Ryan Barnes for SPLIT REED
We live in a day and age dominated by what’s happening on social media. Odds are you found this article through either Instagram or Facebook. It seems to be our favorite pastime activity; Seeing what’s trending, seeing what’s going on with our friends and our family, and showing off our latest accomplishments. Split Reed is completely run online and driven by social media, which only goes to show the power that these platforms have. It’s an amazing way to market a business, connect with people, and stay connected with what’s going on in the world around us.
Yes, it may seem like people are getting “out of touch” with the real world, but we’ll save that discussion for another day. The reality is- there are some great resources out there on social media. You have the ability to connect with some of the most experienced hunters in the game by just a few touches on the screen. You’re just one message away from asking for help on your calling from world champions, or connecting with experienced guides and asking for all kinds of help. It also allows us to be able to connect with other hunters and share experiences and stories with like-minded people who enjoy the experience of getting out and shooting waterfowl. Your Instagram feed can be filled with all sorts of pile pics, hunting tips, recipes, and videos of people out in the blind.
This can be fun for anyone to see the activities that they love so much being shared by others. Instagram, Facebook, and other social media sites can help everyone be in touch with the world of hunting 24/7. They can constantly be entertained with the joys of waterfowling. I can’t imagine anything better! However, it can also create a huge divide with some. Why? For most, hunting is a huge piece of everyone’s life. They have memories upon memories tied to hunting. They have core values attached to hunting that were taught to them from fathers, grandfathers, family, and friends. Things from “never shoot hens” to “don’t run traffic near the roost”. These core values are things that we all take to the utmost regard while out in the field. And here’s the catch; they’re different for everyone.
While I’m not saying that everyone has a different moral value on things blatantly illegal, I am saying that others might find certain things more (or less) ethical than others. I can guarantee we’ve all been in the blind with someone who has done something that we didn’t particularly agree with. Whatever they did, didn’t line up with our “moral hunting ethics” that you had been holding true for so long. Odds are you didn’t say anything because you didn’t want to make things awkward, or you didn’t want to ruin the hunt. But that’s the danger of social media. That awkward moment can be avoided, and there’s no hunt to be ruined. Your opinion can be voiced in an angry rampage through your keyboard and ‘send’ button. Once you’ve done that, another jumps in to back up your ethical claim, while another person makes a comment saying why you shouldn’t be allowed to hunt, and so on and so on. We’ve all seen it. Just go look at any waterfowl hunting group on Facebook and you can find at least one good argument between a few “sportsmen” within the last 48 hours I could almost guarantee.
Because people are so passionate about the outdoors and their hunting, which is good, and they should be, we should also remember, hunters are dwindling. At only 3,000,000 people buying hunting licenses for the past few years in the US, we need to be fostering people and their decision to hunt, not tearing people down for it. Encourage people for their success, don’t mock them for their mistakes. And if mistakes are made, or laws are broken, remember, it’s not on your head.
One of my favorite quotes on the matter is “social media gives everyone a hammer. You can build something with a hammer, or you can destroy something with it”. When you post something, you are asking people to judge you. And they do. They judge the activity you were involved in, and most importantly, they take the time to judge you. While it may not seem important or not, people who have never met you before, base a lot of their opinions of you off your social media.Whether you care or not is up to you, but your reputation to others (especially in the hunting community) can be ruined quickly by not being mindful of what you say or share on social media. I’m sure we’re all aware of a few individuals who have lost hunting sponsorships, endorsements, and even privileges because of what they posted on social media.
Now I’m not saying that everything is roses and we all need to kiss each other’s asses either. There’s always a time and place to voice a concern and give some advice, but maybe try to keep it in that “only when needed” scenario. Remember, we’re all sportsmen. We’re all working together. We’re all trying to succeed together. If you’re not rooting for other hunters to have success, I think that says more about you as a person than it does about you as a hunter.
One thing to ask yourself is if you’re hunting for the joy of the hunt, or if you’re hunting for social media? Is it for the glory pics because you have a big following, or because you truly love the chase of waterfowl. Have some people become so obsessed with pleasing their followers that they forget to enjoy the hunt. One of the best ways to gauge this is to ask yourself, would you still be hunting if social media didn’t exist? If the pile pics and the likes were all gone, would you still be grinding it out? Hunters should be hunting for the right reasons. They should be hunting because they love the feeling of honkers making that last pass, or pintails swinging into the decoys. They shouldn’t be hunting for the fleeting validation that comes through posting pictures on social media.
Let’s make a point to share the great things about hunting. Not just the pile pics, but the friendships had in the field and the laughs after the hunt. Share the experiences that make hunting, hunting. That’s what makes social media so great- it allows people to take a glimpse into what’s going on in your world. Share those moments with people. Your hunting successes, and your failures. Be sincere. Be helpful. Reach out to the new guy. If you are the new guy, reach out for help, someone will be there. Be willing to share the beauty of the amazing thing we call waterfowl hunting, the good, the bad, and the ugly; and the rest will fall into place.
