What is with hunting companies referring to themselves as athletes?

[ElkElkGoose]

My original thread was apparently deleted when I posed this question as a joke but in all seriousness what is with this new thing of saying because you backcountry hunt you are an athlete? Did this stem out of the crossfit community somehow?

I played semi pro rugby for a team that travelled on weekends and I still didn't ever consider myself an athlete. I'm sure we can all have a mature discussion without dictation by the forum overlords. (Which I suspect may have ties to the companies in question)

 

[Trial153]

Trendiness trumps all. Get with the program. #hunting_ athlete.

 

[Kootenay Hunter]

Marketing....

Athletes NEED specialized single purpose gear, special diet and supplements (hunting specific protein shakes!), competitive events, and of course a training routine curated by a personal wilderness athlete trainer...

It's just the marketing machine at work.

 

[Poser]

ath·lete
ˈaTHˌlēt/
noun
a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise.

——

I’d certainly have no issue considering Backcountry hunting to be an athletic affair, however, you don’t have to be a athlete or consider yourself athletic in order to do it.

That being said, I do consider myself an athlete. I train in the gym, I mountain bike, bikepack, snowboard/splitboard etc and do much of it in the Backcountry. I think about recovery, sleep and diet. I don’t compete often and don’t get much inspiration out of it when I do, but I certainly can be competitive and I enjoy hardship and suffering. Some people only consider athletes to be people who compete in sports, which is fine, but a little bit of a bro-limitus definition. Some people may limit that definition to people who compete professionally in a sport. Other people sit around and argue whether bodybuilders are athletes or pageant competitors. Endurance athletes don’t think that strength athletes are are athletic and vice versa.

 

[mfllood3800]

wilderness athletes
Mountain warriors
Back country hunters

Many names given for folks who go hunting out west

I went hunting all while growing up in Wisconsin, we were called hunters

I moved to Az when I was 23, we were called hunters

I moved to Utah when I was 40
We were called hunters

Then the internet exploded with profit from hunting, related ideas

To be contemporary and evolving with millennialists, the old term hunter, now some what offensive to anti 's, needed to be revised.

Here we are
Still hunting, still hunters, but with new terminology, following suit With a culture that has seen a need to redefine everything, from what's a man or woman, to what's life and what's not in a womb, to what's a legal marriage.

Delete if necessary
Truth is hard to swallow

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[Matt W.]

I think it is about marketing.. The stereotypical hunter had been defined as a beer drinking (w/ beer belly) redneck and I think the companies were trying to change that. IMO, backcountry hunting involves putting some miles away from an access point. Folks can do that via pack animals, air transport, or walking in. It requires more out of you, than the basecamp hunt in some ways. I think the athlete part came when guys starting going deep enough that it required conditioning in order to succeed.

Sitka is the company I am most familiar with in light of the term you mention. Here is some info on their take on it, and their why.
Sitka Gear | Turning Clothing Into Gear

IMO, its more about what it takes to succeed, the mental and physical conditioning, rather than athletic ability.

 

[Nick Muche]

I know some damn good hunters that have zero athletic ability along with insanely horrible coordination, haha...

 

[KJH]

By being an athlete, it comes with a participation ribbon for all millennials.

 

[ElkElkGoose]

Trendiness trumps all. Get with the program. #hunting_ athlete.

Haha, you sir make a great point.

Instagram post: I shot a squirrel today from my back porch #squirrel_slayer#sitka #hunting_athlete #stayoutmybirdfeeder

 

[seldomseensmith]

My original thread was apparently deleted when I posed this question as a joke but in all seriousness what is with this new thing of saying because you backcountry hunt you are an athlete? Did this stem out of the crossfit community somehow?

I played semi pro rugby for a team that travelled on weekends and I still didn't ever consider myself an athlete. I'm sure we can all have a mature discussion without dictation by the forum overlords. (Which I suspect may have ties to the companies in question)

Here's what you do. Don't follow them, friend them, subscribe to their channel...don't read what they write or watch what they film...don't listen to their podcasts or commercials. If you do all of the above I promise you none of it will bother you one bit. I know it sounds like I'm being a jerk but I'm really not because the content drove me nuts too so I followed my own advice and now they don't exist for me. They aren't going away and they will only get worse.

 

[ElkElkGoose]

Here's what you do. Don't follow them, friend them, subscribe to their channel...don't read what they write or watch what they film...don't listen to their podcasts or commercials. If you do all of the above I promise you none of it will bother you one bit. I know it sounds like I'm being a jerk but I'm really not because the content drove me nuts too so I followed my own advice and now they don't exist for me. They aren't going away and they will only get worse.

Well, Ive never been a social media guy so I don't have anyone to follow but I've still seen it around.

 

[seldomseensmith]

Really? Where?

 

[bsnedeker]

It's jumping on the Cam Hanes bandwagon. His whole schtick is "you don't need to train like an world-class athlete to hunt, but what if you did?" He is, by FAR, the most popular hunter on social media right now, so every company is trying to tap into that market.

It's not good, it's not bad, it's just a different way of looking at something. If the message doesn't resonate with you, then the message was not intended for you...best to just move on.

 

[Matt W.]

We are loosing hunters (and the associated input into the Pittman–Robertson fund) at an alarming rate. I welcome all hunters who respect the sport, respect the game, and respect other hunters. Whether they be rednecks, athletes, or millennials. We should be more focused on what can unite and build than argue over titles and marketing campaigns. One can buy hunting gear at Wally World, Good Will, or direct from one of the many companies that supports our hobby. Its all about choices, we are all free to make them. Here at Rokslide we are happy to have critical conversations that are constructive, lets not derail this over titles. Original question is fine, if done with an intent to try to understand something. If you want to rail against companies that support wildlife conservation, this forum, and the industry itself this is not the place. Some guys are happy hunting in blue jeans and flannel with their Winchester Model 88. Others like the latest gear and a high end rifle. There is room for both mindsets and a slew of in betweens.

 

[neverquit]

You guys need a hobbie

 

[dirtclod Az.]

I consider myself a "Mountain Man",hunter gets too much abuse.Don't hunt to kill I hunt to subsist.Maybe mountain Man is the term to use?Mountain Men weren't bad guys,they were legends...and still are today.

 

[bsnedeker]

You guys need a hobbie

It is funny how the griping seems to have increased significantly the closer we get to guys planned hunts...you can tell we are all ready to be out in the woods as soon as possible!

 

[Btaylor]

I tend to agree with the idea that it is primarily marketing but it is also a push for people to adopt a healthier lifestyle by eating better and getting a liberal dose of exercise. If you dont think this country cant use a large push in that direction or if you dont think round is a shape you can get in, just come ride around in the south for a minute.

 

[KHNC]

#proudflatbiller #ketowarrior #mountainsavage #killitgrillit #mtnopsmademedoit #imbetterthanyou #sitkasavage

Feel free add any you might think of

 

[jspradley]

coz is sounds badass. #mtnunathelete