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

[AKBC]

Some of these trends began long before FaceBook and other social media. When I left Georgia in in the mid 90s, it was getting difficult to find private land to hunt because hunting clubs were leasing large tracts of property. Same thing when I left Kansas in 2000, some farmers would allow hunting but it was getting difficult. This isn't all about social media, in my opinion the more desirable hunts are slowly but surely becoming reserved for the more affluent hunters.

 

[Joebe]

My wife works as an education administrator. When social media first started she said it is the worse thing that was ever created. She's a smart woman so I took her advice and stayed off all of it. I don't feel like I am missing anything.

 

[Pk_in_Dallas]

Many of y’all sound like a bunch of whiny old bitches complaining about how the “good ole days” are gone. The hunting industry along with just about everything in life has changed in the last 50 years. Not too long ago I didn’t have enough money to rub two nickels together but I would make due by knocking on doors and gaining connections for hunting access. I now pay for mostly outfitted hunts and do hunt private ground. I used to run trail cameras and had a lot of money wrapped up in tree stands and gas for scouting. I have more money now and my situation has changed. I guess that makes me part of the problem but who the hell are you to tell me that guys like me are the reason why the hunting industry is going down the tubes because I pay big money to hunt private land. I work my ass off and save money to have a few hunts a year.

I honestly don’t care if people like to hunt public land, private land, self guided, and or outfitted hunts. I don’t care if you hunt with a bow, rifle, and or a spear. I don’t care if you like to hunt behind high fences, low fences.

Who cares if people like to post pictures to strangers on social media. I am one of those people that does it and I enjoy looking at other peoples hunts and what they’ve killed without being jealous or pissed off about how the good old days are gone.

Love,

Pk


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bozeman]

Social media has brought more than just hunting spots to the limelight.....the jealousy it has exposed in people has been more disappointing to me, than any other aspect of it........

 

[wind gypsy]

Many of y’all sound like a bunch of whiny old bitches complaining about how the “good ole days” are gone. The hunting industry along with just about everything in life has changed in the last 50 years. Not too long ago I didn’t have enough money to rub two nickels together but I would make due by knocking on doors and gaining connections for hunting access. I now pay for mostly outfitted hunts and do hunt private ground. I used to run trail cameras and had a lot of money wrapped up in tree stands and gas for scouting. I have more money now and my situation has changed. I guess that makes me part of the problem but who the hell are you to tell me that guys like me are the reason why the hunting industry is going down the tubes because I pay big money to hunt private land. I work my ass off and save money to have a few hunts a year.

I honestly don’t care if people like to hunt public land, private land, self guided, and or outfitted hunts. I don’t care if you hunt with a bow, rifle, and or a spear. I don’t care if you like to hunt behind high fences, low fences.

Who cares if people like to post pictures to strangers on social media. I am one of those people that does it and I enjoy looking at other peoples hunts and what they’ve killed without being jealous or pissed off about how the good old days are gone.

Love,

Pk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats on your big come up and glad you can buy all the hunts your heart desires. Did you read the article?

 

[Newtosavage]

One thing that bothers me about that guy specifically is affecting personas for financial gain that he very definitively did not earn. Look at any of the profiles he has and see how often he mentions veterans, specifically those of the SOF persuasion. "Keep hammering." "Mental toughness." "Your body is capable of so much more than you think it is." "Watch me do this extreme endurance event with a bunch of team guys and then buy my merch... to support veterans." Hanes never served a day in his life, but he sure as hell has made a lot of money off drawing attention to himself and his associations with them, specifically one very small component of the military.

Like most of the rest of the world of influencers, a self aggrandizing, narcissistic scam.

It's not real hard to tell which guys are compensating for something.

 

[mhabiger]

I heard Matt's take on the Blood Origins podcast and was looking forward to reading his article (heck I even offered to publish it). Since I jumped into the hunting industry a year ago I've struggled with trying to figure out how much to engage on social platforms. Functionally, social media undoubtedly is a different beast than traditional media and it is an issue of algorithms and network effects. As a kid, it took word of mouth to relay what I saw on Sunday evenings growing up, watching Bill Jordan or Jackie Bushman. With Outdoor Life or Field and Stream you could share the magazine (RIP print edition). Folks with access to the network channels carrying huntings shows could surf through channels and be influenced (positively or negatively) by those shows or pickup a magazine in a store to be influenced to take up hunting or wonder why anyone would want to hunt.

There are friends, family and acquaintances in our lives we share hunting stories and pictures with and those that we don't or those we share only some of the details with. From what I can tell, no social media platform is optimized to mimic this aspect of human behavior. So if I post a picture of an animal I killed I know that when user A likes the photo, user A's network will likely see it. Some of user A's network will view the post, maybe expand the comments and that also will be tracked as engagement. Now user B from user A's network has engaged and user C who is part of user B's network will be shown the content because they have shown to have similar interests as user B.... and so on.

Social platforms act at a different scale and rate of change. They can be wildly powerful but also destructive.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

Matt is dead on with this article in my opinion. Anybody who posts all the grip n grins to all their social media accounts are fake and their thirst for "likes" is disgusting.

 

[ODB]

My wife works as an education administrator. When social media first started she said it is the worse thing that was ever created. She's a smart woman so I took her advice and stayed off all of it. I don't feel like I am missing anything.

There are a hell of a lot of smart people who recognize this. The problem is non one is listening to them because the 'high' we get from social media is so good we can't fathom it's bad for us. It is literally using our own chemistry against us. And that's not hyperbole if you know how it's designed.

 

[Maverick1]

TLDNR.

I am ahead of the curve on this one. Never followed anyone on social media. Easy to unfollow something I’ve never followed. Don’t have any social media accounts, have never posted any grip or grin pictures.

 

[The_Jim]

I think Matt wrote an article that described how a lot of us feel. I wish it could be turned off but realistically it won’t until there is no money to be made from “influencing”. I wish we could go back to how it was but that is never going to happen. A lot of new people have figured out that hunting is fun. Many states have recruitment programs for new hunters. I think now that these programs have actually created new hunters they are going to have to change how they manage the seasons and people.

 

[ODB]

I heard Matt's take on the Blood Origins podcast and was looking forward to reading his article (heck I even offered to publish it). Since I jumped into the hunting industry a year ago I've struggled with trying to figure out how much to engage on social platforms. Functionally, social media undoubtedly is a different beast than traditional media and it is an issue of algorithms and network effects. As a kid, it took word of mouth to relay what I saw on Sunday evenings growing up, watching Bill Jordan or Jackie Bushman. With Outdoor Life or Field and Stream you could share the magazine (RIP print edition). Folks with access to the network channels carrying huntings shows could surf through channels and be influenced (positively or negatively) by those shows or pickup a magazine in a store to be influenced to take up hunting or wonder why anyone would want to hunt.

There are friends, family and acquaintances in our lives we share hunting stories and pictures with and those that we don't or those we share only some of the details with. From what I can tell, no social media platform is optimized to mimic this aspect of human behavior. So if I post a picture of an animal I killed I know that when user A likes the photo, user A's network will likely see it. Some of user A's network will view the post, maybe expand the comments and that also will be tracked as engagement. Now user B from user A's network has engaged and user C who is part of user B's network will be shown the content because they have shown to have similar interests as user B.... and so on.

Social platforms act at a different scale and rate of change. They can be wildly powerful but also destructive.

Social media is the ultimate get-rich-quick pyramid scheme.

 

[YZF_88]

Tell me what the social stars like MuleyGeek(freak), Josh Bowmar, Robby the Wolf Guy, Gritty and others have done for hunting? Other than rack up a pile of fines and pimp merchandise.

That Bowmar douche outed the capped elk zone to all 250,000 of his followers and I haven't been able to get an archery tag for the last couple years. The RiseandShed dude outed my favorite deer hunting area with a stupid-ass wide angle Youtube video showing the entire drainage with very recognizable features. The hunting pressure aftwerwards was INSANE. Wildlife whores.

 

[Deadfall]

In some places it is fact YouTube ruined some hunting. I.e. a couple guys shot a big mule deer several years ago. Posted it on YouTube and now that drainage has been hammered. Almost no deer left in there. They shoot everything. Predators have also played a part. It definitely started with YouTube. It’s a place I hunted for lots of years. Now I don’t even bother.
is it all the media. Nope, it’s also folks just wanting to kill something. Makes me laugh someone will shoot a immature mule deer buck, but not a doe. Ramble on about….I got my buck…..way to go. if it’s really for the meat, shoot a whitetail, they eat better…

Don’t recon it much matters at this point, damage is done.

hopefully the upcoming depression resets some of the ridiculousness presently going on.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

I think you can point the finger at social media for screwing up a whole lot of things in the present world, hunting is just one of them. It quickly turned from an easy way to keep up with friends and family to a way to create a complete fantasy life to the entire world; and some even make money off of that in this day and age. I took the axe to my social media several years ago and I’m much, much happier as a result.

That being said: I’ve learned so much valuable information from it; from home and car repair to hunting advice/gear/strategy/animal information etc. (this forum included). I am thankful for that.

I think social media can be very helpful sometimes… but also the most poisonous thing on the internet.

 

[ToolMann]

I've done my part, never been on FB, Instabro, Twatter, etc, etc.

forums are my thing, sites dedicated to a certain topic without all the other distractions.

Instabro for the win. I will refer to it as that from hence forth. Classic.

 

[OXN939]

It's not real hard to tell which guys are compensating for something.

Truth. As a veteran, it makes my skin crawl when I see an influencer like Hanes crowing in front of the camera about how supportive of the military he is while using that association to line his own pockets.


It's perfectly respectable to work for a sewage treatment plant, dude. Own that.

 

[FLATHEAD]

People would stay off Pridebook/Social Media if they actually realized nobody gives .02 Shnitts about what they post: "Big Buck", how many miles/ft. of elevation they hiked, where they went on vacation or what they had for dinner.

 

[540-Virginian]

I think some of you guys give people like Joe, or Steve or even Randy far too much credit. I know several "adult onset hunters" that I've mentored over the years and they have no clue who Joe or Steve or Randy are. I'm glad we have Joe and Steve and Randy, but I think there are just a lot of adults who have grown up surrounded by concrete who once they became adults in charge of their own time and resources, finally had a chance to explore hunting. This pandemic has only added to that number, with more people going outside than we've seen in decades.

Right agree, but I anecdotally the surge in the past year seems to be on Joe. The slow increase of new hunters is normal, but the sharp spike in a year is a serious outlier. My money is on Joe talking about elk as a wonder food.

I like what he does for hunting - he shows there is a lot of work and more to a grip and grin - but the bros I know getting into hunting last year has been a "oh boy" expression from me. Mainly cause they disregard the safety knowledge and behavior that is critical as a foundation for hunting. Then not realizing those monster bucks on THP YouTube are not realistic for almost anyone who hunts as a side hobby...

 

[TheTone]

That Bowmar douche outed the capped elk zone to all 250,000 of his followers and I haven't been able to get an archery tag for the last couple years. The RiseandShed dude outed my favorite deer hunting area with a stupid-ass wide angle Youtube video showing the entire drainage with very recognizable features. The hunting pressure aftwerwards was INSANE. Wildlife whores.

Bowmar is a turd but that zone has always been in high demand. Not like that matters though to him and the other influencers hunting The Huntin Fool ranch though. I wonder what the fall out from his supporters will look like when/if he’s convicted?