Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters What Happened to Hunting Stories?

We tend to rehash these observations every once in a while. Here are a few jumbled thoughts about our brave new world.

The way humans communicate and learn has changed. The days of waiting for a monthly magazine to arrive in the mailbox are pretty much gone. Searching online is the norm now. Instant gratification is the thing.We don't rely on paper magazines anymore to show off new products or check out reviews. More's the pity.

I just bought a new truck. Before the purchase, I searched the Internets and read the online reviews. I looked at pix. I went to several forums for personal experiences. It dawned on me after a couple of days that I should actually go to the car lots, touch some, sit in them and form my own impressions.

Online opinions? I could read about pickups, but had to be very careful. I did not know or trust the people that wrote them. Opinions are like a$$holes, everybody's got one. Virtually every new vehicle smells nice and thoughts about someone's new ride is almost always glowing. In other words, not very helpful.

The same goes with rifles. Rather than rely on a bunch of online reviews posted by strangers, try going to the gun shop. Pick one up and work the action. Fondle it. Ask some questions. Gather your own evidence and form your opinion based on personal experience. You can supplement what you've learned with online experiences.

Trust has to be earned, and is based in large part on observations formed over a long period of time. We used to have that with writers whose work we read every month for years. To a lesser degree, newspaper columnists who wrote about the outdoors. They have less influence these days.

I never rely on a handful of opinions, good or bad, that are gleaned from the Interwebs. Much of the online chatter about products is regurgitated by people who read about it somewhere else. They go to another forum and re-post it to sound knowledgable, but what do they really know? Good Lord, do you trust them?

Years ago, we read a handful of writers and valued their opinions. We were not overloaded with technical information, glitzy pics, satellite delivered hunting shows or bombarded with thoughts posted by "Internets experts". Once upon a time, we had to wait. The upside to waiting for a monthly magazine was that you had a while to think on things before you took out your wallet.

I know, we didn't have much of a choice, and I'm not saying the online experience is all bad. The trick is to find a balance. I like the animation and videos posted about new products. Being able to read industry news or communicate easily with others is nice. Still, you have to be careful. Unfortunately, one of the casualties of the new reality is the loss of reliable, knowledgable people whose words we can trust.

The computer is just another tool to gather opinions. The Internets can be valuable, but should never be the only place to look and learn. Get out of your chair!

That's the way life and learning has shifted. People want instant info and get it from the Net. People are less inclined to read magazines. Cute or funny stories about the outdoors have a tough time finding an outlet. People want more video and less of the written word. Show me the vid! If they want entertainment, they have youtube, Netflix or satellite television.

I offer a belated welcome to the new reality.



"In a different reality, I could have called you friend...�