Is the hunting industry selling us garbage?

[greekfreak]

This, I feel, is going to be a highly opinionated piece. It has been bugging me for a while and I need to know if it is just me? Or am I just a butthole? p.s. i think i am a nice guy

We see new products every year. This product does that or this one do this etc. etc. Typically, with minimal improvement. It is hunting. The most primitive connection we still have.

We have all these tools now. Equipment designed to make it easier. This is awesome. Who does not like waking up every morning like it is Christmas to scroll through the 500 cell pics from the night before?

I cannot help but notice that there are quite a few products out there that are being sold and, I believe are complete garbage. The examples I ponder upon the most are listed below.

1. Cuddelink........
- I am sure this one will cause some issues because the forum on here is loaded with these guys. Tbh, I like the idea of it. It is cool. But if I cannot tell what the deer is when he is standing 10ft away in the broad daylight then it makes it completely useless to me. I would have to go pull the camera card; which is completely counterintuitive.

2. DeerCast......
- I think this app is sold as a fix all for people who know very little about hunting. Yeah, sure. Some days deer movement sucks. Instead of slapping a (bad) on that day maybe you should go into further detail and tell people to get off that old hedgerow they hunted ten days straight. Fix all solutions make me weary. I have shot my last three bucks on "poor" days. Whatever, just my 2cents.

3. Doe urine.....
- Has anyone actually ever seen this stuff work?

4. Overpriced Corn
- Cough, cough, Big Tine.

Am I right on any of these?

 

[Troubles Trees]

I agree, everything seems to be made for a sale/profit not so much to benefit the habitat, the game or the hunter with very few exceptions. Most things are just a gimmick these days.

Also worth mentioning is there is a huge difference watching hunting videos these days compared to when I was growing up. If you listen to most of the hunting shows they usually thank XXXXX Ranch for having them, with few exceptions like Fitzgerald and the Crush with the Lakosky's that put in their own plots and treestands/blinds (I am pretty sure even they get help).
I'll never forget the first time I realized this was on Realtree Outdoors with Bill Jordan. In the early days of the interwebs I saw him harvest this monster of a buck in jeans and a teeshirt. Bill mentioned something about them calling him saying they located the buck so I went digging to find out they literally posted a guy from the Ranch as a watcher on the buck, that was holed up in a draw with some does until Bill flew in (and with the truck in the background) he kills the buck. These type of "hunters" left me feeling a bit empty because I looked up to them as the mentors I didn't have in real life.

Just figured I'd share :)

 

[hillrunner]

This, I feel, is going to be a highly opinionated piece. It has been bugging me for a while and I need to know if it is just me? Or am I just a butthole? p.s. i think i am a nice guy

We see new products every year. This product does that or this one do this etc. etc. Typically, with minimal improvement. It is hunting. The most primitive connection we still have.

We have all these tools now. Equipment designed to make it easier. This is awesome. Who does not like waking up every morning like it is Christmas to scroll through the 500 cell pics from the night before?

I cannot help but notice that there are quite a few products out there that are being sold and, I believe are complete garbage. The examples I ponder upon the most are listed below.

1. Cuddelink........
- I am sure this one will cause some issues because the forum on here is loaded with these guys. Tbh, I like the idea of it. It is cool. But if I cannot tell what the deer is when he is standing 10ft away in the broad daylight then it makes it completely useless to me. I would have to go pull the camera card; which is completely counterintuitive.

2. DeerCast......
- I think this app is sold as a fix all for people who know very little about hunting. Yeah, sure. Some days deer movement sucks. Instead of slapping a (bad) on that day maybe you should go into further detail and tell people to get off that old hedgerow they hunted ten days straight. Fix all solutions make me weary. I have shot my last three bucks on "poor" days. Whatever, just my 2cents.

3. Doe urine.....
- Has anyone actually ever seen this stuff work?

4. Overpriced Corn
- Cough, cough, Big Tine.

Am I right on any of these?

I've not used any of those products other than probably doe urine when I was young, but I did a search for Big Tine corn out of curiosity. Wow, I guess as an Iowa guy the idea of buying bagged corn seems ridiculous to start with but to pay $20 for a 40# bag? I think I need to get me a bagger and a big buck picture to slap on as a label. lol

 

[Native Hunter]

I'm so glad you didn't attack my Cornholer - this is the key to all of my success....

 

[greekfreak]

I'm so glad you didn't attack my Cornholer - this is the key to all of my success....

Why would you give away the biggest industry secret? The single, godly tool that helps hundreds of us stone cold killers get big bucks every year.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

"A fool and their money shall soon be parted." In a free market (mostly) hobby economy, no one is pressuring anyone else to buy anything. It's up to us as consumers to vote with our wallets to determine what are good and bad products. True, this industry is particularly bad for pushing products at every turn. But I think we do it to ourselves because we all rationalize that extra expense might be the deciding factor to help you seal the deal this year.

Something that has really gotten under my skin in the last couple of years, is that they're are very few hunting entertainment shows that are not built around pushing products. I would legitimately pay a subscription fee directly to the hunting and production company if it meant I didn't have to worry about them pushing a product. I think a lot of what the hunting public owe their success to is that they initially held off on pushing products. They are still pretty good about not doing it but I also understand it's expensive to do what they do.

 

[chucker66]

That's why I love this site. No one is pushing anything. I can read about other hunters success, habitat stuff, gun stuff, and an occasional Coronavirus comment.

 

[Turkey Creek]

Just like fishing. "Lures aint made for catching fish they are made to catch fishermen.", my Grandpa. Of course he was a pretty solid live bait kind of fisherman. Most products produced are intended for no purpose other than attracting the intended buyer and extracting $$ to put in some one else's bank account.

 

[Tree Spud]

I'm so glad you didn't attack my Cornholer - this is the key to all of my success....

Success with whom? ... maybe TMI?

 

[greekfreak]

Hot dang, I am sure glad that there is a fair number of level headed outdoorsman out there that feel the same way. I agree with what Hoytvectrix said above. Vote with your wallet. I also agree with the growing amount of complete and utter bologna the entertainment industry is serving us. I do not really care for any particular TV personality. Even the hunting public has their faults. It is getting worse and worse too. Anyone notice the amount of high fenced deer that are being pawned off on TV shows? Pursuit TV and Drurys cough* cough*. I am sure quite a few other ones as well. Anyways, there are still plenty of good products out there.

The clickbait ones kill me. The cornholer... funky chicken.... turkey hat? Antelope hat? can you make us look anymore stupid..... THE TWO ARROW CROSSBOW. Holy cow. Almost forgot about that one. Maybe they will sell more when they get it on the Love and Likes show on the outdoor channel. Waste of air those people are. Mind as well toss the acubow in there while i am on a hot streak.

I do not really watch TV anymore. I vote with my wallet too. We will probably have to deal with this for the rest of time. But it is nice to know there are others that see these faults.

 

[SwampCat]

As an inventor with several patents and a number of successful products on the market, my partner and I often struggle with making the “perfect” product - knowing full well there is no such thing. If we all liked the same thing, there would be one gun manufacturer. I know sometimes we spend too much time and money trying to make the “perfect” product - often bastardizing the original intent in the process.

In my younger days, I have used some doe pee and had no luck. I have used a grunt call with no luck. I have a $2500 Livescope on my boat and cant say I have ever caught a fish because of it - yet I know guides who make a living using one. There is no one product that is perfect for everyone.

Below is a picture of a buck at 35 feet on my cuddelink system. I know exactly which deer this is, because I have other, closer pictures of him. These cameras text pictures of low resolution so the system works satisfactory - but no, it is not perfect. Do I wish they were reconyx quality pictures - yes, definitely - but to my knowledge, reconyx doesnt make a system anything like it. I bought the Cuddelink system because 75% of my property has zero cell service. It is also wet a lot of the year, and the trails rut easily - so I like to keep off the trails when wet. I have a dozen cameras and dont want to pay $120 a month as opposed to $120 a year. I can go pull the card if I really want to look at a deer close - but when I do, I usually do it when I am out for another reason. I have three other texting cameras - two three month old tactacams and one of those isnt working now, and a two yr old spypoint that just quit after I replaced batteries. So far, my two yr old cuddelink system has not had any components fail.



I am not trying to sell the cuddelink system here. I am using it as an example because it was used as an example by the original OP. I did not purchase the system for picture quality. I purchased it because I want pictures sent to me, economically, without having to access the area, in an area with almost no cell service. And if I really want to examine a picture, I can go pull the card like a regular camera. If I had great cell service and didnt mind $100 a month fees, I might choose another system - but no other system available worked for ME.

That last word is the most important word in my reply. The original poster is referring to what works for HIM. I am referring to what works for ME. The cuddelink system does not work for HIM. The cuddelink system is the ONLY thing that works for ME. I doubt cuddeback had any thoughts that every game camera user in the US would buy their system. They identified a void in the current products and attempted to address that void.

And I also agree there seems to be products just thrown out there to garner a piece of the pie - that provide no benefit to the user - but capitalize on the fact that every product will appeal to someone. I can buy oats for planting at $10 a bag - or I can buy Buck Forage Oats at $40 a bag and plant the same acreage. I planted BFO twice just to see if there was a difference - and on my property, there is no difference. But, maybe in colder temps, or a drier environment - they are better. I dont know - but what I do know - they dont work for me.

My local Walmarts sell corn for over $10 a fifty lb bag. The Farm store two miles away sells it for $9 a bag. But, that means you have to drive out of the way, and be there when they are open, to save $1.50 a bag. You can buy corn 24 hrs a day, while you are already at walmart, buying milk, diapers, and ammo. If I am buying three or four bags, no way do I drive to the farm store. If I am buying a pallet load, dang right I am going to the farm store - in this case, it is not even about the quality of the product, but the quantity of the product. There are lots of different reasons besides quality that make a product appeal to someone.

A couple years ago, I bought a muzzle loading product that barely worked for what it was intended. There were other similar products available at other stores that worked much better. I knew the sporting goods manager and asked him why they even carried that piece of crap. He said because they bought a whole line of muzzle loading accessories from that same company, and that product was part of the package. He said they sold out every year. That product did not work for ME - but it was a get by for a lot of probably occasional users.

Bottom line - if products are worthless to everyone, they wont be sold for very long. If they continue to be sold, they are working good enough for plenty of people.

 

[Tree Spud]

This, I feel, is going to be a highly opinionated piece. It has been bugging me for a while and I need to know if it is just me? Or am I just a butthole? p.s. i think i am a nice guy

We see new products every year. This product does that or this one do this etc. etc. Typically, with minimal improvement. It is hunting. The most primitive connection we still have.

We have all these tools now. Equipment designed to make it easier. This is awesome. Who does not like waking up every morning like it is Christmas to scroll through the 500 cell pics from the night before?

I cannot help but notice that there are quite a few products out there that are being sold and, I believe are complete garbage. The examples I ponder upon the most are listed below.

1. Cuddelink........
- I am sure this one will cause some issues because the forum on here is loaded with these guys. Tbh, I like the idea of it. It is cool. But if I cannot tell what the deer is when he is standing 10ft away in the broad daylight then it makes it completely useless to me. I would have to go pull the camera card; which is completely counterintuitive.

2. DeerCast......
- I think this app is sold as a fix all for people who know very little about hunting. Yeah, sure. Some days deer movement sucks. Instead of slapping a (bad) on that day maybe you should go into further detail and tell people to get off that old hedgerow they hunted ten days straight. Fix all solutions make me weary. I have shot my last three bucks on "poor" days. Whatever, just my 2cents.

3. Doe urine.....
- Has anyone actually ever seen this stuff work?

4. Overpriced Corn
- Cough, cough, Big Tine.

Am I right on any of these?

Hunting is a lot like golf.

I have buddies who are average golfers at best. They own 12 different putters, have every hybrid club or driver, They think these will help improve their game. When you look at their swing, you know why the gimmick clubs don't work.

People want a quick silver bullet solution to magically improve their success rate that they don't have to put much learning or effort into. Learning how to fix your swing, or actually learn to hunt (deer behavior, playing the wind, etc.) , takes time & effort.

People who fall for these gimmicks are good consumers, just not good hunters.

 

[SD51555]

You've touched on what is quite possibly my single biggest passion when it comes to hunting and habitat work. It makes me angry to see a weekend warrior get taken by tricksters and hustlers. I've been on a mission to perfect the working man's habitat and food plot system, one that doesn't require endless amounts of time, equipment, potions, pellets, purchased trees, and magic seeds. I'm getting close.

My end goal took a long time to define, but here it is. --- Achieve the absolute highest amount of output possible (vs all systems and budgets) with the lowest amount of input possible, while delivering the highest quality experience possible ---

 

[Catscratch]

You've touched on what is quite possibly my single biggest passion when it comes to hunting and habitat work. It makes me angry to see a weekend warrior get taken by tricksters and hustlers. I've been on a mission to perfect the working man's habitat and food plot system, one that doesn't require endless amounts of time, equipment, potions, pellets, purchased trees, and magic seeds. I'm getting close.

My end goal took a long time to define, but here it is. --- Achieve the absolute highest amount of output possible (vs all systems and budgets) with the lowest amount of input possible, while delivering the highest quality experience possible ---

Careful there sd... might get the site shut down with the mention of "free" as what happened with the site that shall not be named.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[PatinPA]

I like this thread because I am a cheap ass at heart. But I'm willing to spend the money if I really think something is worth it. Does anyone have a go to gadget that they swear by or have bought things they think are worth the money. I've been debating on getting a new bow. I currently have an old Hoyt Maxxis 35. It's probably about 9 or 10 years old now. I was looking at new bows the other day. I doubt I would buy a top of the line model, but is a mid range bow ($600-$1000) that much better than what I currently have? I'm basically a casual archer at this point. I used to shoot competitively as an amateur. My daughter and son are getting interested in shooting though so we might collectively get back into it a bit more.

When I was younger I bought a bunch of gadgets. I have a "The Can" doe in heat bleater. Never had a deer even look in my direction with that thing yet I still carry it, and still try it occasionally.

I did buy a deer archery target this year that I also wanted to use as a decoy. Had a deer come in behind me and half snort wheeze at it. I consider that a success for the first time using it.

 

[yoderjac]

This, I feel, is going to be a highly opinionated piece. It has been bugging me for a while and I need to know if it is just me? Or am I just a butthole? p.s. i think i am a nice guy

We see new products every year. This product does that or this one do this etc. etc. Typically, with minimal improvement. It is hunting. The most primitive connection we still have.

We have all these tools now. Equipment designed to make it easier. This is awesome. Who does not like waking up every morning like it is Christmas to scroll through the 500 cell pics from the night before?

I cannot help but notice that there are quite a few products out there that are being sold and, I believe are complete garbage. The examples I ponder upon the most are listed below.

1. Cuddelink........
- I am sure this one will cause some issues because the forum on here is loaded with these guys. Tbh, I like the idea of it. It is cool. But if I cannot tell what the deer is when he is standing 10ft away in the broad daylight then it makes it completely useless to me. I would have to go pull the camera card; which is completely counterintuitive.

2. DeerCast......
- I think this app is sold as a fix all for people who know very little about hunting. Yeah, sure. Some days deer movement sucks. Instead of slapping a (bad) on that day maybe you should go into further detail and tell people to get off that old hedgerow they hunted ten days straight. Fix all solutions make me weary. I have shot my last three bucks on "poor" days. Whatever, just my 2cents.

3. Doe urine.....
- Has anyone actually ever seen this stuff work?

4. Overpriced Corn
- Cough, cough, Big Tine.

Am I right on any of these?

The only issue I have is that the list is quite a bit longer. It is kind of like all the pretty trout flies that are tied primarily to catch fishermen, not trout. If you read the lengthy cuddelink thread, you will find that I've done plenty of technical critique on that thread. Each time, of course, the folks supporting cuddeback complain about the posts. Having said that, the system is not useless. Like most things, if you have the right application that fits the product, the system can be much more cost effective than the higher end systems that I've bene using. Cuddelink does not fit my current application, but It could fit a future application for me.

As for doe urine, I no longer use it because of CWD risks and associated bans in my area. However, I've had a wide variety of reactions to doe urine from turn-tail-and-run to charge-in. It really depends on the how and when it is used. I have had no reduction in harvest opportunities now that I no longer use it. They are just different.

There are always "formulas" for deer hunting that have little or no basis in fact. A well respected sports writer and photographer very well versed in deer and deer hunting advocated a moon phase approach for many years. Eventually, his data was analyzed and debunked. Today, these thing are often packaged as apps, but its nothing new.

I don't bait, and I have not planted corn for years, so I don't know anything about the price.

The list of products that have little value is longer than my arm...

That is what makes a forum like this so useful. End users can critique products, techniques, and methods, and we can learn from one another!

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Bassattackr]

Let's face it, every industry out there is selling garbage.. Plenty of gimmicks out there

 

[Bassattackr]

Just like fishing. "Lures aint made for catching fish they are made to catch fishermen."

What an outrage. I'm protesting this post immediately..

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I like this thread because I am a cheap ass at heart. But I'm willing to spend the money if I really think something is worth it. Does anyone have a go to gadget that they swear by or have bought things they think are worth the money. I've been debating on getting a new bow. I currently have an old Hoyt Maxxis 35. It's probably about 9 or 10 years old now. I was looking at new bows the other day. I doubt I would buy a top of the line model, but is a mid range bow ($600-$1000) that much better than what I currently have? I'm basically a casual archer at this point. I used to shoot competitively as an amateur. My daughter and son are getting interested in shooting though so we might collectively get back into it a bit more.

When I was younger I bought a bunch of gadgets. I have a "The Can" doe in heat bleater. Never had a deer even look in my direction with that thing yet I still carry it, and still try it occasionally.

I did buy a deer archery target this year that I also wanted to use as a decoy. Had a deer come in behind me and half snort wheeze at it. I consider that a success for the first time using it.

I bet the bow you currently shoot is more than adequate. I am in the same boat, I just don't see the cost being worth it at this point.

I have used The Can with halfway decent results. The problem I have with it is dirt and whatnot must get in it and it just doesn't sound right or last more than a season or two.

 

[MRBB]

IMO, one big problem is "US HUNTERS"
we have proven to the world we will spend millions if not more on crap that MIGHT make thing easier
people just want short cuts in life
the marketing company's have found hunters to be huge suckers and will buy almost anything if they THINK it MIGHT work, even if only a VERY VERY small chance of it working!
hunters will BUY it , we hunters have proven this time and time again
and the cheaper the costs to TRY crap, the more that will buy it!
face it were in a world where the mind set is Buy Buy BUY, and the cheaper the better, NO one seems to really care if it works, or works for a LONG time,
its a disposal;e world mind set anymore, where everyone wants a short cut over doing any REAL work

I can almost bet EVERY hunter here and those you know have BOUGHT some , crap that most knew wouldn;t work, yet they STILL bought it!
anyone remember when TINK"S scent company, was selling hunters TURKEY SCENT in a bottle??

marketing company's again KNOW hunters will BUY things and as long as they make a BIG profit, more and more things will be bought by hunters wanting a short cut!