it available to other bands . Holler helps organizations like Sportsmen ’ s Alliance and outdoor creators like Macy Watkins ( 1.7 million social media followers ) monetize their content . Specifically for Sportsmen ’ s Alliance , we ’ re proud to have a product that helps fund the great and necessary work done to protect the future of hunting , fishing and trapping .
You ’ re pretty vocal about , and somewhat against , most social media . What are your biggest issues with social media as it pertains to hunting ?
I know it sounds counterintuitive , but I have been very vocal about the downfalls of social media . This concern falls into two pillars , one of which is purely of moral concern , and the second is the perception of hunting .
The first pillar , morality , is a more general concern about the impacts of Facebook specifically . It ’ s proven by Facebook ’ s own data that its product is destroying our children ’ s self-perception and confidence , and is increasing suicide rates among teen girls . This is not getting enough attention , and Facebook continues to ignore the problem .
The second pillar of concern is how hunters are not using social media to tell a positive narrative of hunting . In the past , photos of hunting were shared privately among friends , but in today ’ s environment , content can go viral and hit audiences who never would have seen it 30 years ago . We have to be mindful of the content we share . Every hunter should share their passion for nature , conservation , and especially the food , not just the trophy .
Having forgone traditional social media while also creating your social-media universe for sportsmen , what advice do you have for our readers when it comes to the platform ?
My personal recipe for social media content has been sharing the less-told story on mainstream platforms , which reach a wide audience of hunters and nonhunters alike , and sharing the raw story on GoWild , where my content reaches people who “ get it .” So for mainstream social , I ’ m sharing my passion for cooking venison , experiencing nature as a silent witness , and the conservation hunters and anglers contribute to annually . My GoWild account , in contrast , is a daily log of my wins , but also my struggles . GoWild excels at pulling that whole story
For Brad Luttrell , the meat garnered from a hunt is one of the most important aspects to celebrate in public forums .
throughout a season with features such as our time logs , which encourage hunters to share not only their trophies , but also their times in the field when they have failures or lessons learned . GoWild is much like a deer camp in this way .
You went on a hound hunt for bears about a year ago for the first time . What was your biggest takeaway ?
Houndsmen get so much negativity for making hunting easy , but my two-day experience with Chris Powell and Heath Hyatt from the Houndsman XP podcast showed me just how much work goes into running dogs . These guys train all year and work their tails off getting their dogs trained to pursue game — and it ’ s anything but easy . Most hunters will never run dogs because it ’ s just too hard , not to mention too expensive .
That December hunt turned into the hardest pack out of my life . I killed a 200-pound black bear 4 miles deep into the woods , and it fell over a cliff into a stream . The handlers had to take their dogs back while fellow GoWild team member Derek Towels and I had to pack the bear out over boulders and through the thickest mountain laurel and rhododendron that I have ever seen . At first , we were trying to pack out the whole bear ( which Appalachian bear hunters prefer to attempt to get a full weight ). After two hours , we had only made it a few hundred yards in the icy , snowy conditions . We had to throw in the towel and quartered the bear up on a mountain side . I shot that bear at 8 a . m ., and it was dark when we made it to the trucks . There has never been a better beer than the one handed to me in between high fives when I walked up to the crew that night .
Besides social media , what are some of the biggest issues facing sportsmen ?
There is much discussion around access right now , and it ’ s important , but to me , without a doubt the biggest issue is the battle of maintaining our hunting privileges . Hunters feel that hunting is an innate right as humans , but it ’ s just not the case in our modern society . The fact is , hunting can be taken away at any moment . This fight is coming at us from groups that are better funded , more organized and well connected , and it ’ s critical we support organizations like Sportsmen ’ s Alliance and our other nonprofits to fight back . I encourage every hunter to support Sportsmen ’ s Alliance with a membership , as well as choosing the organization that supports their favorite game ( elk , turkeys , deer , grouse , etc .).
You ’ ve helped Sportsmen ’ s Alliance by writing for the magazine , via your podcast , GoWild and with Holler Commerce . Why is it important for you to support Sportsmen ’ s Alliance ?
No other organization is doing more day in and day out to fight for hunters , anglers and trappers than Sportsmen ’ s Alliance . It ’ s why I have an annual recurring membership , and why GoWild has continued to donate to Sportsmen ’ s Alliance . I have known the Sportsmen ’ s Alliance team since we founded GoWild in 2017 , and I continue to support with my cash , network and content because it ’ s easy for me to see the impact of their work with the legislation fought and won .
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