Is there really a big difference from paying for exclusive access to an influencer's content; than buying magazines 20yrs ago (Outdoor Life is still around ya know), or purchasing a hunting specific DVD for you and your buddy's to watch a couple months before elk season?
I'm guilty of having subscriptions to magazines, and have bought a couple of DVDs in my past. Haven't crossed into paid online content yet though. Just too much stuff for free that I can watch for 20min while folding laundry. Admittedly, as much as some influencers are now the devil to most; some produce some high quality content that I truly enjoy.
I can see why some "scoff" at the idea of ingesting someone else's hunting content. Possibly because hunting/fishing has always been more a way of life, than a hobby or get-away. Hunting/fishing wasn't ingrained into me since birth. It became a "learned passion" once I got out of the drunken college bar scene.
For myself, it takes quite a bit of effort to get outdoors with work (both mine and my wife's), younger kids, their schooling, weekend sports, family, etc... Plus, to drive to an area with decent hunting/fishing, I have to go at least an hour and 15min one way to get there. I'd LOVE to get out more, but it's just not possible to keep my life in balance. So those weekday nights in the middle of winter, when it's dark by 5p, and there's not much going on; I like throwing on a hunting of fishing show (free YT for now).
Outside of how I feel about it. Basically boils down to supply and demand. If there's enough people hitting those like buttons and putting money into influencer's pockets; hunting/fishing content isn't going away anytime soon.