Is the Commercialization of Waterfowl Good for Duck Hunting?

[FEETDOWN]

The social media thing is huge..... It's disastrous for our way of life, on land and water.

It’s bigger than most people wanna admit.

[Calibogue]

Yep

[joeydpga]

I attend a lot of hunting festivals and unfortunately over 75% of my sales still comes from social media. Most of the rest is wholesale to brick and mortar stores. I try and create relationships with the people who buy my calls or hunt with me. It’s not about the money but it provides

[JABIII]

They can't even take their eyes off their phones long enough to drive. It used to be 16 year old girls, now it is all of them...

[mudflat]

Blame Phil Robertson and his clan. VCR days.

[BEAR]

There was a big shift when Duck Commander/Duck Dynasty came about. Duck calls being sold in Wal-Mart didn’t help. Used to, you couldn’t go just anywhere to buy duck hunting gear. Doesn’t surprise me with the huge rise in popularity of The Robertson’s thanks to Duck Dynasty, that Phil no longer does the Men’s Wildgame dinners like he used to travel and speak at. At a time when his popularity could bring in so many more young men and men to Christ, now there’s not enough money in it for them. They’ve been a big contributor to the boogering up of it on a nationwide scale.

Jeff Coats in Maryland, Pitboss Waterfowl. Same thing with sea ducks in the Atlantic Flyway. He made hunting sea ducks look easy for the last couple of decades. Promoted and promoted, with non stop videos on a daily basis. Now, sea ducks are cut back to a 60 day season. Everyone is out there hunting them, pressuring them, killing them and pushing them into new areas. The whole migratory patterns of sea ducks, Scoter in particular has shifted. Every year more and more Black Scoter are showing up off the coast of Florida.

There is plenty more in other states who have made a good living off promoting and killing ducks.

Social media is wrecking and destroying so many aspects of the ways of life as we all knew it. Go out west to any National Park and try to get a picturesque photo of an iconic part of any National Park. Be good at Photoshop, because you’re going to need to edit out all the people. Used to not be that way. Children being bullied at school doesn’t stay at school anymore either. Social media takes it to their homes too. No wonder kids are taking guns and knives to school. You see these guys on social media killing ducks, doubt too many of them actually clean them and eat them.

I’ve been there and done that with waterfowl. I don’t hunt near like I used to. Anymore just getting out to shoot Wood Ducks with my two boys is plenty enjoyable.

[cajunwannabe]

I wish there were more mentors to take young kids hunting. Learning the proper ways to hunt, traditions, and how to be stewards for the land and resources. Might have more people worshiping the creator then his creation.

I just can’t see how outfitters have ruined hunting. We have less hunters these days and less land to hunt on. Just my opinion.

Have you read the article? We're not talking Canda or guides in Canada.

The pickings are getting slimmer to take your kids and grandkids duck hunting. The best stewards of the land are multimillionaires and corporations not State wildlife agencies. Building better habitat, buying and leasing 1000's and 1000's of acres to create commercial operations. In order to cover the cost or to generate income as a business commercial guiding operations have exploded everywhere. It's not about the number of duck hunters or duck stamps sold, it's the 1, 3, 5 or 15 folks holding tens of 1000's of quality acres that ducks prefer due to proper management. (less land to hunt on) Where does that leave the average Joe to mentor and take kids hunting? Hunting Hickory Top with 400 other yahoos on a Saturday or waiting 5 years or more for one opportunity to draw a Cat 1? Scraps for the peasants brother and sadly many of the average Joe's are hanging it up.

[wskinner]

Complaining about other people using social media as the cause for ruining duck hunting, on a duck hunting social media site. There’s a word for that.

[Calibogue]

Once upon a time this was a site dedicated to waterfowling.... It's not anymore

[joeydpga]

I read the article, I agree, there is less land available to hunt. But in general, land is not prioritized like it used to be in SC. People from up north are coming down and buying plantations in the ACE every year. Those properties aren’t being passed on and used in the way they were back in the day. The number of hunters is down. Priorities of family time and being stewards of the land are gone.

I can’t speak for mismanagement of state land. And I have freelanced in Oklahoma, ND, and Kansas, never had any problems. I said what I said about Canada because they don’t allow landowners to lease their land for hunting. Just a thought on the western states where outfitters lease land. Then again why should the government tell anyone what they can and can’t do with their land. I don’t know what the solution is, but my gut feeling is that some people upset about access. I don’t believe it’s the outfitters fault or the sport being commercialized. I think you and your boys have the right idea, get in a club out west, spend the quality time together, and steward the land as best as you can. You do well with nesting boxes and helping take kids hunting.

[cajunwannabe]

My sons and I freelance. I'm in on a camp, not in a club. We scout, hunt hard, paddle / push pole only and are decently successful.

Overall, duck hunting has been ENORMOUSLY commercialized. Clothing, gear, guns, pit leases, boots, calls, decoys, duck boats, self guided hunts, mud boats, farm leases, marsh boats, motors, fully guided hunts, gadgets, gizmos and whizzbangs appeal to the duck hunter, not the duck. Folks are willing to pay $1000 per day to kill a few ducks and geese. We have prostituted our waterfowl to the point that I honestly think the demand for products and services are the driving force behind our seasons and limits. Just my opinion and observation over my 46 years of duck hunting.

[cat III]

^^^

[Calibogue]

Once again, the commercialization of hunting is not exclusive to waterfowling!
Jump on Instagram and there is someone trying to make a living off the photos of their hunting/fishing exploits. From Upland game to waterfowl to redfish to the bottom fishing game.... It's everywhere!

[ziggy]

Anyone else find it interesting that the same folks complaining about social media and commercialization ruining duck hunting, are the same ones who see no problem with what Dave Owens and TFC are doing?

I saw a video on IG Dave did this week asking for opinions on requiring a turkey stamp to hunt these birds. Dude is one of the biggest game hogs and his livelihood is based on social media. How is that any different than what Duck Dynasty has done?


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[JABIII]

Social media hadn't even been thought of when SCWA set up shop and began selling pen raised yearling ducks for people to put out and shoot. They sold so many that they bought the Frost Waterfowl outfit and moved it from Wisconsin to Georgetown. Long before that, consider how, and for whom, the rules and laws of waterfowling were created...

[Calibogue]

Anyone else find it interesting that the same folks complaining about social media and commercialization ruining duck hunting, are the same ones who see no problem with what Dave Owens and TFC are doing?

I saw a video on IG Dave did this week asking for opinions on requiring a turkey stamp to hunt these birds. Dude is one of the biggest game hogs and his livelihood is based on social media. How is that any different than what Duck Dynasty has done?


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Who are the people you speak of advocating Dave Owens antics but putting down social media?

[Remy]

Social media and duck dynasty had nothing to do with ruining some aspects of hunting. Poor mentorship from fathers and fellow hunters and greed was 90% of it.

[GBelly]

damn near everything is contagious these days. people want to do what they see other people doing. driving fast and aggressive, wearing certain clothing products, hunting certain animals in specific places, buying and drinking particular libations, and the list goes on.

people look for a reason TO follow another person or a group. doesnt take much either, just a taste.

people look for a reason TO BE followed by another person or group. still doesnt take much, just a sniff...

put enough pics on internet with all the hashtags that link thousands and thousands of people, places, things.....see where that keeps getting you. atta boys from far and wide are important to some. there needs to be more for them than what comes from their circle of friends and family

this place IS my "social media" if thats what you want to call scducks.

then there are those that fail to see the writing on the wall and admit that its gone too far. THEN under the guise of whatever it takes, the root is still too centered in self pageantry for a spade to call itself a spade.

its all so contagious

[GBelly]

But to each their own…

[sprigdog]

Complaining about other people using social media as the cause for ruining duck hunting, on a duck hunting social media site. There’s a word for that.

I learned a lot about SC duck hunting from this site. Your post is pretty accurate.
Problem is no one ever saw the end result. End result being type and search.
I'm guilty as hell.
I for one, never imagined the drive people had to kill ducks. Never realized people are insane. Absolutely insane.
I've recently posted pics from my Oklahoma hunting. Now I worry about SC plates in my OK honey holes.