Hunting & Social Media-The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - PART 3
Logan Anderson
Social Media - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Part 3. The Good
Social media can be a very useful piece of hardware in any hunters’ life. Tuning into the online world can be a beneficial, rewarding, and satisfying experience. Even with The Bad and The Ugly in mainstream media, The Good may outweigh the both of them. Uniting together in an attempt to make a better online community is something anyone of us, as hunters, can do.
Harvesting an animal is the end result most hunters hope for. When successful, sharing it on social media for your friends and family to see seems to be the new “normal”. Posting your success can be very rewarding and confidence boosting. Seeing people congratulate you and “liking” your post(s) can have that affect. But remember, these boosts of feelings aren’t always everything. Keeping family and close friends updated that have the hunting bug as well, gives them something to see, which could hype them up for their own hunting season. Furthermore, seeing other people upload pictures and videos of their successful hunts can be rewarding in a positive aspect. Seeing the techniques used, what the weather was like that day, and even some of the gear used, can be applied to potentially improve another hunter’s objective.
Pursuing information in the online world can be a very Ugly, intimidating way of going about it but there are people out there that are willing to help. Seeking firsthand experience on products is one way to help a hunter decide on what gear they will be using in the field the next hunting season. When a person finds someone willing to help, give pointers and take them out to one of their spots, showing respect, gratefulness and appreciation can go a long way into developing a long term hunting partnership. A person cannot ever know too much about hunting. There is always ways to improve, learn and apply different techniques for the following season. Eventually a green horned hunter will turn into a seasoned veteran hunter and will hopefully return the favour in passing down knowledge.
Social media has turned into an effective way for the authorities in the outdoor world. They can view posts in related outdoor groups and follow up with individuals if they see something questionable. Not everyone is out there intentionally breaking the law when it comes to hunting. When Fish and Wildlife see minor infractions, they may do more of an educational way of going about the situation so that the individual can learn from it instead of immediately receiving punishment. Getting stopped by Fish and Wildlife officers is always intimidating to me but I am glad that they are out there doing their job. Social media provides an easy way for people to report suspicious activity they see while out or even see while scrolling on their news feeds. It seems to me that people who have a hate for Fish and Game wardens are the ones who are breaking the law, making a bad name for the respectable hunters. A new hunter may have questions regarding clarification on rules and regulations; social media provides an easier means of seeking out these answers.
Using social media to kick-start a career in the outdoor industry is a very effective means that is at our finger tips. It takes a lot of work and dedication to be successful enough to make a living out of hunting. There are millions of viewers in the online community and providing the right content, to the majority of the audience, this may have potential to catch the attention of the right individuals in the outdoor industry. Being a part of companies can be Ugly, but it is definitely a foothold to help get your foot in the door and meet new, like minded individuals.
Standing together in the online world as hunters one way we can bring more of a positive outlook and understanding to people who are not hunters. Whether or not you shoot does, small bucks, big bucks, use a rifle, crossbow, re-curve or have to use a quad for mobility issues, as long as it is done legally, there is no need to attack one another online. Using social media to share information on what wildlife foundations are doing to help with conservation, also helps to open the eyes of others on what organizations bring to the outdoor stage. Being able to see how much money hunters contribute with the buying of licenses, wildlife certificates and bow hunting permits also paints the bigger picture on what hunters contribute towards the industry.
In the end, there are Good, Bad, and Ugly aspects of social media when it comes to the hunting world. It is up to us hunters to decide the way we go about it and how to use it. Being a positive role model helps get the ball rolling and sets an example for the future to come.
