The Low Bar: did Matt Rinella get it wrong?

[Wapitiwonder]

I have been hashing out the dilemma of exploding hunter numbers with family and friends for about five years now. Why have the number of hunters in the west blown up all of a sudden? The Matt Rinella / social media thread is 60+ pages by now, with the main thrust of Rinella's argument (especially in the podcasts) being that social media promotion is generating too much interest in hunting, thus driving overcrowding on public land. I can't help but disagree.

I'm not sure Matt Rinella really nailed the source of the problem, but hey, thanks for getting people talking about it! It is unfortunate that so many hard feelings have come from this; it must be tough being caught in the catch 22 of making a living doing the thing you love while simultaneously being accused of destroying the quality and accessibility of that very same thing. Social media, and hunting media in general, doesn't seem to be the problem in and of itself, as far as promoting hunting to folks who would otherwise be uninterested.
Plenty of people are already interested. Hunting shows and grip and grins are not the problem.

It seems that the "how-to hunt" nature of so much of social media/YouTube content, coupled with tools that take the leg work and investment of time out of scouting and route-finding, have dramatically lowered the bar for entry into (backcountry) hunting success. Talk to just about any hunter for five minutes or more and they will tell you all about it.

You no longer have to be able to read a map, call a local biologist, visit a county surveyor's office, learn basic outdoor skills, scout and pattern an area to know the habits of the animals there (or not), listen to actual animals call and practice accordingly. Simply subscribe to Elk 101, tune in to Randy Newberg, Born and Raised, Remi Warren, Hush, or the Hunting Public a few times, and don't forget your OnX super elite membership and you are in business. I don't even want to touch what is happening to the outfitting business and locking up private land access.

I love learning new things and getting new tools to make hunting safer and better, but we've gone too far, folks. Yes, I'm part of the problem, but not sure what to do about it. Any thoughts?

This is well put, wish I had an answer to this issue but at least the conversation is being had.

 

[Bono]

I legit thought this was about the Low Bar Squat

 

[Rich M]

There’s a post on here. Some guy goes out west and kills something. Goes back the next year w 3 other buddies - newbies.

How many guys do that? I cant go alone cause wife…. So bringing cousin, uncle and my exfootball coach. Next year coach brings 3, cousin and uncle bring 2, and guy brings 3 new guys. Flipping nuts.

Stop introducing folks to hunting. Hello?

 

[fontrsn]

It’s a perfect storm- never has there been better gear, better mapping tools, or more people pointing the way, on YouTube no less, so you don’t even have to read a book. Hunters today have better lighter gear, more money and more sources encouraging them to get out there, and probably more time to do it.

I hunted antelope in Wyoming last year and got a glimpse of what Matt is talking about outfitters tying up private, but I’m from Michigan where that’s not true and have seen private land accessible plummet in my lifetime without that kind of pressure from leasing. Now I live in Georgia and it would be a disaster to public land hunting if leasing were to suddenly end- most hunters here believe private land is superior and will pay to lease. Leasing soaks up pressure that would otherwise be on public.

It’s ok if you don’t like social media influencers or tv hunters, but if they all went away today, not much would change tomorrow. If you waved a magic wand and ended outfitter leasing, todays landowner isn’t going to welcome the public back onto their land with open arms. It’s easy to look back wistfully at “the good old days”, but they’re not coming back. Too much has changed.


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