At what point is technology too much?

[Cement Man]

90% of the meat consumed in my house is deer, elk, antelope, pheasant, ducks, geese, frog legs, doves, quail, partrdge, and fish.  I would guess that after expenses, licenses, and allocating the costs of vehicles, hunting equipment, etc. that I would end up with well over $25 per pound average, maybe more.  Survival?  Not me, I do it because I love hunting and eating wild game. 
I don't tell others what to do, but in my mind there are clearly potential technological excesses that most hunters would not accept. (I sure wouldn't want somebody finding and shooting a deer with a drone aircraft around me!)   In the general sense, I think most fish & game laws as they exist (although often confusing and some don't seem to make a lot of sense), keep things pretty much manageable and workable.  I often hear a lot of complaints, but in my 50+ years of hunting, some game is far more plentiful, some isn't.  Costs go up, opportunity goes down.  The general public attitude as a whole towards hunting is trending sadly and steadily downward, and even though I live in a rural area where opportunities are still fairly good, I just don't see many young folks excited about the shooting sports and hunting anymore.  Sad, and worrisome.

[beemanbeme]

With all the entitlements and programs in the US today, I daresay there are few if any truely subsistance hunters in America today. That includes the good ole boy sitting next to the stove at the general store in his $200 boots with his new truck outside (lift kit, of course) and a leuy equipped sako rifle in the rack, trying to excuse his poaching by saying, "ahm just tryin' to feed mah family".

[SHOOTALL]

you might be surprised as i still see single shot shot guns and beater PU trucks in the field , and the owners are looking for meat not racks .
that said i like the meat better than store bought ! i also raise my own beef . and all food is for substance no matter the method you use to get it ! hook , store or gun

[MGMorden]

As a technophile (computer programmer for a living ), it's hard for me to ever say that we have gone "too far".  My whole life philosophy is essentially about making better tools to make us faster, stronger, more efficient, etc.  Now for hunting, I don't usually go THAT far out.  My hunting equipment consists of: bolt action rifle + ~$150 scope, a pair of $15 binoculars, and a $100 ladder stand that I climb up in.  The main reason for that though is that by saving money on hunting equipment it lets me buy more guns in general, as well as other hobby stuff (namely computer equipment, but I'm also a pilot and pilot toys are numerous and expensive too).

In the end though, to each his own.  I'm sure in 50 years we'll have some people talking about the good ol' days when we actually had to sit in the tree stand ourselves.  The next generation will likely be remote controlling their robotic alter-ego in some exotic location and shooting his game from the arm-mounted weapon .  After the kill is made he puts it on auto-pilot and it processes the meat, stores it in it's internally refrigerated compartments, and then returns home .

[SHOOTALL]

Did anyone see the place in Texas where a gun and camera were mated up ?
You could from anywhere with computer access pay a price and watch the screen , locate live game and take the shot !
the head and meat would be shipped to you !
so not siting in the tree stand ! already done !
i believe it got outlawed !

[corbanzo]

Did anyone see the place in Texas where a gun and camera were mated up ?
You could from anywhere with computer access pay a price and watch the screen , locate live game and take the shot !
the head and meat would be shipped to you !
so not siting in the tree stand ! already done !
i believe it got outlawed !

Are you kidding me?  Tell me you are kidding me.

[Muskie Hunter]

Shootall wasn't kidding you. I read the same thing too. Some one was actually thinking about making money that way. I once knew a guy that received a phone call from New Mexico and they asked him if he wanted a mountain lion. He flew clear from Ohio to New Mexico,which took him three day cause of a snow storm and when he got there ,they picked him up at the airport and drove him to the treed cat and after he shot it,they drove him back to the airport and he came home. I would imagine that he'd love the computer stuff. Some people have no ethics when it comes to hunting.

[SHOOTALL]

all i want to know is where do i get dogs that will stay on a treed cat 3 days !
THEY ARE GOOD !

[jro45]

I don't have any of that stuff. I do have brakes on two of my rifles but take them off for hunting. As far as technology goes I don't have any. I do have decoys But none swim around.

[SHOOTALL]

jro45,
if you have a gun , shoes , rain gear etc. you are light years ahead of the first hunters !

[jro45]

I Think that Technology should continue on for ever You see In another 5 Years The things that are real expensive should be a little cheaper then. Guns always seemed a little on the higher end of being exensive to me.

[SHOOTALL]

good point !

[Muskie Hunter]

I just found out recently when technology is too much.I tried to sell a  nice rifle and I felt it was a very fair price but when the guy came back with his answer " I can get it cheaper on ebay " then I knew I was licked. Darn computer contraptions! Hey,there is your answer. Technology became to much when a man's pride and his own hands quit making rifles and a computer took over.
Oh and SHOOTALL, did it ever dawn on you that those dogs that had that cat treed for three days just may have been robots? LOL, Gotcha !

[SHOOTALL]

NAW ?

[jro45]

When Technology replaces man . Like those T.V. hunting shows. Turn the T.V. and go hunting .

[700 223]

In the above mentioned "video game" scenario that is in no way - hunting.   But I realize the point jro45 was making.

But given the choice between technological stagnation and technological advancement in regards to more accurate mainstream rifles , ammo , scopes and reloading components - I'll take the technological advancement. I like the fact I can buy something like a heavy barrel 700 and and using my reloads shoot groups on a routine basis that were considered exceptional many years ago.

Is one  less of a hunter because their rifle , scope and ammo allow for a more accurate combination compared to 40 years ago ? I doubt it since no amount of technology will make up for marksmanship. Gramps and his 2" MOA deer rifle probably did just as well or better back then compared to many with their 1" MOA rifles today.

But I like the fact that my rifle will shoot to where its aimed and with a high degree or precision. Not , "Well I might make the shot , should I try?" I guess If one really wants to get back to old time hunting they can try harvesting deer with a spear!

[jro45]

Technology  Keeps getting better and the price keeps going up.  Look at all the fine rifles and the price of technology is getting more costly. nothing is free.

[SuperstitionCoues]

Technology  Keeps getting better and the price keeps going up.  Look at all the fine rifles and the price of technology is getting more costly. nothing is free.

And your point is ... what?

[Cement Man]

Like SC, I ask - your point is what?
I'll tell you what I miss about the good old days when I started hunting over 50 years ago. I miss the the land that we used to be able to hunt on, I miss the American way of life that is rapidly disappearing, and the respect that the outdoorsman used to have in society.  I have lots of golden memories of the past!

I don't miss - the cold, leaky waders, having flat tires on the morning ride to the hunt, driving 50 miles before there was a clear spot on the windshield big enough to see through, never any heat in the back seat, rusty guns, staying warm with bulky clothes, cars that wouldn't start, 12 miles to the gallon, glass thermos bottles that broke when dropped, no cup holders in the car, semi-autos that wouldn't shoot every different shell every time, heavier boats and motors, yanking on starter rope in the cold rain, rubber rain gear that got clammy on the inside from my body moisture, dim flashlights, paying a month's pay for a new Browning shotgun, and guessing what the weather was going to be 150 miles way from home where I hunted at.  This is a very abbreviated list.

I won't go into the longer list of things that make life easier, more informed, more dependable, more durable, lighter weight, warmer, easier to use, easier to see, more accurate, more corrosion free, safer, require less maintenance, more versatile, and believe it or not - more economical.

I believe you have to keep things in perspective.  I absolutely do miss the "good old days".  But looking at the improvements in clothing, firearms, vehicles, equipment, computers, GPS, optics, cell phones, boats, motors, etc. - my standard of living has gone up considerably, as has my income.  Last month I bought a new Ruger stainless, laminated .308 Model 77 VT for $600 that is more durable and accurate than the Model 70 that I couldn't afford 45 years ago. And yes, I know that a gallon of gasoline costs 10 times as much as the gallons I pumped into people's cars 45 years ago.  I wish it didn't.  But, I earn proportionately much more money now than I did then - and my vehicles get almost twice the mileage, tires last 3 time longer, car heats up in a few minutes, cup holders, power windows, all kinds of stereo, much less maintenance, yada, yada...

Yes, I miss the good old days - but I don't overlook the many things that have improved in the meantime and cherry-pick things to complain about.  The things I miss the most aren't about value - but "values".

[corbanzo]

Technology  Keeps getting better and the price keeps going up.  Look at all the fine rifles and the price of technology is getting more costly. nothing is free.

I don't know about that.  I see a LOT of remakes of old rifles, which have the same simple parts, which are WAY more expensive than most of todays rifles.  The reason they are more expensive is that they are made with more solid metal parts.  The price of technology is nothing compared to the price of metal nowadays.  I think that technology is making things less expensive because of advances not in process "the great ford for example" and metalurgy to use the more less expensive supplies in those processes. 

So I would say you are dead wrong.  Technology is NOT more expensive.  Try and buy a sharps remake.  You are gonna spend $2,000 or more easy.  You can buy a new bolt rifle for $500 that will easily shoot that sharps rifle into the ground. 

Fine rifles have nothing to do with technology.   They have to do with the people who make them.  Notice the word MEN in craftsmenship.

[Empty Quiver]

If I'm holding the weapon and pulling the trigger I doubt that any technology will change the outcome past about 150 yds. using a rest/tripod about 400 yds. Wind, live animals, and my own nerves preclude moving those distances any further. The other problem I encounter is the doggone trees get in the way. Compound vs. stick bow too close to seperate if one cannot afford the time to become and stay proficient with a stick do the wildlife a favor and get wheels. Crossbows are a hard sell for me because the very act of drawing the bow in front of live game is what many times is the deciding factor on your sucess or failure. Overcoming disabilities through technological advancments is another thing altogether. Is a wheelchair and crossbow any more advanced than a Honda Fourman and a .300 ultra mag? It's all about fun after all, cause dang few of us can financially justify the meat in our freezers. The self imposed limitations are what makes it hunting, otherwise you call it ranching.

[corbanzo]

The other problem I encounter is the doggone trees get in the way.

So what you are saying is that advances in chainsaws have made your hunting easier.   

[SHOOTALL]

LOL !

[Empty Quiver]

Well a yes, but I've started using a chemical growth retardent as it is much stealthier around game, it is made by Acme Tactical !

[SHOOTALL]

good come back ! real good !

[jro45]

Technology  Keeps getting better and the price keeps going up.  Look at all the fine rifles and the price of technology is getting more costly. nothing is free.

And your point is ... what?
[/quote



My point is that Technology Makes the fine rifles cost more and Nothing is free

[Cement Man]

jro,
maybe you could find some gunsmith to build you a fine rifle the good old fashioned way, without all of that expensive technology.  Good luck. 

[SDS-GEN]

Muskie Hunter, your friend on the cougar hunt was part of a scam/canned hunt.  I'm a little surprised that they still go on.  It works like this.  You get a great deal on a lion hunt (leopard, used to be jaguar too) the deal is once you shoot your cat you're done, you can go home, hang out at the bar, whatever, but the "outfitter" is done with you.  You arrive at the outfitter's camp and are told "Oh man are you in luck the dogs picked up a big track just before you got here".  You head out to a tree and shoot your cat and go home.  What you aren't told is that the cat was raised in captivity and turned loose 10minutes before your arrival.

[jro45]

I don't think technology will ever be to much. Because we are always trying to improve what we have. I'm always
doing something to my rifles to make them better. You know different Stock or rebuild [replace warn parts ]

[DakotaElkSlayer]

  For me, technology became too much with the advent of ATV use when hunting...  I for one would rather hunt elk with wolves running around than with atv's running around.

Jim