Unfollowing Hunting Social Media Will Make Hunting Better: Matt Rinella Essay

[Idaho_Potato]

There are several arguments to think about with the public/private issue:
1- wouldn’t more public land hunters balance out the clout of billionaire ranch owners who are currently controlling the elk management legislation in montana? I think there is a strong argument that public land hunters need as much help as they can get on that specific issue.

Just something to think about with this point. The industry I work in butts up against the billionaire ranch owner world. The clout and dealings in that good ol' boys club is not going to be affected by some small % increase in hunter numbers. Not naming names, but there are western governors who literally have family members in the mega ranch world. Think about that. Owning very large tracts of land and capital gives one an unfair amount of power at the state level. It's been that for a very long time. I agree with Matt in that increasing hunter numbers is just shooting ourselves in the foot and making the public land game worse across the board. Most new hunters are going to be useless in the political game being played at the top level.

 

[bsnedeker]

Absolutely I have. You can’t imagine the work I put into that Free Range American article. I am a slow writer, and it took me a month of evenings to write that. I definitely want to hear what people think of it. I’m pretty disappointed nobody seems willing to weigh in on the more complicated arguments in the article. Is bragging about and profiteering over dead animals to strangers of value to the hunting community? Is the proper attitude of the hunter one of understatement and humility? Would disincentivizing the bragging and money making by unfollowing sponsored hunters that show legions of strangers what they shoot move the needle in the right direction? Is it fair that people like Cam and Joe that pay 20k to hunt glorified cattle on landowner-sponsored tags and thereby contribute to the privatization of wildlife are creating throngs of aspiring hunting celebrities to crowd out lifelong public land hunters? Would we be better humans if we stopped patronizing these people and used the time to shoot our bows?

If it wasn't obvious I'm just giving you shit. I agree with you WAY more than I disagree.

I use social media to share with my immediate friends and family...I have about 70 followers on IG and I know just about every one of them personally. The idea of using it to promote myself outside of that sphere seems pretty ridiculous and self-serving. I think these things do have a place, but the never-ending pursuit of likes, followers, and sponsorships is causing big problems in the woods. I honestly don't think you can make an honest argument that it hasn't had a negative impact overall. Extra money for wildlife is great, but 99% of the revenue generated isn't going to wildlife, it's going to major corporations.

 

[-bowfreak-]

Western hunters had the cat by the tail for many years. They had access to oodles of public land that was essentially their own little slice of heaven. Now you have others finding out about it and joining in on the fun and everyone is pissed. Guess what....I used to be able to hunt all kinds of land for whitetails. I still have places to hunt by handshake but many of the old places I hunted are gone or are now crowded with other hunters. News flash....it's never going back the way it was. Learn to deal with it.

 

[1jeds]

This is a complicated topic that I find myself going back and forth on. I must say that regardless of your viewpoint it's nice to hear different perspectives on this ME podcast episode - in today's society you typically get one-sided information with confirmation bias responses.

I'll preface this with the fact that I'm a Millennial who works in Technology. I've also grown up with a family of hunters and actively hunt with my dad in SE Georgia - I respect the tradition and time outdoors. For me I think the issue is with social media in general, way too many people are attention seeking (not just the hunting influencers, but in any and every space). It has just naturally expanded to include hunting, that is the time we live in and it's not going away. It's an amplification of hunting stories, magazines, and forums like this that have existed for a long time - but with a much broader reach and incentive potential.

It also has its positives if used properly and to educate others. From my experience, hunters (and fishermen) typically have a very territorial mindset and are reluctant to share with others. They will at times, but only if it doesn't impact THEIR hunting and fishing. It seems selfish but that also may be core to our human nature. I see this the most with the older guys at my deer camp.

Don't we have regulations on the number of licenses and tags that are permitted? Rather than looking at the number of hunters, which has remained relatively constant, how has the wildlife population done? I would have a bigger issue if the increase in anecdotal pressure was causing a decrease in the wildlife numbers.

I don't have a strong stance either way, which is rare in today's world, but I do think social media as a whole can cause more harm than good if you're not careful.

 

[3forks]

Western hunters had the cat by the tail for many years. They had access to oodles of public land that was essentially their own little slice of heaven. Now you have others finding out about it and joining in on the fun and everyone is pissed. Guess what....I used to be able to hunt all kinds of land for whitetails. I still have places to hunt by handshake but many of the old places I hunted are gone or are now crowded with other hunters. News flash....it's never going back the way it was. Learn to deal with it.

Have you ever hunted a western state? If so, more than once or do you hunt out west frequently?

I‘m sure you’re aware, but there’s a lot of discussion about reducing non-resident tags in western states, and it seems inevitable that opportunities for non-residents will decrease soon.

For the sake of argument, if it gets harder for non-residents to draw a tag as result of increased pressure, do you think a lot of non-residents are going to be happy about that and want to hear that they should just “learn to deal with it”?

Also, what you describe as the state of hunting in wherever you’re from, is exactly the reason why we who live in the west don’t want to see it happen to us here. You may have chosen to learn to deal with it, but I think most of us in the west would prefer to prevent it from happening at all.

 

[-bowfreak-]

Have you ever hunted a western state? If so, more than once or do you hunt out west frequently?

I‘m sure you’re aware, but there’s a lot of discussion about reducing non-resident tags in western states, and it seems inevitable that opportunities for non-residents will decrease soon.

For the sake of argument, if it gets harder for non-residents to draw a tag as result of increased pressure, do you think a lot of non-residents are going to be happy about that and want to hear that they should just “learn to deal with it”?

Also, what you describe as the state of hunting in wherever you’re from, is exactly the reason why we who live in the west don’t want to see it happen to us here. You may have chosen to learn to deal with it, but I think most of us in the west would prefer to prevent it from happening at all.

Yes I have hunted western states numerous times. As a NR I can't really complain as I realize residents get theirs first. I play the game to get tags like all of you. I just realize that demand is never going down. It is always going to get worse.

Hunting the west is hunting limited resources. The only long term fix is to limit opportunity or grow the pie bigger. People like Matt can complain but you are never going to see less demand or less people and unless you can get a bunch of land the only fix is to limit opportunity.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[KurtR]

So do people quit hunting if they don’t get to hunt certain big game every year?

 

[3forks]

Yes I have hunted western states numerous times. As a NR I can't really complain as I realize residents get theirs first. I play the game to get tags like all of you. I just realize that demand is never going down. It is always going to get worse.

Hunting the west is hunting limited resources. The only long term fix is to limit opportunity or grow the pie bigger. People like Matt can complain but you are never going to see less demand or less people and unless you can get a bunch of land the only fix is to limit opportunity.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

We already have a bunch of land.

We’re talking about not commoditizing it or the wildlife that lives on it.

 

[Buglebrush]

Hunting social media influencer percentages are far far far FAR less than literally any other outdoor pursuit. I post basically nothing of my hunts, but will post pictures from backpacking, kayaking, etc... Just like everything, there's a whole range of influencers. Some are great representations for the sport some are not. This is true of literally every outdoor pursuit these days. Again, hunting is better than most. Many people are cognizant of secrecy, etc... in the hunting community.

IMO Steve is a terrific rep for the community. I've watched Meateater with my in-laws who don't hunt, and it's totally changed their perspective on what they saw as nothing more than A bloodthirsty ego driven sport. One, who is a vegan, now makes the exception of eating wild game I've harvested because of a long conversation we had following an episode of meateater. The hunting community needs more Steve Rinella's on social media not less.

The overcrowding in the hunting woods is nothing compared to the overcrowding of other outdoor pursuits. I've been backpacking, camping, paddling, and backpack hunting for more than 30 years here in the west; and it's insane how many more people are out there! Hunting increase is miniscule in comparison! It's sad to me, but also I can't begrudge others the treasures I've enjoyed my whole life. We all wish we could put the social media genie back in the bottle, but we can't. What we can do is try to be responsible with what we post, and like/follow only those who are good representatives of our community.

 

[Mtnboy]

Just something to think about with this point. The industry I work in butts up against the billionaire ranch owner world. The clout and dealings in that good ol' boys club is not going to be affected by some small % increase in hunter numbers. Not naming names, but there are western governors who literally have family members in the mega ranch world. Think about that. Owning very large tracts of land and capital gives one an unfair amount of power at the state level. It's been that for a very long time. I agree with Matt in that increasing hunter numbers is just shooting ourselves in the foot and making the public land game worse across the board. Most new hunters are going to be useless in the political game being played at the top level.

You mean like the Governor of the Great State of Idaho who comes from a Ranching family that owns giant tracts of land?

 

[Idaho_Potato]

So what else can we do here? Matt laid some of it out on the podcast. The unfollow, no post 2022, and extreme vigilance for your rectal health are all great points.

This thread definitely has my attention on what companies I need/buy gear from. I've already decided I just need less stuff overall to be happy hunting. I don't buy camo anymore. I was recently eyeballing $900 kifaru pack setups, but my 6 year old eberlestock does just fine and I have no reason to send it to a landfill. With the ammo and reloading situation, my 7mag is the last gun I will ever need. What else?

 

[3forks]

So what else can we do here? Matt laid some of it out on the podcast. The unfollow, no post 2022, and extreme vigilance for your rectal health are all great points.

Thus thread definitely has my attention on what companies I need/buy gear from. I've already decided I just need less stuff overall to be happy hunting. I don't buy camo anymore. I was recently eyeballing $900 kifaru pack setups, but my 6 year old eberlestock does just fine and I have no reason to send it to a landfill. With the ammo and reloading situation, my 7mag is the last gun I will ever need. What else?

In my opinion, deciding you need less stuff and buying from companies that have philosophies you can align to is admirable.

But, don’t forget that the Pittman Robertson Act (Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration) benefits from the dollars you spend on guns and ammo.

Plus, you can never have enough firearms.

 

[robby denning]

We all wish we could put the social media genie back in the bottle, but we can't. What we can do is try to be responsible with what we post, and like/follow only those who are good representatives of our community.

^

 

[Dirtbag]

The funniest part of it all is watching all the influencers get their panties in a bunch and rallying around each other in their own echo chamber. If you aren't feeling guilty for being just in it for the attention why are you so triggered? I've been machine gunning the unfollow button on all of them.

 

[woods89]

Hunting social media influencer percentages are far far far FAR less than literally any other outdoor pursuit. I post basically nothing of my hunts, but will post pictures from backpacking, kayaking, etc... Just like everything, there's a whole range of influencers. Some are great representations for the sport some are not. This is true of literally every outdoor pursuit these days. Again, hunting is better than most. Many people are cognizant of secrecy, etc... in the hunting community.

IMO Steve is a terrific rep for the community. I've watched Meateater with my in-laws who don't hunt, and it's totally changed their perspective on what they saw as nothing more than A bloodthirsty ego driven sport. One, who is a vegan, now makes the exception of eating wild game I've harvested because of a long conversation we had following an episode of meateater. The hunting community needs more Steve Rinella's on social media not less.

The overcrowding in the hunting woods is nothing compared to the overcrowding of other outdoor pursuits. I've been backpacking, camping, paddling, and backpack hunting for more than 30 years here in the west; and it's insane how many more people are out there! Hunting increase is miniscule in comparison! It's sad to me, but also I can't begrudge others the treasures I've enjoyed my whole life. We all wish we could put the social media genie back in the bottle, but we can't. What we can do is try to be responsible with what we post, and like/follow only those who are good representatives of our community.

While I realize that this will not change, isn't it a messed up world when we judge demographics we know very little about on the actions of a TV host?
Having been on few week long hunts, I kind of identify with the idea that we aren't being honest about the whole package when 7 days and a meal is compressed into 22 minutes.

 

[TheTone]

The funniest part of it all is watching all the influencers get their panties in a bunch and rallying around each other in their own echo chamber. If you aren't feeling guilty for being just in it for the attention why are you so triggered? I've been machine gunning the unfollow button on all of them.

I’ve always gotten a kick out of people defending the offended influencers as if they’re family or a personal friend; not the reality that the followers are a marketing tool/paycheck

 

[KurtR]

Just listened to the pod cast. The one guy talking about waterfowl in Sd left a lot out and that being my main interest I don’t really agree. I got told no once but that was because some one else has permission. Happens they were friends so I went with them. Nr pressure is low for the fact we have a draw for waterfowl where he was talking about. Now there are people who do wreck fields but being dumb but the farmers I have met just say don’t be that guy they don’t let them hunt any more. Get around Pierre and then it’s a little tougher to get on land because of the license that any one can get an guiding. I suppose Sioux Falls is harder just with the population but that’s just common sense. If you can’t find birds here to hunt your not trying very hard between private and public. Pheasants can be a little harder as that’s the cash crop but come latter in the year after deer season it gets way easier to get on land. Maybe it’s because I live in bfe I don’t see the problems others do.

 

[Mattrinella]

Yes, the influencers being so booty hurt is really hard to understand. Why do they care what some old llama wrangler thinks?? I half think it’s because of who my brother is, but my brother disagrees with me just as much as the other influencers do, so it seems like my viewpoint wouldn’t matter and they wouldn’t be threatened by me. The only thing I can think is that they deep down know their business model is kinda gross, and I’m touching a nerve.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

People that inspire people to hunt so they can sell them products invite the veterans to everyone else’s houses, not their own. They live in gated mansions on the hill. They hunt their fans private lands, fly to Alaska and other expensive hunting locations and enter expensive tag lotteries so they don’t have to deal with the crowding they create.

I'm going to have to use Meat Eater in my example here simply because it seems like they are the most influential hunting media presence at the current moment, not to stir controversy or anything. In the last few years there have been two episodes filmed in places I hunt and very nearby places I hunt. One on a private ranch, and one on a piece of public land that I actually hunt fairly often, and that saw a fair amount of pressure to begin with. Seeing Steve and Janis hunting in the same spots I do was kinda cool at first but got me thinking about what kind of short and long term impact this was going to have due to their extreme popularity in the hunting community (it's all fun and games until it's your own backyard as entitled as that may sound). Even though they do a good job of not naming specific places, word gets around that celebrity hunters were in the area, and prominent mountains can often be visible and discoverable to someone who hits pause on Netflix or YouTube and does some research. I've already heard about increased pressure on the land surrounding the ranch in the episode I'm referring to, and I have to think the ranch owners feel that too. I think these celebrity hunters and influencers may underestimate the impact of their presence and could probably make a few small changes to their content and how it is viewed/shared and still be profitable. Maybe apply some stricter self enforced leave no trace ethics with regards to photography and video editing, with more consideration of locals and other longtime users of the land that will remain there long after they depart in an Airplane headed for the next adventure.

 

[Tod osier]

I think these celebrity hunters and influencers may underestimate the impact of their presence and could probably make a few small changes to their content and how it is viewed/shared and still be profitable. Maybe apply some stricter self enforced leave no trace ethics with regards to photography and video editing, with more consideration of locals and other longtime users of the land that will remain there long after they depart in an Airplane headed for the next adventure.

I think you may be underestimating how aware they are regarding level of location easter eggs they provide. This is just my guess, but I'd be surprised if the location tidbits shared isn't something carefully considered by the production staff and I'd be shocked if there weren't very real and detailed discussions/negotiations about how much to show.