Wow What’s happening here?

[ol_spark]

I’ve been absent for only 8 weeks and HuntTalk has really changed. Not that I was an avid poster, more of a lurker. Even though I feel that I have a lot of experiences that others may find useful but by the time I’ve read the question or problem, someone else has already given my similar thoughts. At that point, I’d just sound redundant so I just don’t post a lot.
It looks like I have some catching up to do. Must be a lot of new members here because the attitude seems to be changing. Thanks Randy for providing us with this forum to share information and learn from each other’s experiences. You’re one of the good ones. Sorry to hear about your dealings with Utah/Wyoming FOIA and those that brought it on. Your podcasts and escouting segments has helped this PA. hunter many times and I thank you. I’m not too familiar with this new format yet but I’m hoping it’ll have an ignore button so I don’t have to bother reading certain members posts. Oftentimes your patience with people amazes me. Not sure if this belongs here or under some other topic but thanks again Randy for all your hard work.

 

[jlong17]

I am a new member here, so I don't know what the good old days were like Here are my first impressions over the last couple months:
- There are quite a few people that are really friendly and happy chat
- There are quite a few people that don't like new hunters asking what they consider stupid questions
- There are a lot of people who demand information, but are last in line to deliver any

Overall, I think this is a cool site... and it replaces time I used to spend on social media platforms. I think the one thing I would love to see is the older generation have a more willingness to play a mentorship role. I am a millennial that knows very little about hunting. No one in my family did it growing up, so I have spent the last few years trying to figure it out. It'd be neat if there was a way to connect that older/experienced generation with people like me... I am eager to learn, and ready to work. I can read all the books, watch all the videos, but nothing is quite like a mentorship where stories and lessons learned are exchanged between one another. Anyways, thanks for starting this thread... and hopefully I won't be a member that you'll have to use an ignore button for haha

 

[Witherall13]

I’m new here also and I’ve noticed some that consider themselves “@#)(# of the walk” and some that are more than happy to help, I’m a big diy public land hunter and came to hunt talk to connect with other like minded individuals. I guess some aren’t as willing to spill their guts about areas they hunt as I am. One of my go to saying is “we all co-own millions of acres of public land” but I’ve noticed some members that apparently think they own more of it than I do, all I can say is I’m just as likely to stumble across your “honey hole” as anyone else there’s no need to be rude when questions are asked, yes I agree that folks should do a lot of their own research instead of saying “hey where should I go” but I’ve seen some questions about units referring to terrain, weather, hunting pressure..... and some down right dick responses.

 

[88man]

There are lots of great guys on these forums. However, sometimes we remember the few who want to show their knowledge instead of share it. I am not talking about hunting spots or locations. By far the majority of users and posters are here for the same reasons to stay current and learn a little and help a little. It is so cool when you bump into a guy in the middle of the mountains and find out you sorta have knowledge of who he is.

 

[sethkuhl]

Stick around all you newbys. Spring bear season opens in two weeks in MT and the attitude changes around here dramatically then. I know my wife starts to say "when does hunting season start again around this time of year. People just start getting grouchy!

 

[----]

What obligation is there of people who have knowledge to share it?

I guess I just view hunt talk differently. When I started here it was much more of a brag board, place to tell hunting stories, and place to BS with other hunters. Now it seems to be expected that it's a place for new or out of state hunters to come for advice and places to go. Maybe that isn't true, and just how my admittedly horrible memory has compartmentalized it.

I've helped a lot of guys over the years, but have almost completely stopped. Off the top of my head the last four guys I remember helping on hunt talk have 1- posted directly on the forum where they hunted, 2- twice never followed up with me on how their hunt went after extensive back and forth, and 3- planned on hunting with me, then cancelled after I shared maps of places to go, then went later on without notifying me, using those spots I shared, and posted the locations and pictures of the hunt on the forum. At some point helping becomes being taken advantage of.

Not that one way of viewing it is right and the other isn't, but maybe realize that not everyone is looking at things the same way.

*After re-reading this and the thread I realize this is a tangent off of the original post and more directed at the replies.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I’m new here also and I’ve noticed some that consider themselves “@#)(# of the walk” and some that are more than happy to help, I’m a big diy public land hunter and came to hunt talk to connect with other like minded individuals. I guess some aren’t as willing to spill their guts about areas they hunt as I am. One of my go to saying is “we all co-own millions of acres of public land” but I’ve noticed some members that apparently think they own more of it than I do, all I can say is I’m just as likely to stumble across your “honey hole” as anyone else there’s no need to be rude when questions are asked, yes I agree that folks should do a lot of their own research instead of saying “hey where should I go” but I’ve seen some questions about units referring to terrain, weather, hunting pressure..... and some down right dick responses.

There are literally hundreds of posts where people used the exact phrase "not looking for anyone's honey hole but..." As you have probably have seen these individuals create 1 thread, and post 2-5 times about the specific unit they are interested in and then never came back to the forum again.

The forum is a community and I think the general consensus is if you aren't actually interested in being a member of the community and participating in various discussions, then you should just google posts and read past info. Why should forum members waste their time writing a thoughtful response if you are never coming back.

 

[MTGunner]

I grew up in’s house hold that was not a hunting family. I had to learn to hunt and find game. This is just a part of the hunting effort. I had to research, travel, talk to land owners, talk to biologists and game wardens. This if found was a part of my hunting education. Have I shared my education? Yes. Have I have encouraged new hunters to do their own research’s? Yes. This is part of the hunt.
I was part of a hunter education team that taught basic hunter education for 17 years. Many asked for my help and I urged them to research for the information which in my mind is essential for personal achievement.
I understand that asking vague questions is part of an education. But, to seek and discover on ones own is extremely satisfying.
To ask pertinent questions, or ones honey hole if you please, is quite forward. To ask general questions that could glean information that will lead to more research is a good avenue to pursue. We, as hunters, need to HUNT. The research, scouting, learning habits and of habitats is a large part of the hunt process.
As far as this forum is considered I have gleaned much and have offer in return. I find this forum to be of good men and women hunters that truly care. MTG

 

[Rzrbck918]

I’ve been absent for only 8 weeks and HuntTalk has really changed. Not that I was an avid poster, more of a lurker. Even though I feel that I have a lot of experiences that others may find useful but by the time I’ve read the question or problem, someone else has already given my similar thoughts. At that point, I’d just sound redundant so I just don’t post a lot.
It looks like I have some catching up to do. Must be a lot of new members here because the attitude seems to be changing. Thanks Randy for providing us with this forum to share information and learn from each other’s experiences. You’re one of the good ones. Sorry to hear about your dealings with Utah/Wyoming FOIA and those that brought it on. Your podcasts and escouting segments has helped this PA. hunter many times and I thank you. I’m not too familiar with this new format yet but I’m hoping it’ll have an ignore button so I don’t have to bother reading certain members posts. Oftentimes your patience with people amazes me. Not sure if this belongs here or under some other topic but thanks again Randy for all your hard work.

I understand the OPs point as I am not exactly an old hand and have seen some of the attitudes he mention. However, I have noticed many people join and immediately post "what unit should I hunt for ..." I am also of the belief many of the "terrain, pressure, weather" questions by people on their initial posts are more tactful ways of asking "where should I hunt". There are many who join HT around application time every year (in the two years Ive seen) and post for information never to be heard from again.

That said, I have found the forum to be extremely helpful to questions of the community and happy to share general information with increasing specificity directly related to the participation of the questioner. Most of the time that seems to happen through PMs.

 

[Hunting Wife]

I’ve noticed a definite shift in the tone and participation over the last year or so. Lots of new people, less participation by older members. More rudeness...some people apparently missed the “if you can’t say anything nice” lesson.

I guess some aren’t as willing to spill their guts about areas they hunt as I am.

This struck me, because it is exactly the mentality that makes most people unwilling to share info these days. Because eventually you get tired of divulging a spot to someone, only to have them tell 20 of their closest friends and before you know it, what used to be a good spot is now overrun with people and the game don’t use it anymore. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will.

@Randy11 hit the nail on the head. There have always been people coming on looking for information, nothing new there. But I’m a little puzzled by the arrogance and entitled tone some of the new posters recently have when asking for help. Like just because it’s public land hunting, they expect people to just tell them everything there is to know. You’re right, it is public land. You are more than welcome to hunt any of my “honey holes” when you’ve done all the work it takes to learn it. After you’ve invested that much time and effort in it, hopefully then you will value it as much as I do.

I get that people are coming to the sport who didn’t grow up in it, yada yada, so for those who don’t know better, here’s hunting etiquette lesson number one....it is rude to ask people where they hunt. Period. Always has been. Why are you entitled to the knowledge someone else got through years of blood, sweat, and tears?

Don’t get me wrong...by all means ask questions. But ask questions that will help you figure it out for yourself, not questions that have others doing all the work for you. Many of us have endless patience for answering questions that will help people help themselves.

 

[Western Traveler1]

There are literally hundreds of posts where people used the exact phrase "not looking for anyone's honey hole but..." As you have probably have seen these individuals create 1 thread, and post 2-5 times about the specific unit they are interested in and then never came back to the forum again.

The forum is a community and I think the general consensus is if you aren't actually interested in being a member of the community and participating in various discussions, then you should just google posts and read past info. Why should forum members waste their time writing a thoughtful response if you are never coming back.

wllm You are spot on. It isn't that many of us aren't interested in helping out a new hunter or mentoring someone. It's that this is the age of technology and it allows people to search the web purely to gather information and move on (a drive by) with no intention of sticking around and being a part of. I've been here just long enough to have helped a few, received some help and had a fun time just being here. We don't have to like each other but it is nice to get along. Just like out there in life there are those I wouldn't care to spend a moment with but there are a lot of great people here I would enjoy sharing a cup of coffee with at my campfire. One has to stick around to get a feel for who is who. My horse has nearly reached the barn. Why wouldn't I want to share what I saw and learned on the trail along the way. If I'm fishing I'll tell you what I'm using and how to find the fish. Unlikely I'm going to share the exact spot but Attitude helps lot...

 

[noharleyyet]

This place is cotillion compared to the mean girls club days....

 

[BrentD]

Thanks for the vocabulary word, noharley...

 

[MTGunner]

Hunting Wife, well put!
Taking game is merely a small part of the hunt. Anticipation, research, blood sweat and tears, failure, camraiderie, adventure and more is actually, to this old hunter, more satisfying than just pulling the trigger or letting the arrow fly. To hunt and not take game is not a hunt failure. To hunt and take game is not a total hunt success. The best part is the “hunt” itself. This I have learned over many years of hunting. To enjoy all aspects and stow the information, adventure, reward in the realms of my mind.
To hunt is an adventure. Hunters are and have always been adventurers. Learn it, glean from hunting efforts. Then when you are an older person perhaps you will recollect the adventures that have been enjoyed. Perhaps you will offer such to new hunters who wish to pursue the adventure of the hunt. MTG

 

[JLS]

I see a trend towards people wanting a hunt planned with near guaranteed success and little to no risk of failure. I get it. We live in an age on infinite information that is easily accessible.

I get it some people travel a long ways and don’t want to “fail”. I get it some people didn’t grow up in a hunting household. I learned much of who know about hunting as a young adult.

I feel sorry for the people who have never driven to a mountain range with nothing more than their hunting gear and a map, with no internet research or crowd sourcing of their hunt plan. It certainly isn’t the most efficient way of planning, but it also frees one from paralysis by analysis. Failure is okay. That’s why it’s called hunting.

 

[Gerald Martin]

The tone of an online community such as this is continually changing with seasonal angst, growing membership and topic of discussion. Hunttalk is a multifaceted asset depending on your level of engagement and how involved you are willing to be. Something many newer members are unaware of is the culture and tone that has always been a part of the site and has been instrumental in making it what it is. I for one hope it doesn’t change. There are plenty of crusty old miners here who are happy to help a greenhorn learn to find gold on their own but will also happily give a virtual weggie to those who want to be shown where their stash of nuggets are. That in and of itself is a valuable lesson on the culture of hunting for those inclined to learn. As far as those who come across as “@#)(# of the walk” it doesn’t take too long before you can sort out the pretentious from the knowledgeable. I have found real life interactions very pleasant with some of the latter.

 

[----]

I feel sorry for the people who have never driven to a mountain range with nothing more than their hunting gear and a map, with no internet research or crowd sourcing of their hunt plan. It certainly isn’t the most efficient way of planning, but it also frees one from paralysis by analysis. Failure is okay. That’s why it’s called hunting.

That's such a huge part of hunting for me, and something I feel a lot of people cheat themselves on. The hunts that I went in completely blind and succeeded without any outside help are so much more rewarding, and all I've done the last 2-3 years. I hate getting outside information any more because it never feels right.

Knowing you are capable of finding a new location and succeeding is a very powerful tool to have. It makes getting burned on a spot much easier to swallow knowing you can pack up and go elsewhere and do just as well.

 

[Hunting Wife]

I feel sorry for the people who have never driven to a mountain range with nothing more than their hunting gear and a map, with no internet research or crowd sourcing of their hunt plan. It certainly isn’t the most efficient way of planning, but it also frees one from paralysis by analysis. Failure is okay. That’s why it’s called hunting.

Some of the most memorable hunts are the ones where you see nothing over the next ridge but country you’ve never laid eyes on before. And knowing you have the skills to figure it out.

 

[bushman13]

My conclusion on the bad attitudes surrounding western hunting boils down to game scarcity. I grew up in the exact opposite environment where hunting was to be shared with the new. We never coveted a "spot".
My cursory ignorant opinion is we have to learn how to vote Agriculture interests out of game management in the west. If these game numbers were not kept artificially low, our conversations would be so much different.

 

[Europe]

Some of the most memorable hunts are the ones where you see nothing over the next ridge but country you’ve never laid eyes on before. And knowing you have the skills to figure it out.

Amen!

However, while I am here my granddaughter hopes to knock down a Nyala, Bushbuck, Kudu, Eland, and Gembok. Would someone be so kind as to advise us where to find them, the best time of day to hunt them, what caliber to use, what bullet to use, and whether or not we will need a PH to help us or can three women just wander around until we see them ? ( sorry, could not resist )