Caribou Gear Tarp

Ever feel frustrated?

bushman13 said:
It does go both ways though. Because the western hunter is not traveling to the Appalachians, they don't recognize the scarcity of critters in the Rockies.

"wllm1313 said:
Dude, and I'm not trying to be a huge ass here... no one from CO, MT, WY, etc comes to TN to hunt"
Click to expand...
Exactly! I'm sure there are not people paying hundreds or even thousands and waiting 10, 15 or 20 years for an opportunity to hunt in TN as they are for big game in the western states.
That's why so many are very reluctant to help new posters who seem to come here EVERY year just before season looking for info and are never heard from again.
 
If I give someone some info via PM, I always ask that they let me know how their hunt goes. I mean, maybe they can relay some useful information back for the next time I'm back in the area.

I'd say the follow-up probably comes in at around 25%. I make a point of PM-ing again a while after season to see how it went, that usually goes without a reply as well.

That makes me frustrated...
 
wllm1313 said:
@TN_Rifle_Junkie
I find it interesting how many people on HT are so against new hunters. (Mostly not true)

I thought new hunter recruitment and retention was one of our goals? (Yep)

I understand the aversion to giving away you honey-hole, special spot, best hunting place. What I do not understand is the lack of support for a generalized discussion about an area. (The forum is public, aka "google-able" most members prefer information exchanges to be with known persons, one person will read a question but potentially thousands will read the reply)

ANYONE who spends more than a casual week on any hunting forum will be well informed of most of the resources out there. There are banner adds everywhere for goHunt, onX, and the state "planner" websites. All this information should be considered common knowledge by now. Heck, I am from Tennessee and I found all the land owned and leased by a prominent Elk outfitter in a western state just by searching it on one of these programs. (Agreed, this is a forum for public land hunters, not one of those planner resources, we don't get paid to give you tips)

With the invention of, and highly promoted, E-scouting touted by our HT owner and proprietor, you would think that people on here would be a little more open to sharing the tidbits (privately) about areas they may have hunted in the past. I have no secrets, and if someone posts a question about an area I have hunted, I feel obligated to point out things I learned about the unit and places overlooked by most. (All do respect, bull shit, or you don't have anything worth sharing... said from someone who joined in '15 with nothing worth sharing and now shares cause he still doesn't)

My frustration comes when every time a newer hunter posts a thread asking for a some help, the forum (police) immediately jump the thread and go into "don't tell people about hunting xxx, it might actually cause them to go" mode. What the &@*%??? (If you don't have the perseverance to get through a little hazing good luck with the elk)

THIS is the reason why people who should be hunting, don't. Some of you will say, "good riddance", or "more for me then". But I feel you are missing the bigger picture. (Naaaaaa, there are reasons, rejection by a bunch of keyboard warriors on a forum isn't one of them)

I live in one of the most biological diverse locations in the entire US, The Great Smoky Mountain National Park area. We have whitetail, turkey, black bear, elk, and a lot of other fowl, fish, and small game animals. I openly share my knowledge of the area with NR hunters, hikers, and visitors so that they can be successful. This is how we help them continue to personally grow, and grow the sport. These NR are only around for a few weeks, shunning them because you are greedy beleaguered exploiters is not helping anyone in the grander scheme of things. (Yeah well we live in the west it's 24/7, 365 not a few weeks, and people are moving here by the hundreds of thousands, state populations are doubling in peoples life times, we have tourists here in the summer, during the winter skiing, fall and spring hunting and biking... it's a perpetual shit show of people, it drives our economies and pays our bills but also grates on our nerves)

You want to know why NR hunters hire outfitters and pay more for a hunt. Because of the people who are not willing to share hunting knowledge. Currently a western state is entertaining the idea of slashing NR tags and giving a lot more to outfitters. I would normally jump on the opportunity to write an actual letter to the governor and state legislatures about this proposed bill to try and sway their thoughts. But honestly, as the time goes on, I see how we treat our own here on HT, and I question as a TN resident why we let so many of you openly come hunt my state when you are not willing to reciprocate. (Dude, and I'm not trying to be a huge ass here... no one from CO, MT, WY, etc comes to TN to hunt, your NR are from Florida or Georgia... just the reality)

Some final thoughts and then I will don my flame suit for what will most definitely be a CA wildfire.
First, we all started somewhere. No one was born with all the knowledge of every unit in every state to hunt.
Secondly, treating others as you would like to be treated could go a long way to improve how we perceive ourselves and other hunters.
Lastly, if you want to hunt Tennessee black bears, turkey, hogs, or whitetails, hit me up and I will try and help you be successful in your hunt.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I joined the forum as a non hunting adult, hung around for a couple of years, engaged with some great folks, and learned a ton. To be honest I think hunting spots are the least valuable thing the forum has to offer... if that's what your looking for there is a Doc Holiday meme for you.

What this forum does offer, in spades, is 1. a diverse, active, and supportive hunting community and 2. a profusion of knowledge about, e-scouting, habitat, regulations, equipment, tactics

The motto of the forum seems to be: "Give a man a hunting spot and he hunts for a season; teach a man to find his own spots and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Some parting words, search the forums for threads about first timers sharing their hunts... might help you understand why people stick around.
Click to expand...
 
TN_Rifle_Junkie said:
I find it interesting how many people on HT are so against new hunters.

I thought new hunter recruitment and retention was one of our goals?

I understand the aversion to giving away you honey-hole, special spot, best hunting place. What I do not understand is the lack of support for a generalized discussion about an area.

ANYONE who spends more than a casual week on any hunting forum will be well informed of most of the resources out there. There are banner adds everywhere for goHunt, onX, and the state "planner" websites. All this information should be considered common knowledge by now. Heck, I am from Tennessee and I found all the land owned and leased by a prominent Elk outfitter in a western state just by searching it on one of these programs.

With the invention of, and highly promoted, E-scouting touted by our HT owner and proprietor, you would think that people on here would be a little more open to sharing the tidbits (privately) about areas they may have hunted in the past. I have no secrets, and if someone posts a question about an area I have hunted, I feel obligated to point out things I learned about the unit and places overlooked by most.

My frustration comes when every time a newer hunter posts a thread asking for a some help, the forum (police) immediately jump the thread and go into "don't tell people about hunting xxx, it might actually cause them to go" mode. What the &@*%???

THIS is the reason why people who should be hunting, don't. Some of you will say, "good riddance", or "more for me then". But I feel you are missing the bigger picture.

I live in one of the most biological diverse locations in the entire US, The Great Smoky Mountain National Park area. We have whitetail, turkey, black bear, elk, and a lot of other fowl, fish, and small game animals. I openly share my knowledge of the area with NR hunters, hikers, and visitors so that they can be successful. This is how we help them continue to personally grow, and grow the sport. These NR are only around for a few weeks, shunning them because you are greedy is not helping anyone in the grander scheme of things.

You want to know why NR hunters hire outfitters and pay more for a hunt. Because of the people who are not willing to share hunting knowledge. Currently a western state is entertaining the idea of slashing NR tags and giving a lot more to outfitters. I would normally jump on the opportunity to write an actual letter to the governor and state legislatures about this proposed bill to try and sway their thoughts. But honestly, as the time goes on, I see how we treat our own here on HT, and I question as a TN resident why we let so many of you openly come hunt my state when you are not willing to reciprocate.

Some final thoughts and then I will don my flame suit for what will most definitely be a CA wildfire.
First, we all started somewhere. No one was born with all the knowledge of every unit in every state to hunt.
Secondly, treating others as you would like to be treated could go a long way to improve how we perceive ourselves and other hunters.
Lastly, if you want to hunt Tennessee black bears, turkey, hogs, or whitetails, hit me up and I will try and help you be successful in your hunt.
Click to expand...
Dude, ego check. How many people here have agreed with you? Yeah no one. But there are a ton of us who came here as noobs looking for info. We know what your saying, but your wrong. Mama HT ain't gonna spoon feed no one.

I've received info and I've given info on both the open forum and via PM. That info has spanned the spectrum between good and bad, depending on how the person asked.
 
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LCH said:
If I give someone some info via PM, I always ask that they let me know how their hunt goes. I mean, maybe they can relay some useful information back for the next time I'm back in the area.

I'd say the follow-up probably comes in at around 25%. I make a point of PM-ing again a while after season to see how it went, that usually goes without a reply as well.

That makes me frustrated...
Click to expand...
100% agree with that. I get hit up about a certain elk area in ID because I made the comment on an old post that I'd be willing to offer tips for the area via PM. I've only ever heard back from one.
 
neffa3 said:
100% agree with that. I get hit up about a certain elk area in ID because I made the comment on an old post that I'd be willing to offer tips for the area via PM. I've only ever heard back from one.
Click to expand...

I get hit in PM by guys with zero post about a unit I mentioned 8 years ago LOL I have lovely replies
 
TN_Rifle_Junkie said:
I find it interesting how many people on HT are so against new hunters.

I thought new hunter recruitment and retention was one of our goals?

I understand the aversion to giving away you honey-hole, special spot, best hunting place. What I do not understand is the lack of support for a generalized discussion about an area.

ANYONE who spends more than a casual week on any hunting forum will be well informed of most of the resources out there. There are banner adds everywhere for goHunt, onX, and the state "planner" websites. All this information should be considered common knowledge by now. Heck, I am from Tennessee and I found all the land owned and leased by a prominent Elk outfitter in a western state just by searching it on one of these programs.

With the invention of, and highly promoted, E-scouting touted by our HT owner and proprietor, you would think that people on here would be a little more open to sharing the tidbits (privately) about areas they may have hunted in the past. I have no secrets, and if someone posts a question about an area I have hunted, I feel obligated to point out things I learned about the unit and places overlooked by most.

My frustration comes when every time a newer hunter posts a thread asking for a some help, the forum (police) immediately jump the thread and go into "don't tell people about hunting xxx, it might actually cause them to go" mode. What the &@*%???

THIS is the reason why people who should be hunting, don't. Some of you will say, "good riddance", or "more for me then". But I feel you are missing the bigger picture.

I live in one of the most biological diverse locations in the entire US, The Great Smoky Mountain National Park area. We have whitetail, turkey, black bear, elk, and a lot of other fowl, fish, and small game animals. I openly share my knowledge of the area with NR hunters, hikers, and visitors so that they can be successful. This is how we help them continue to personally grow, and grow the sport. These NR are only around for a few weeks, shunning them because you are greedy is not helping anyone in the grander scheme of things.

You want to know why NR hunters hire outfitters and pay more for a hunt. Because of the people who are not willing to share hunting knowledge. Currently a western state is entertaining the idea of slashing NR tags and giving a lot more to outfitters. I would normally jump on the opportunity to write an actual letter to the governor and state legislatures about this proposed bill to try and sway their thoughts. But honestly, as the time goes on, I see how we treat our own here on HT, and I question as a TN resident why we let so many of you openly come hunt my state when you are not willing to reciprocate.

Some final thoughts and then I will don my flame suit for what will most definitely be a CA wildfire.
First, we all started somewhere. No one was born with all the knowledge of every unit in every state to hunt.
Secondly, treating others as you would like to be treated could go a long way to improve how we perceive ourselves and other hunters.
Lastly, if you want to hunt Tennessee black bears, turkey, hogs, or whitetails, hit me up and I will try and help you be successful in your hunt.
Click to expand...
This is a joke. If you had less posts I'd assume it was just trolling, maybe it is, I'll take the bait. I've helped plenty of guys over the years via pm and email, some of whom know more about where and how I hunt than my friends who live right down the road. It's not usually hard to tell who is trustworthy with information. You think successful hunters in the west magically acquired knowledge about finding game? They may have had a parent or mentor who was a serious and very successful hunter, but that is largely not the case.

Bottom line is that the value of knowledge is relative. Where to find a decent whitetail in TN isn't worth 1% of the effort that goes into learning how to consistently find bulls or a decent muley buck on gen tags/public land. Anyone is welcome to disagree, and I don't care. Like a lot of others I've spent time, money, and my joints on trying to educate myself on wildlife and the habitat they use. It's been a great investment that I'm happy to share with a few people who are like-minded, as opposed to entitled whiners. If anything this kind of thing makes me even less likely to help the next random guy who sends a pm. I'll tell them they can thank @TN_Rifle_Junkie ;)
 
LCH said:
If I give someone some info via PM, I always ask that they let me know how their hunt goes. I mean, maybe they can relay some useful information back for the next time I'm back in the area.

I'd say the follow-up probably comes in at around 25%. I make a point of PM-ing again a while after season to see how it went, that usually goes without a reply as well.

That makes me frustrated...
Click to expand...
This.
 
I’ve never noticed anyone, who appears to have put some effort forth before asking questions about areas , not get helpful info. Finding good public land areas that don’t get pounded and hold a mature animal or two is not easy, and it’s even harder now with the technology available. Not to mention, probably every hunter on here has been burned by some a**clown who they helped out and took hunting, and in turn they’re good spot got worse. It has nothing to do with guys not wanting new hunters, but a lot of people want to skip the aches and pains and just enjoy the success.
 
I just encouraged a guy to try and hunt the unlimiteds..... even invited him to go with. I will say mule deer is a touchy subject with me but I'm always willing to help a guy or gal out if they put some effort forth. Looking to complete my squirrel slam what's the chances of maybe picking your brain on a few areas😉
 
LCH said:
If I give someone some info via PM, I always ask that they let me know how their hunt goes. I mean, maybe they can relay some useful information back for the next time I'm back in the area.

I'd say the follow-up probably comes in at around 25%. I make a point of PM-ing again a while after season to see how it went, that usually goes without a reply as well.

That makes me frustrated...
Click to expand...
I've actually had almost 100% success with this, the guys I've shared info with have turned out to be great people, some I'd consider friends in a general context. Probably a function of both luck and being picky, idk.
 
JohnCushman said:
I get hit in PM by guys with zero post about a unit I mentioned 8 years ago LOL I have lovely replies
Click to expand...

Same here, I get like 5 pm’s a year about CA deer hunting D-15 among others Lol.. sometimes I’ve literally told folks exactly what rock to sit on to shoot a buck,bull,turkey and sometimes I ignore. Just depends on how much time I got to reply, and what kind of mood I’m in and if the person regularly posts.
 
Quackillr said:
Same here, I get like 5 pm’s a year about CA deer hunting D-15 among others Lol.. sometimes I’ve literally told folks exactly what rock to sit on to shoot a buck,bull,turkey and sometimes I ignore. Just depends on how much time I got to reply, and what kind of mood I’m in and if the person regularly posts.
Click to expand...
Can I get coordinates to those rocks? Long time lurker first time poster here.......
 
I’ve been frustrated. Usually when Siri is a dimwit with driving directions and closed roads in construction zones.
 
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I think a lot of people lately are extremely willing to help, to a degree. Just because you dont see it on the public thread, doesnt mean the person asking for help isnt getting it via a private message.
Western hunting isnt easy, it's a lot of trial, error and time. Not to mention money nowadays. Theres a good reason why some people are reluctant with information but the information they do give is extremely valuable. I do think, from what I have seen, is that some newcomers want to skip the hard parts and just have success. Social media probably hasn't helped in that regard. It's a lot of work and effort, depending on what you hunt. The challenge and struggle is what makes it so rewarding, why some of us are crazy and hike so many miles and endure the pain. Success is a lot of work, heck even the failures are a lot of work! Though recruitment and retention is important, hunting isnt for everyone. I've also seen a lot of people who are very willing to take newcomers hunting or have them tag along.
I had a bull permit this season and saw another Hunt Talker had the tag previously and was willing to help. I PMd him some general questions and explained how my season had been and was absolutely surprised by how much information he freely gave me. I didnt fill my tag but I was extremely grateful for the information I was given. There are definitely a lot of hunters out there more than willing and happy to help.




wllm1313 said:
"Give a man a hunting spot and he hunts for a season; teach a man to find his own spots and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Click to expand...
I'm definitely turning this into a sign.
 
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