Happy New Year, everyone! Hopefully you all had a very Merry Christmas and enjoyed the holidays with family and friends. With a new year upon us, it brings with it the excitement of another hunting season, like the tags one might draw, the hunting adventures you will have, and the time spent in the outdoors with the people you cherish, making memories that will last long after the hunt is over. Along with all this excitement comes a sense of anxiety we all feel (if we admit it or not) when applying for tags. Should I burn my points this year? What is the best hunt I can draw with said points? Guided or self-guided? Archery or rifle? What time of the season should I hunt to have the best chance of success? All are questions we ask ourselves every year. These are great questions and ones that need to be addressed, especially with as hard as tags are to draw nowadays and the expense that comes along with a hunt, regardless if you go guided or self-guided.
Many people seem to be reaching out on social media, which is a great tool that connects people all around the world. However, it seems more and more it’s where some people go to troll and degrade others, even in the hunting world. I’m a member of a handful of outdoor groups on social media, and they all start out great with members sharing valuable information, stories, and pictures about hunting. Now it seems every time someone asks a question, the first few comments are go hunt another state, you should do your own research, no one cares what it scores, or if you hunt with an outfitter, that’s not really hunting. The negativity that has erupted the last few years where hunters are attacking other hunters has become a cancer, and that is the last thing we need as our lifestyle is already under attack from outside interest groups. Whether it stems from jealousy, dislike of someone’s hunting style, or if you are just having a bad day and wanting to take it out on someone else, think it over before you make a negative comment. We are all in this together, and if we don’t stick together and quit criticizing each other, we are going to lose the valued traditions of hunting forever. As my dad used to say, if you don’t have anything positive to add to the situation, just keep your mouth shut. (He would usually throw an adjective in there, but my mom would not be happy if I added that word in this article.)
My personal goal for 2025 is to be more positive in all aspects of life, but especially to be more upbeat and happier for my fellow sportsmen and women. We are going to see things we disagree with in the hunting world, but as long as they are playing by the rules, it doesn’t matter. So what if they hunt different than you? That’s what makes this world go round. If you pay attention instead of berating someone, you might just learn a little something to add to your own arsenal for your next hunt. I would ask everyone who reads this to take a deep look inside and see if maybe, just maybe for 2025 you could be a little more positive, helpful, and encouraging to your fellow hunters. Remember, we have a younger generation that is always watching and learning from us, so let’s set a good example and show them what being a sportsman or woman is all about.
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