Tech and The Outdoors
By: Kaleb Brown
Enjoying the great outdoors and all of its wild glory is something that not everyone gets to experience. Some are limited by geography or opportunity, while others simply aren’t interested. But for those who love the outdoors, I ask: What does it mean to you to be outdoors today? I am an outdoorsman by trade, but I believe that outdoor enthusiasts at any level can relate to this question. Whether I’m fishing and using electronics to catch fish, or tracking bucks in the snowy mountains of New England using a hunting app, the black box of a screen seems to be ever-present.
When I’m not working, I try to spend every free hour of daylight outside pursuing my passions of fishing and hunting, and this has become a real question for me. What does it mean to be outside? I was born in 2001, and contrary to popular belief, I did not have a smartphone until I was about 14. I remember my formative years in the woods and on the water using a flip phone or a slide phone, not a smartphone. The fishing seemed to go right and the hunting felt more pure. Those memories seem like a lifetime ago, but I still remember how they felt different. Connected. No distractions. No apps, no emails, no social media.
Colliding Worlds
As the years have progressed, the tech world and the outdoor world seem to be colliding harder than ever for me, especially when fishing. The early days saw small fish finder displays with just traditional 2D imaging…then slowly they got bigger and more advanced. I remember my first Hummingbird Helix 5 when I was 13 years old; I just couldn’t believe the technology.
Today, electronics, particularly forward facing sonar (FFS, LiveScope, Live imagining, etc.), have taken the industry by storm. Having multiple fish finders at the console of your boat and at the bow, and maybe even two screens for FFS, has certainly become the new norm in the bass fishing space. An average day of bass fishing has turned into an intricate world of expensive fish finders, specialized wiring, and batteries all talking to each other, showing you everything in the water column, on the bottom, and a detailed topographical map of what the lake looks like beneath its surface.
Is This What Fishing Has Become?
I find myself learning the technology, becoming very good with it, and catching fish, but I seem to be catching fish I would never have caught before all of this technology.
Sometimes, after staring at my laptop all day, I go out on the boat just to stare at even more screens like a computer programmer or video gamer. Is this what fishing has become? I guess so.
Tech in the Woods
Tech has actually been in the woods for me longer than most would realize, from trail cameras to satellite phones and portable GPS systems. These tools have really opened up the world of hunting. Trail cameras tell a story that only a few would ever see in person. GPS systems and satellite phones give you peace of mind and the confidence to go out into the unknown. I find myself chasing new pursuits in places I wouldn’t have gone before or even known existed if it weren’t for technology.
I experienced one of the side effects of this tech craze in hunting just this spring…or at least that’s what I’ll chalk it up to. There has been a shift in hunting culture, primarily turkey hunting, toward traveling to as many states as possible to try and complete the turkey “Grand Slam.” This is composed of four different subspecies, the most common being the Eastern Wild Turkey, the Western Marium, the South Central Rio Grande, and the most challenging of all, the Floridian Osceola Turkey. Hunters will try to complete this feat along with another massive task, a U.S. “Super Slam,” where a hunter harvests a turkey in all 49 states that offer turkey hunting (including Hawaii).
I cover a lot of ground during turkey season; thousands of miles on the road and on foot combined. I sometimes canvas 100 miles before I have to be at my desk at 9:00 a.m., hunt 2-4 states, and find new ground every year. Rarely would I or my hunting buddies encounter “out-of-staters” (hunters from other parts of the U.S.). However, this season alone in New England (MA & NH), I saw out-of-state license plates (most likely hunters as they were parked in prime hunting locations) and chatted with hunters from Alabama, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. All of them were chasing a Grand or Super slam.
Tech Prevalence
This challenge has become much more prevalent and a reality for serious outdoorsmen due to technology. Tools like OnX Hunt allow hunters to identify potential hunting locations and stay on legal ground while hunting. The app also lets you track your own movements, waypoint locations, and download maps to your phone for use when you don’t have service. These are things that certainly weren’t available or popular just years ago.
Hunting influencers on YouTube has also soared in popularity (and so has our overall content consumption), inspiring many who would never typically take on a challenge like a slam. If tech didn’t exist, would travel hunting become more popular?
Recognizing Tech’s Impact
Technology can bring you closer to the woods and the water, but recognizing its impact is where attention needs to lie. Some people will never own FFS, some will never put electronics on their boat, and some will never use a digital hunting app. I see tech as something that must be accepted to better my experiences in the outdoors, while still valuing the outdoors as a steward for conservation and taking time to embrace a “screenless” view every once in a while.
How will all these technologies affect your personal experience, as well as the hunt/fish landscape, over the next year, 5 years, or 20 years? More staring at phones? More people hunting with less public lands? Will there be talks of what fair chase looks like for fish and game? Only time will tell, but I guarantee I will be back for Part 2 with a follow-up report about how the space has changed.