Do you even care about SM

[2flyfish4]

Just curious but how many of yall even care about social media or YouTube hunting videos? Do you really watch any of these YouTube hunting videos? How many dead turkeys from a random social media person do you really care about?

Ive seen several complaining lately how social media is "shadow banning" their content and how they can't get new followers. Blah blah blah.

I had to comment on one of them that even as an enthusiastic hunter and outdoors man I don't care. I'm over the social media BS. All their content is the same. They don't know 99% of their followers. Not to mention the majority of their followers and video views are just from Chinese bots.

I don't know, I figure most people are kinda over most these guys and really don't pay attention to 90% of what they post.

[bbcoach]

I do watch some of the You tube videos.  Shane Simpson, the Drury's and Jason Cruze to name a few that have educational content.  I do avoid most of the SM guys that are in this for post numbers and or bragging rights.  The reason I watch these videos from these guys is to analyze and LEARN.  I pick up nuances that they do and really listen to their calling content.  I find what works for them and try to implement that into my hunting.  I also find myself watching and listening to LIVE turkeys as they communicate to each other and try to emulate their rhythms and cadence.  Never been into SM and don't even have a Facebook account or care about the rest of the SM garbage.

[Greg Massey]

I enjoy watching some of the YouTube videos. Sometimes you can pick up some new ideas, techniques and learn a few new tricks.

Has a lot to do with the person making the videos etc and if he has my respect / approval... IMO

[highball]

I do not watch any.

[Notsoyoungturk]

I would agree with the above opinions.  Sometimes too, I just go into withdrawals and want to live vicariously through their videos. 

[Tail Feathers]

I watch them when I'm on the treadmill sometimes.  Mostly the same old thing but Shane Simpson and some others are worth the watch for sure.  They don't give GPS coordinates so cyberscouting 'em is tough.

[Zobo]

I don't watch other people hunt but I do like listening to turkey vocalizations without any hunter interaction or calling. Unfortunately most videos have a hidden hunter calling back and forth with a bird, which is annoying.

[deerhunt1988]

I care about them, but not in a favorable manner. I care about them because this YouTube/social media era has cost us more turkey hunting opportunities than any anti-hunting group ever well. I refuse to watch any of the main YouTubers who make/supplement a living exploiting our public land resources for profit. However, on rare occasion, a buddy will tell me one is a must-see and I'll watch it. This summer, one YouTuber showed LEGIT turkey killing pins from his OnX while hunting Montana.. I couldn't believe it. I also enjoy being sent videos where the superstar complains about all the hunting pressure (that they brought on themselves) or their loss of hunting opportunity (thinking of a particular Alabama video where the star can't hunt public land until a certain date now).

I must confess, a guilty of pleasure of mine during boring endless hours of summertime cardio is to search for "*insert state* public land turkey" and watch the countless videos of YouTube wannabes idiotically pimping out their spots in hopes of fame. I make sure "thumbs down" every public land video I see that mentions the state.

As far as shadow banning, we can only hope! I'd fully support a YouTube/social media ban on hunting content at this point. Public support of hunting in the US is continually declining, and the dumb  posted on social media definitely has played a factor in it.
Source: https://www.outdoorlife.com/hunting/survey-public-approval-hunting/



The tide is turning for the hunting influencers. More and more hunters are waking up and realizing the damage that is being done. If we continue on our current trajectory, we will continually lose hunting opportunities (especially public land) and your average hunter will slowly be priced out of private land hunting.

[Lcmacd 58]

I really don't care ... being a waterfowler and a turkey hunter the internet blah blah has cost us countless animals being crippled and not retrieved due to trying to extend the effective range and most only put emphasis on the shooting part....not the actual art of turkey or waterfowl hunting.
Just my 2 cents.

[GobbleNut]

Although I agree totally that social media has had a significant negative impact on some of the outdoor stuff I participate in, still I will admit that I watch a few select YouTube videos. Generally, that selection is based on a number of things that have nothing to do with who the YouTuber is.  At times, I watch some of the well-known guys, and at times I watch segments from guys that are unknowns "just because". At each level, some are entertaining and some are not. 

SM is here...and here to stay. Will my one viewing of a video on YouTube make a difference in my future outdoor pursuits?  I don't know, perhaps it does...but the cat is way far out of the bag already. Unless things change with how YouTube is managed, especially the "monetized" part of it, it ain't goin' away.

Which brings me to my personal perspective on it...which is first that I have enough confidence in my abilities as a turkey hunter that I approach it all with the attitude that I can succeed regardless of all of the social media negatives. Granted, that attitude does not always serve me well, but it does often enough that I can live with it.  Secondly, I am becoming much more selective as to where I am going to go hunt. I have ruled out hunting places that I feel have more negatives than positives, both on the national level as well as regionally, and even locally.

On the other hand, I totally "get" the folks that have no choice but to hunt places where social media has more-or-less destroyed the quality of their hunting and they don't have the same options as some of us to expand their hunting to places that are less impacted...at the moment. 

All I can say is that let's hope the law of diminishing returns eventually kicks in and we lose a bunch of casual turkey hunters that are part of the current fad that has its roots in the various forms of social media currently in play. 

[Brillo]

Yes, it's a guilty pleasure and I have no excuse. I am not sure I learn anything from them and I know that they do real harm but I still like them.  I watched one on deer hunting recently that was a dude that flew into my hometown (I recognize the airport) hunted near the area I hunt and got his butt kicked by low deer numbers and high pressure.  It was an honest video that represented actual conditions. Then in the comments section someone suggested he come back and try hunting another area which the commenter specifically named.
The area he named happens to be the area I hunt.  So there ya go!

[Yoder409]

I don't.

To each his own.....but, I'm really not much interested in watching someone else hunt.

[Shiloh]

I watch several of them pretty regularly. 

[Happy]

I am too good-looking to be on social media.

[Yoder409]

I am too good-looking to be on social media.

Too modest, too, I reckon.