoor companies engage in content marketing as well, but at least they aren't doing kills for clicks.

They just want to end hunting all together….

 

[TheTone]

And today I see p and y announce a new world record tule elk. Hunter posted about it on another site; the outfitters doesn’t even list a price for the hunt, just call for pricing and the hunter talked about how it was a “hunt” where the outfitter calls you when the elk are on the ranch. A fine example of what hunting is becoming, well done p and y

 

[woods89]

They just want to end hunting all together….

Not buying it.

 

[Rob5589]

No one taught most of the older hunters how to read a reg book either. If you want someone to help teach you, maybe offer something in return...?

My whole deal with all the "adult onset" hunters is they all (or most) seem to have a sense of entitlement that they should have access to the information gleaned over decades from others for nothing. Take some ownership and get after it for yourself for awhile, if people see that and you are a good dude, someone is going to help you. If you act like a child, no one will.

What is lost on new hunters is just getting out there. Too much time spent on SM which leads people to believe there are bucks and bulls behind every tree. Contrary to what is seen on SM (RS included) is that you don't need to spend your life savings to gear up for a hunt. You need a weapon, tag, some gear, and a willingness to fail but learn at the same time.

 

[OMB]

Never would have thought reading Steves books 10+ years ago it would come to this gross empire of brands and pimping dead animals for 100 mil. Pretty sad really.

Steve Rinella 15 years ago would have been writing 5000 word screeds wailing against the Steve Rinella of today. But with money comes "nuance", I guess. I absolutely don't blame him for cashing out, but I don't think some of the people he's inspired should be counted as an overall win for hunting in America.

 

[WKR]

Ive noticed it’s all the newest hunters who dont mind social media and think “the good outweighs the bad”

I think you hit the nail on the head. But maybe after a while they will see the bigger picture

 

[TheTone]

Steve Rinella 15 years ago would have been writing 5000 word screeds wailing against the Steve Rinella of today. But with money comes "nuance", I guess. I absolutely don't blame him for cashing out, but I don't think some of the people he's inspired should be counted as an overall win for hunting in America.

I’ve been rewatching some old meateater episodes. It was amazing to me how different the olds ones are vs. new and how much more I enjoyed them.

I’ll still say if any “influencers” Steve still seems among the most likeable to me

 

[KurtR]

Not buying it.

It’s already been proven so keep your head stuck in the sand if it makes you feel good.

 

[woods89]

It’s already been proven so keep your head stuck in the sand if it makes you feel good.

There are certainly some, but I don't think the broad brush works here. I freely admitted it was a hypocritical stance, in many ways, but I'm a little tired of dudes wandering around in designer camo trying to be profound, and at the same time offering promo codes. I certainly am not asking anyone else to use my set of values.

 

[dylanvb]

I find it ironic that Renilla complains about social media and the negative side affects of it while posting his handles on a social media platform and here we are arguing about it on a social media platform. I’m not disagreeing with what he is saying but to me it’s just funny. I know his stance is different from “those” guys but do you think those guys expected this to be the outcome of them posting that type of content?
They should recognize the outcome of it and I believe Renilla does a good job of pointing out the numbers but still

 

[ODB]

I find it ironic that Renilla complains about social media and the negative side affects of it while posting his handles on a social media platform and here we are arguing about it on a social media platform. I’m not disagreeing with what he is saying but to me it’s just funny. I know his stance is different from “those” guys but do you think those guys expected this to be the outcome of them posting that type of content?
They should recognize the outcome of it and I believe Renilla does a good job of pointing out the numbers but still

Do you find it ironic that alcohol companies caution against drunk driving while still selling booze?

Come on man, two things can be true at once (and by the way, Matt has explicitly stated that social media, at large, is not his complaint, it’s the impact social media has had on hunting), a person can use social media to bring attention to the net negative effect of social media on something. It’s the effect on something that is the issue, not the medium.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

I find it ironic that Renilla complains about social media and the negative side affects of it while posting his handles on a social media platform and here we are arguing about it on a social media platform. I’m not disagreeing with what he is saying but to me it’s just funny. I know his stance is different from “those” guys but do you think those guys expected this to be the outcome of them posting that type of content?
They should recognize the outcome of it and I believe Renilla does a good job of pointing out the numbers but still

His points are sailing right over your head, to put it bluntly. He’s not complaining about social media platforms. He’s complaining about hunters using social media platforms to promote themselves and their sponsors by using dead and dying animals.

 

[EJFS]

Maybe that's the way the message was intended, but it's not the way he delivered it. He starts off framing that it's a problem because the influencer is modeling a high standard of what it considered successful. That's a fair argument. But quickly he frames it around the general public. He goes on to argue that one elk, deer, and pronghorn a year is plenty. And if it's not, "you should learn how to bake a potato or make a salad." Then he goes on to say that even donating it isn't sufficient in his eyes because "no one appreciates game meat as much as the people that go out and get it." You can tell that to the single Mom and her son that helped us cut up moose last year, or the family that was over that couldn't make it out because the Dad had a job change, or our two priest that have full freezers of moose that don't have time to go themselves, or the elderly native Alaskans we left hamburger bags for, or the several elderly folks in our parish that received 10 lb bag of moose meat from us. And I could keep going. We added a newborn last year so didn't make it out a bunch; but still managed to get a musk ox, a couple black bears, and a couple moose. We had three butchering parties with a total of 4 different families that couldn't or don't hunt and the kids all helped. If the game agencies tell me that there is a harvestable surplus on the landscape and I have the means, knowledge, and willingness to get it when other do not; I will not apologize for taking that surplus and sharing with others. And no one else should either. It's the single best way to get the non-hunting public in our corner when the next anti-hunting law comes around. There are leftover tags in almost every state, anyone that can hold a license could go knock down 10 deer next season if they wanted to.

I will say I do have a massive problem when people are hunting and killing to feed their dogs for the year, that bothers me quite a bit - especially when several states specifically say that the meat must be salvaged for human consumption. That's taking food from other people's mouths and does not sit well with me.

The problem with his whole spiel is how he delivers it. Every time I hear him talk, the guts of it sound well thought out and sincere, but his tone and little jabs throughout come across as just some guy that's overcome with vindictive jealousy. Don't know the guy so I'm not saying that's the case, but that's how it's delivered. My constructive criticism would be to try to harness that back and the message would be much more readily received.

I did like his sentiment that "I could poach for the rest of my life quite easily and not get caught." I agree with that. You have to be a huge moron to poach and a massive moron to get caught.

Surely you understand that Alaska is a completely different ball game.

 

[Swamp Fox]

I'd like to see named or linked the folks in social or new media who Roksliders think are doing it right.

I don't think media exposure is Matt's main gripe ---"It's the culture, Stupid!"-- but it's the issue that gets the most attention and definitely intersects with his other villains.

 

[Gobbler36]

I'd like to see named or linked the folks in social or new media who Roksliders think are doing it right.

I don't think media exposure is Matt's main gripe ---"It's the culture, Stupid!"-- but it's the issue that gets the most attention and definitely intersects with his other villains.

I don’t think any influencer is doing it right. I think the ones that are we don’t know of them. I think guys that are like many of us on here that work a real job and take care of kids and our wives and have a just a few days a year to get out and find a way to get shit done and sharing with people closest to them Are the ones doing it right IMO

 

[Ozarkansas]

I disagree with Matt on some of his points (or I think that it only applies to certain types of hunting, not hunting as a whole), but I think social media has had a negative impact on some aspects of hunting. We’re due for a course correction within the hunting community and having someone like him is necessary to trigger it.
I also think it’s important to remember that Meateater, THP, and similar media came about as a course correction from the “500 high fence kill shots set to heavy metal” hunting media that came before them.