Woodsmanship VS Technology

Newpond0

Newpond0

Active member
Jmeddy made a post that got me thinking…will woodsmanship eventually be abandoned and forgotten for the most part in favour of technology? And is this the correct move for us as hunters?

We already have gps to navigate the woods. Trucks, ATVs, motorboats, float planes, and helicopters to get us in and out of those woods. E callers, thermals to see nd shoot with in the dark, online mapping systems to look at before going out, drones, and all kinds of info at your fingertips with your cell phone.

Now imagine what we will have in another 50 years from now? Will it make woodsmanship not the beginning but rather nothing more than a sentimental souvenir belonging only to a different time in our history？

Edit: woodsmanship may eventually be looked at as a skill required at a certain evolutionary stage, a stage we passed and does not belong in our current time and state.
 
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If globalism rules, public hunting/fishing will be extinct. Technology will have no value outside city communal living areas, except for agricultural purposes.
 
if the crap ever hits the fan, the Amish and mennonites will be better off than most of us except for the old school farmers that have fruit cellars and canning skills. they can also raise their own cows and pigs. city folks and rural living people will be hurting.

all the technology will be no good if our power grids collapse.
 
Another thing to consider is the beauty that reveals itself during more natural hunting. Getting out there into raw nature, and experiencing a closeness to God and his creation. We lose some of this with the technology don’t we? Maybe it’s a kind of choice we are given? To get closer to God and his ways OR leave them for technological advancement, easier success, and “progress”
 
I am not sure if this applies but I took a younger guy hunting one night. He gets out and slams the door. We start walking and he takes off not trying to be quiet. There are some people that will never catch on but others appreciate the chance to go and seen to catch on right away, so there may be hope.
 
All the tech is great, but if you aren't a woodsman, your success will not be as good. I consistently kill big elk with a bow, that has nothing to do with tech, it has to do with knowledge derived from decades of pursuing animals. Many go out "hunting" with the best gear but come home empty or with few or small animals. The difference is skill. You can't buy skill, or experience.
 
It already has, especially when it comes to turkey hunting. You don’t need to know anything, just throw out some decoys on a field and wait…
 
There will always be those amongst us who have a yearning to be in the woods. Nobody else in my family hunts but I knew even as a young boy that I loved the woods. It has always called to me even before I had the means to hunt.There's something so ingrained in some men that just makes us appreciate the world around us. That being said, nature is ruthless, it doesn't care whether you live or die. I see the technology as a way to even the odds a bit more. It's always good to be out learning and scouting. It just so happens that we have so much more going on in our modern lives that we don't have time to be out there as much as we want. I always encourage younger folks to come with me to the woods and forget about the world for a few hours. It does wonders for our mental well being.
 
Newpond0 said:
Jmeddy made a post that got me thinking…will woodsmanship eventually be abandoned and forgotten for the most part in favour of technology? And is this the correct move for us as hunters?

We already have gps to navigate the woods. Trucks, ATVs, motorboats, float planes, and helicopters to get us in and out of those woods. E callers, thermals to see nd shoot with in the dark, online mapping systems to look at before going out, drones, and all kinds of info at your fingertips with your cell phone.

Now imagine what we will have in another 50 years from now? Will it make woodsmanship not the beginning but rather nothing more than a sentimental souvenir belonging only to a different time in our history？

Edit: woodsmanship may eventually be looked at as a skill required at a certain evolutionary stage, a stage we passed and does not belong in our current time and state.
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Imagine all hell broke loose. Nuclear war...or one of Earths natural disasters..if anything bigger than a chipmonk survives......take it from there.
 
I look at thermal hunting as advancing the woodsman adventure. You get to watch animals do their natural thing that you very seldom see during the day. Bobcats and coyotes walking past rabbits and not know their there because of the wind. Dozens of deer at 30 yards down wind of you and not run because it's dark and don't feel threatened. The list goes on but technology can have advantages.
 
jbylake said:
Imagine all hell broke loose. Nuclear war...or one of Earths natural disasters..if anything bigger than a chipmonk survives......take it from there.
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if that ever happens i want to be standing directly under the nuke when it lands. i wouldnt want to survive a global nuclear war and try to navigate what comes next.
 
The tech is great great but a basic knowledge of woodsmanship and hunting skills really helps. I know for a fact that I would not kill as many predators as I do if it weren't for thermal scopes and electronic game calls. On the other hand there would be a lot more predators if not for them.
 
I like to call it "Dumbing Down" the sport. Using tech to shorting the learning curve. Can I guide my self to an exact spot on a map with a compass, I do not know never tried it. I can find my way back home. I can look at a map and pretty much find my way to a spot just by the lay of the land. We used to get the location for old logging camps in northern MN and find them long before GPS. I still carry books of BLM maps when hunting.

Inlines, compound bows, because it is too hard to get close enough to use a flintlock or stick bow.

An AR because you might miss an opp iortunity because you can't operate a bolt action fast enough or two might show up if you have a single shot.

The list of stuff lost is getting longer every year. I get a kick out of watching people trying to start fires with a magnesium fire started and think it is how a "flint and steel" works.

Old fart ranting
 
I enjoyed spending time pouring over topo maps prior to bird hunting in Michigan & North GA, years ago.
Took my son with his BB-gun on a few of those trips, along with Duke - our English Setter.
Carried a map, compass, Buck 501, and my favorite 20ga 1100 back then.
Really miss those times - now he's grown with 2 college grads of his own.
One special birdhunt below, 3 generations, me on the left & Duke....
1742741083323.jpeg
 
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