Not a frequent poster, but a long-time reader of the forum. Wanted to feel out the air on two of my biggest pet peeves.
There?s a lot of well-deserved criticism of the ?Instagram-ification? of hunting today, but my complaints are more specific, and pertain to the accompanying comments one can frequently find attached to these posts.
2 genres of comments (both of which you'll have seen before I'm sure) really drive me over the edge.
The first is when hunters take a photo with their buck (usually a forked horn or the like) and caption it ?not the biggest buck on the mountain, but I'm happy with it?? or some variation thereof.
NO SH*T it's not the biggest buck out there?we are all looking at a picture of it and can see that!!! There?s no need to ?humble brag? and try to downgrade the buck. It's just that?what this sort of post means to say is ?well, I'm really the great white hunter and usually kill monster bucks, but I guess I'll post a picture of this dink I shot anyway.? Screw off! You obviously took the buck because you thought it worthwhile?can't you just enjoy it and leave it at that? No need to tell us all how you usually do better. Just post a photo of the buck for us all to enjoy, or keep the photos to yourself if you are just going to turn it into a measuring competition! It's sorta like taking a photo with you wife and saying ?not the prettiest broad out there, but she'll do? (exaggeration for the sake of clarity). But you get the point?this sort of caption isn't about humility, its really just deep-seated ostentation.
The second brand of comment is along the lines of ?this is my best buck to date!?
Nobody wants to see pictures of your buck so they can compare it to the other buck you killed 6 years ago. We share photos with each other to appreciate the animal, the dedication of the hunter, the beauty of nature, etc. We all share a love for these animals and a thrill in pursuing them. We don't care whether a buck is your ?best to date??we just want to admire it. Like comment example number 1, this is just another ego boost.
(Also, I'll add that saying ?to date? is redundant. If you just say, ?my best buck,? that automatically implies ?to date.? That's all ?best buck? can mean. ?Omit needless words,? as the old adage goes.)
Anyway, maybe I'm reading too much into this and overreacting. I think my rant above comes across as far angrier than I actually am. But I think my general points still stand. This has been irking me for years so figured I'd air it out. Just my two cents, for all that's worth. Not trying to start a fight, just share my thoughts.
There?s a lot of well-deserved criticism of the ?Instagram-ification? of hunting today, but my complaints are more specific, and pertain to the accompanying comments one can frequently find attached to these posts.
2 genres of comments (both of which you'll have seen before I'm sure) really drive me over the edge.
The first is when hunters take a photo with their buck (usually a forked horn or the like) and caption it ?not the biggest buck on the mountain, but I'm happy with it?? or some variation thereof.
NO SH*T it's not the biggest buck out there?we are all looking at a picture of it and can see that!!! There?s no need to ?humble brag? and try to downgrade the buck. It's just that?what this sort of post means to say is ?well, I'm really the great white hunter and usually kill monster bucks, but I guess I'll post a picture of this dink I shot anyway.? Screw off! You obviously took the buck because you thought it worthwhile?can't you just enjoy it and leave it at that? No need to tell us all how you usually do better. Just post a photo of the buck for us all to enjoy, or keep the photos to yourself if you are just going to turn it into a measuring competition! It's sorta like taking a photo with you wife and saying ?not the prettiest broad out there, but she'll do? (exaggeration for the sake of clarity). But you get the point?this sort of caption isn't about humility, its really just deep-seated ostentation.
The second brand of comment is along the lines of ?this is my best buck to date!?
Nobody wants to see pictures of your buck so they can compare it to the other buck you killed 6 years ago. We share photos with each other to appreciate the animal, the dedication of the hunter, the beauty of nature, etc. We all share a love for these animals and a thrill in pursuing them. We don't care whether a buck is your ?best to date??we just want to admire it. Like comment example number 1, this is just another ego boost.
(Also, I'll add that saying ?to date? is redundant. If you just say, ?my best buck,? that automatically implies ?to date.? That's all ?best buck? can mean. ?Omit needless words,? as the old adage goes.)
Anyway, maybe I'm reading too much into this and overreacting. I think my rant above comes across as far angrier than I actually am. But I think my general points still stand. This has been irking me for years so figured I'd air it out. Just my two cents, for all that's worth. Not trying to start a fight, just share my thoughts.