Which came first, deciding to hunt elk or elk media

[CMF]

I see lots of people always blaming youtube, social media influencers, etc for the increase in elk hunter numbers. I don't doubt they have influence, but I have wanted to hunt elk for as long as I can remember. Surely I saw or heard about elk hunting in some form of media when I was younger, a magazine or outdoor channel maybe, but I wasn't following it regularly and it was long before social media and youtube.
It wasn't until a call from some buddies to go on a hunt in 2018 that I realized I better get started if I'm ever going to go. I turned that offer down, feeling unprepared, but put in motion a plan to hunt in 19' and have been going ever since. It was at that point in 18' that I started digging into elk hunting and found all of the Elk youtube and social media people I follow today.
Just curious how others finally pulled the trigger on deciding to hunt elk?

 

[Ross]

Grew up with it and in my dna 4 decades plus having fun and I’m odd I see big racks and hear bugles in my

 

[Mighty Mouse]

My dad and grandpa got a wild hair back in the early 90's and drove out to Colorado one fall to give elk hunting a try. Back when men were men...no GPS, no onX, just paper topo maps and backpacking gear from a military surplus store. They started taking me and my brothers as we got into our teens. My first trip was at age 13 and I've been hooked ever since.

 

[WKR]

None of the above

Always wanted to hunt elk since I was a kid but grew up in a state with extremely limited elk tags where your lucky to draw even with max preference points.

But only started hunting elk when I got serious about hunting out of state And building points in multiple states to do so.

The social media, YouTube, etc...never had an impact on my desire to hunt elk. When I was growing up it was magazine's and books that got me interested.

Edit: I dont have Instagram or tik tok or whatever the cool app is nowadays, so I dont follow anybody and influencers are annoying

 

[Olympics777]

I started hunting before social media or YouTube or whatever existed. I went on my first backcountry hunt with my dad when I was nine, he went every year and I begged him to go. Been doing it ever since.

 

[Marble]

Elk media was not something that existed when I started... in the social media terms.

I'm sure there were VHS tapes but I never saw them.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[3325]

Are frontier stories “elk media?”

I grew up in the Southern Appalachians reading about mountain men and dreaming of living in the Northern Rockies. I think the stories came first.

I’ve now spent much more of my life “Out West” as an adult than I ever spent “Down South” growing up.

 

[Gerbdog]

Was brought up by a Dad who hunted out in Indiana, was brought out later to live in and "grew up" in NM .... hard not to fall into the elk hunting culture when you live in NM. No media consumed before hunting.

 

[5MilesBack]

Apparently I was into "killing stuff" even before I could walk. I'm pretty sure I didn't even know what hunting, elk, or media even was back then. But I certainly had an internal drive for it. Like Ross said...."in the DNA". But I was two back in 1967 when I discovered elk......bugling bulls that kept me awake all night. And that was all I needed to make it my lifelong quest.

 

[PredatoronthePrairie]

I was part of the magazine generation.

Study hall was spent hand copying tips and tricks into a spiral notebook from various donated subscriptions from the library.

 

[mtwarden]

~50 years of hunting elk, no influencers needed here

 

[sjwfarms]

I've been chasing deer and waterfowl for most of my life, primarily in the predator free southeast. After spending summers fly fishing WY/MT for the past 20+ years I figured it was time to step up my pursuits a bit. Those giant elk have always fascinated me with every encounter. Finally built up PPs and drew a MT combo for this year.

As far as social media influencing my thoughts, as you can see from this being my first ever post on anything resembling anything social, it hasn't had an impact.

This site has been an incredible resource for an intro to western hunting for a southerner. Thanks to all.

 

[jgilber5]

Have always been a hunter but elk started late. I was working a summer job in Oregon and came face to face with a big ol bull on a trail run. That was it for me.

 

[Beendare]

Thankfully, I hunted elk with a bow before it was popular back in the 80’s. We almost never saw another bowhunter in OTC colorado units. I drew Az 3x in a 10 year period including the coveted Unit 9.

Heck, we would see more mushroom pickers than bowhunters in those OTC units…

 

[trophyhill]

I put in for an archery deer and elk hunt for the first time in 2008 and fortunately drew both. I had never hunted elk before that but hunted mule deer with a rifle plenty. I was hooked instantly when i had a herd bull screaming in my face at 20 yards. An addiction and obsession by default

 

[9.1]

Adult onset hunter here. Social media turned me onto the idea of hunting elk:

 

[Rich M]

I see lots of people always blaming youtube, social media influencers, etc for the increase in elk hunter numbers. I don't doubt they have influence, but I have wanted to hunt elk for as long as I can remember. Surely I saw or heard about elk hunting in some form of media when I was younger, a magazine or outdoor channel maybe, but I wasn't following it regularly and it was long before social media and youtube.
It wasn't until a call from some buddies to go on a hunt in 2018 that I realized I better get started if I'm ever going to go. I turned that offer down, feeling unprepared, but put in motion a plan to hunt in 19' and have been going ever since. It was at that point in 18' that I started digging into elk hunting and found all of the Elk youtube and social media people I follow today.
Just curious how others finally pulled the trigger on deciding to hunt elk?

Are you old enough to remember the world before internet? If not, yer young.

I decided in 1978 i wanted to hunt muleys and antelope. No desire to hunt elk.

Finally hunted a speed goat in 2017 w doe tags. Tag plan didnt work. First time unit sold out on buck tags. 5 min after light 25 yards from herd and mature herd buck. Shot an antlerless like my tags said. Later shot another. Lousy hunt due to hunt partner, going back this year w better folks to get better memories.

For 50th bday did 2019 muley hunt. Shot 160-inch 4x4 w eye guards, 25-inches inside. Exactly what i wanted. BOAL for this older eastern guy. Never gonna do that again. Love looking at that rack on the wall. Thinking to put euro antelope next to it.

The western hunts were a reach for me until recently. Can afford em all day long now and can do 2 weeks. Just too much BS associated with em to make it a habit. Gotta get tags, keep jerkos from messing you up, pay for it, and have the time to go.

Anyway, you dont have an option for non you tube hero influence. I dont watch em and dont click when they ask. Read about it in a book or magazine article back before most of them were born. Still “influenced” by a “dude” but we called em outdoors writers at the time.

 

[Jaker_cc]

11 years of elk hunting. Been driving out from south texas since before youtube blew it up.

 

[rangerdug]

I started to hunt out West after I retired from the military. Mostly just wanted to spend time with my son.

Started following podcasts, etc. to try to learn something about mule deer and elk. Know just enough to be useless out in the woods!

 

[Whip]

The internet has ruined elk hunting. If I had my choice we'd go back to having to call to request a copy of the regulations be mailed out, then study them, cut out the application form with pair of scissors and mail it in with a check attached.

Go back to that system and my guess is my draw odds would soar.