Am I a dinosaur? What happened to this new generation of hunters? Ya know, for all the truckloads of deer we've shot, we never needed $50,000 pickup trucks to haul our asses to and fro. We never felt compelled to advertise the fact that we liked hunting big deer. A trophy buck window decal was completely unnecessary to reaffirm our dedication to deer season. We never wanted to get our own hunting tv show. Bo and Luke Duke were our archery heroes. We never wanted to take our wives out with us. The introduction of any woman into the equation would slow down an already efficient operation, and severely cripple the good ol' boy conversation topics that were preferred in such hillbilly circles. What in the hell is a pro staff, and why in god's name would anyone want to be one? We didn't care what sight was on our bow, or which broadhead was screwed on the tip of our arrows, so long as it shot straight. We couldn't name more than two "celebrity" hunters. The entire concept of "Lee and Tiffany" is both ridiculous and insulting. Our camo pattern was whatever the U.S. Military decided to mass-produce, or the local sport shop put on sale. We bowhunted before the internet. LOL Gander Mountain was the premier mail-order outfitter. Cabelas.com was a fantasy. Mechanical releases? Who needed those? We don't have any allegiance to any particular brand or company, and probably never will. We never needed a Bad Boy Buggy or whatever the hell the latest and greatest is called. We ride the shoeleather express. We don't idolize other hunters. New gear doesn't excite us, but new hunting land sure does. We judge the dedication and ability of other hunters by the stand-hours and miles they log, not their stockpile of overpriced hunting junk. We actually wear out our boots before we buy new ones. We hunt our asses off at every available opportunity - even when it's not hunting season. We take our good hunting areas to the grave, and are willing to lie like a rug to protect them. We don't want more hunters in the woods - we want less. We come from generation after generation of hillbillies, mountain men, ginseng pickers, loggers, miners, coon hunters and trapline walkers. We won't pay another man to show us a deer to shoot. It violates our principles. This will be my 19th archery season, and at 32, I already feel like a crotchetty old man. I'll admit that I'm thoroughly annoyed by the millions of new archers, flooding the deerwoods, clad in fashion camo and snookered into buying every ridiculous and unnecessary gadget and gizmo that Cabela's is hawking. I read articles penned by guys... ahem... "experts," who have yet to log their 1000th stand hour. Sing to the choir, boy. They want to give me advice... Ha. Your gut reaction upsets the rules of decency and the decorum of good sportsmanship, so you just move on with your life... It's virtually impossible to quantify or explain, but if you've been there - you know. ______________________________________________________________________________ Let me elaborate a bit about what's on my cranium... I haven't posted much in the past couple years. I've largely kept quiet in the cheap seats, watching things evolve. Over the past couple months, I've gotten a chance to see just how much the game has changed, and how disconnected with the current version of hunting reality that I'd really become. Did I stand still while the rest of the world was moving, or have I suddenly backtracked into a disjointed corner of the hunting community? I'll admit, I've never quite been like your average guy you meet in the woods. I've never quite seen things through the same camouflage lenses as your average Joe. That's not an indictment of anyone else or myself. Just an honest observation... Last week, a few beers with old buddies evolved into a conversation much like this one: are we out of touch? We hunt as much or more than anyone we know, yet we feel like we're out of touch with current hunting reality. It's odd. We live to hunt. Always have. We literally burn up thousands in gas, boot rubber, camera batteries and McDoubles in search of giant bucks every year, yet we feel like we have little in common with a lot of hunters. My homeboys concurred, so I got a little introspective for a bit, and got to thinking about the dichotomy between the old guard of the hunting world, and the new generation. I felt like a forum discussion was in order, so here we are. Really, it's an interesting interplay, when you think about it. On one hand, it's a numbers game: Less hunters in the woods = more opportunities for the remaining hunters. Think tag lottery and exclusive land leases - things that massage the numbers, and tilt odds in a hunter's favor. On the other hand, high demand to hunt and low barriers to entry will yield more $$ in the hunting market, more intense marketing campaigns, more R & D money bringing better technology at the marketplace, and financial motivation for forums (like this one) to exist, more conservation dollars, better & more scientific management programs. The downside - more hunters attacking a limited resource. We've gone from a small handful of manufacturers and mail-order hunting catalogs to countless online superstores, and a massive market basket of goods and services. It's a blessing and a curse, really. Interesting as hell, IMO. People like me? Dinosaurs. I'm a Nintendo in an XBox world. On one hand, I miss the days of yore. On the other hand, it's interesting to sit back and watch the evolution from the cheap seats. Do I resent the commercialism of hunting? More than I can even put into words. Even though I've adapted and been incredibly successful, I don't like it one iota. Just because you're good at something doesn't mean that you have to like it. Now, does that resentment cause me to boycott the treasure trove of information that the commercialism of this sport has produced? No way. In fact, were it not for the specter of making a small fortune off of the hunting masses, forums like this one, and its hunting-related informational brethren would not exist. These forums are the best offshoot of the commercialization of hunting, and if you're not online enjoying resources like this one, then the joke's on you. It's a double-edged sword, really. With every post, we contribute to the popularization of a sport where every new entrant to the market seeks to eat our proverbial lunch. It's a self-inflicted death by a thousand cuts, if you will. But our love of the game keeps us here. We tiptoe the fine line between preserving our outdoor heritage and deluging our deerwoods with tens of thousands of new hunters, all with their sights set on the same deer that we're hunting. Am I a dinoaur, or just a keen observer? Am I out of touch, or am I 100% dialed-in? Am I nuts, or do you guys relate? Gentlemen, you have the floor...
Good post, King. I feel the same as you. This will be the start of my 45th bow season. I am a crotchety old man, have been for some time.
This will be my 29th season and you hit most things on the head youngun! Mostly payin someone to show you deer. Good post there KING.
You raise some good points and ask some good questions Quiksilver, I can't say that most of the commercialism and bone worship doesn't bother me, I'd be hesitant to say it has anything to do with a new vs. old generation of hunters though. I've only been hunting for the last five years and didn't get the chance to grow up with a family that hunts or even a social acceptance of the act where I lived. However, no activity in my life has ever had such a deep impact on me as this one and yet in my search to learn and enjoy it, I continually come up against opposition by "old timers". Now, I have the greatest reverence for people who have a lifetime of hunting behind them. In fact, I envy those individuals and only hope that in some way I can emulate them and carry on the traditions that first attracted me to this life in the first place. Unfortunately, being new to the hunting scene isn't exactly easy. I can understand not wanting to give up honey-holes and sacred spots but general hostility isn't necessary. I drive the same van I bought nine years ago, and it still carries dead stuff just fine. My first pair of camo were BDUs, and the sticker in my back window was free in the mail. Being on a pro staff sounds awesome for two simple facts, free stuff (or the cost of some free time) and being around people that love hunting too. I see what you talk about too. I see the kids I went to college with show up in the matching Sitka gear to sit in a blind and complain about having to walk a mile to a stand and sit there all day without something to do. But, I've seen the other side too. I've found the pit the good ol' boys dug in the woods, I've found the stand that's been out for three weeks with the pile of bottles and cigarette butts under the stand and I've been cussed out by the guy that showed up half an hour before shooting time and thought he should have gotten the first chance to shoot the slough I showed up to the night before and slept in my car to shoot. If I could ask for one thing, it would be more people in your position giving advice and spending less of it trying to make adversaries out of the younger generations.
Fran your right on but the biggest thing that has changed is access to hunting land. Whwn I started hunting nobody ever thought to pay for hunting land. What the hell is a lease. Know unless you buy a chunk most of the time you can't get on.
Ha ha ha, don't hold anything back now King. You made a few good points and had me going right there until the end.
Good call Danno. As huntable acreage decreases, demand to hunt it increases. Very few people are creating new hunting land, but it seems like everybody and their brother is now on a quest to recruit new hunters. Simple supply and demand. Hunt-Mania will only cause the problem that you touched on to become even bigger.
Its all us new bow hunters know. There is not enough old school hunters introducing us to the life of a hunter to know how you old school guys did it. The only places we can get our information from is from T.V. shows, Magazines and the internet. I personally see hunting only for the big rack being a problem. I personally use an older compound bow, no cameras and older camo. Part of this is due to lack of income. I also feel that there are probably way more recovered deer now than there were "back in the day" if you will. Technollogy improves everything. All these high end, high dollar items were not available when you started hunting. If they were I feel sure they would have been used just as they are now. I may be new but, even if I could afford it, I would not pay another man to show me where the deer are. I have done nothing but hunt my ass off for track, trails, old rub lines, scrapes and any other sign of deer in the woods that I own. I have spent endless hours getting to know my woods. I don't let anyone except my brother hunt my land. I actually kicked one of them off the land and won't let him come back due to an unethical judgement call he made. If he did it once I am sure over time he would do it again. I won't take that chance. If it werent for us new bow hunters the life of bow hunting would die. I may not have 20 years of hunting under my belt but, I have a love for it, a passion and most of all a respect for the animals I hunt. I admired their beauty for many years before I got a chance to start hunting them and now that I am able to, I aint going no where. Yes I desire to have the expensive sights with 2x or 4x lens installed and super quiet drop away rest but that, is to make sure I make a clean shot. If I have a problem seeing well I want to fix it so that I don't just go out there and stick one in a rear leg or neck and injure an animal. If I had grown uup with a bow in my hand I may feel the same as you do. My sons will have a bow as soon as they can speak full sentaces and understand safety. I am thinking around 3 or so. I understand where you are coming from but, its pass it on or it dies. If that means using new technollogy to do so then so be it. No matter what people think, this is a sport that has to have new blood introduced or it will end one day. Look at the number of hunters in many states. There are less now than there ever have been. We may not us hickory sticks and vines but, as long as we know where we cam from and know the history thats what matters. I feel sure when you started hunting you were using something better than the Indians use right? Anyways, good post. I hope everyone doesn't have all the same views of us new guys. Especially the ones of us who started hunting on their own with no help from an old school hunter who is too stengy with his knowledge to pass it on. Just kidding on that one.
Being your a new bow hunter I understand where your coming from but In my own personal opinion technology Isn't always a good thing In bow hunting.
I am an engineering major, I believe Technology properly used will improve what it was designed to improve. Used for the improper application, it will not have the same results it was designed to have. Used incorrectly it will usually have a negative effect. In other words if it don't work for you don't use it but, don't bash someone else who chooses to do so.
Fran - why don't you go back to the good old days before we had computers and the Internet? The days when men bellied up to the bar, ordered a glass of whiskey and whined to anyone who would listen. Maybe a grass roots campaign against the evils of the modern world would be more effective, Mr. Kazynsky.
I haven't posted much in the past couple years. I've largely kept quiet in the cheap seats, watching things evolve. Over the past couple months, I've gotten a chance to see just how much the game has changed, and how disconnected with the current version of hunting reality that I'd really become. Did I stand still while the rest of the world was moving, or have I suddenly backtracked into a disjointed corner of the hunting community? I'll admit, I've never quite been like your average guy you meet in the woods. I've never quite seen things through the same camouflage lenses as your average Joe. That's not an indictment of anyone else or myself. Just an honest observation... Last week, a few beers with old buddies evolved into a conversation much like this one: are we out of touch? We hunt as much or more than anyone we know, yet we feel like we're out of touch with current hunting reality. It's odd. We live to hunt. Always have. We literally burn up thousands in gas, boot rubber, camera batteries and McDoubles in search of giant bucks every year, yet we feel like we have little in common with a lot of hunters. My homeboys concurred, so I got a little introspective for a bit, and got to thinking about the dichotomy between the old guard of the hunting world, and the new generation. I felt like a forum discussion was in order, so here we are. Really, it's an interesting interplay, when you think about it. On one hand, it's a numbers game: Less hunters in the woods = more opportunities for the remaining hunters. Think tag lottery and exclusive land leases - things that massage the numbers, and tilt odds in a hunter's favor. On the other hand, high demand to hunt and low barriers to entry will yield more $$ in the hunting market, more intense marketing campaigns, more R & D money bringing better technology at the marketplace, and financial motivation for forums (like this one) to exist, more conservation dollars, better & more scientific management programs. The downside - more hunters attacking a limited resource. We've gone from a small handful of manufacturers and mail-order hunting catalogs to countless online superstores, and a massive market basket of goods and services. It's a blessing and a curse, really. Interesting as hell, IMO. People like me? Dinosaurs. I'm a Nintendo in an XBox world. On one hand, I miss the days of yore. On the other hand, it's interesting to sit back and watch the evolution from the cheap seats. Do I resent the commercialism of hunting? More than I can even put into words. Even though I've adapted and been incredibly successful, I don't like it one iota. Just because you're good at something doesn't mean that you have to like it. Now, does that resentment cause me to boycott the treasure trove of information that the commercialism of this sport has produced? No way. In fact, were it not for the specter of making a small fortune off of the hunting masses, forums like this one, and its hunting-related informational brethren would not exist. These forums are the best offshoot of the commercialization of hunting, and if you're not online enjoying resources like this one, then the joke's on you. It's a double-edged sword, really. With every post, we contribute to the popularization of a sport where every new entrant to the market seeks to eat our proverbial lunch. It's a self-inflicted death by a thousand cuts, if you will. But our love of the game keeps us here. We tiptoe the fine line between preserving our outdoor heritage and deluging our deerwoods with tens of thousands of new hunters, all with their sights set on the same deer that we're hunting.
