Why So Serious?

Are we taking hunting too seriously?

In this episode, we dig into a question that more hunters may need to ask themselves: Have we gotten so good at hunting—or at least so obsessed with becoming better at it—that we've gotten worse at actually enjoying it?

Modern whitetail hunting comes with more information, technology, gear, trail cameras, mapping tools, tactics and access to hunting content than ever before. Add social media to the mix, and every time you open your phone it can look like everyone else is killing giant bucks while you're sitting in a tree wondering what you're doing wrong.

But is that reality, or are we comparing our entire hunting season to everyone else's highlight reel?

We talk about the pressure hunters put on themselves to kill bigger bucks, own the latest gear, run more cameras, scout harder and constantly optimize every part of deer season. We also discuss how social media can magnify the relatively small number of hunters finding immediate success and create the feeling that you're somehow falling behind.

The conversation goes beyond whitetails, too. Have our obsession with deer hunting and trophy bucks pushed small-game hunting, trapping, grouse hunting, waterfowl hunting and simply wandering around the woods with our kids to the side? Some of the best opportunities to create new hunters and lifelong memories may have nothing to do with sitting over a giant buck.

Callers join the conversation to share their own experiences with hunting pressure, social media, expensive gear, public-land competition and changing expectations of what makes a successful season.

At some point, every hunter has to decide what success actually means.

Is it killing the biggest buck?

Filling the freezer?

Becoming a better hunter?

Spending time with your kids?