Social Technology, Friendships, and Elk PT. 1

Hunting can be a solitary activity. It can also be very social. For those of us old enough to remember life prior to smart phones and social media, we shared our stories face to face after returning from a hunt. This may have been in camp or at home, but we all shared our stories from the field with our close friends and family. Social media and smart devices are still relatively new tools to convey our adventures to others, and it seems there is some resistance to this method of delivery. Some may not prefer the lack of personal interaction, some may not ever feel comfortable mixing an electronic device with the organic beauty of nature, and many of us simply resist the learning of new technology. 

As a child of the 80’s, I learned to hunt prior to the digital renaissance, but, at 41, I’m still young enough that I really had no choice but to become proficient with digital and social media technology. And I’m very thankful for that. I’ll do my best to explain why. 

I can remember a time when I left camp with a friend, separated on different paths and had a plan to meet back at a predetermined location shortly after dark. I sat in a tree and enjoyed the silence. It was a simple time that I am still grateful to have experienced.  However, I’ve experienced and embraced change. One evening, about 10 years ago, as I was enjoying a beautiful fall evening in a tree, I decided that my experiences in the outdoors were far too enjoyable not to share with others. I didn’t really have a motive or goal, but a desire to tell others about my adventures outdoors. What started with some simple photos with my cell phone and posts to MySpace quickly evolved into highly capable digital cameras to record images and videos of my hunts. Within a few years I had recruited a small group of like-minded friends and now we’re filming for our 5th season of the HuntCo. What started as sharing posts to social media grew to a worldwide audience on television and digital platforms. I now realize that by sharing my adventures in a motivating and entertaining product I have been able to inspire others to take up the activity that I have loved and experienced since I was a young boy. I didn’t know it at the time, but that evening a decade ago I started down a path of recruiting and growing the participants in a sustainable lifestyle of providing organic nutrition without reliance on others.

To be continued...

Words by: Joe Allen (@huntco_producer)