As someone who is daily working on taking the next step in the outdoor industry, I've had my fair share of disappointments and discouragement. After much heartache I realized that it was all part of the industry, and how you handle it is what sets you apart from the rest.
Celebrities & Hunting Personalities
Want to get disappointed real quick? Try comparing yourself to some of the top personalities in the outdoor industry. These people have bottomless wallets and more opportunities than I could even imagine, not to mention they are respected and admired by millions of hunters and outdoorsman around the world. However, there's a lot animosity between hunting personalities that goes on behind the scenes, and when it does come out on social media people tend to pick sides. This just divides our family of hunters more and more, and trust me, I'm guilty of it, too. There's been multiple times that I've been caught up in social media battles between people I really look up to. There's been times that I would avoid someone because of something that I had heard from one person or another, and honestly, that person didn't do anything wrong. There are two sides to every story, even with the celebrities. Sometimes the best thing you can do is stay neutral and walk away, and other times the best thing is to erase that person from your social media life.
Photoshop
You know you've thought it too.
With Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram paving the way for hunters to connect with each other, you have to learn to believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see. It seems though, the first thing people say when they see someone harvest a good animal is "photoshopped!" People will call each other out, posting their pictures asking their friends to point out what is wrong with this picture and that picture. I've never in my life seen people so desperate to drag someone else down. I'm talking taking a magnifying glass to a picture and pulling things out of thin air that look "off". Like how one side of an antler looks slightly different from another, or how the lighting isn't right so it just has to be photoshopped. One thing is for sure, if you kill a giant whitetail, someone somewhere will accuse you of photoshop, whether you know it or not. Just keep those nasty opinions to yourself, because it'll come back and get you one day.
"Pro-staffs"
I put that in quotations because I mean it like this:
One thing I learned early on is that most companies want certain people to promote them. You know, like good looks, money, connections, more money, already famous in the industry, more money, business owners (that pertain to the outdoor industry,) and you guessed it, more money. Oh and skills, sometimes companies want people who are actually skilled. But nowadays, the skills are something that can be added in later, thanks to a combination of the other things listed above. No disrespect, I totally understand why they choose their promotional staff to be that way, it just doesn't seem fair sometimes. When I see someone that has been added to a pro-staff for a big company, I expect to see lots of dead things. Instead I see lots of selfies. And bikini pictures. But hey, there are a few companies out there who actually care if you're knowledgeable in their products, and hunting in general, before they make you a staff. Kudos to them, because they're slowly becoming the minority, and they're also the only companies I'll support and follow.
I didn't tell you all this to scare you away from chasing your dreams. I'm just warning you: there will be disappointments. I've stopped trying to get on staffs for now, because I see what kind of people are chosen, and I don't care to be a part of that. If a company wants me, they will let me know. They will ask me because I am good at what I do, not because every animal I killed I paid for, or because my looks come before my skills. That what every outdoorsman should strive for. Hunting is a lot more than girls in bikinis and pretty faces. Its about people who get crap done, because they love to do it. We should all want to be that person that people look up to because we are kick ass outdoorsman, not because we have lots of money. If everyone would stop putting each other down by screaming "photoshop" or by posting accusations and lies all over social media, imagine how great of an industry this would be. A reputation is a delicate thing; it takes years to build but seconds to destroy, so think of that when you put yourself in situations that compromise it. Think about it before you put a nasty comment on someone's picture. Think about it before you're seen as the half-naked-hot-chick-whose-probably-dumb-as-rocks-but-hey-she's-hot. Enlighten, uplift, encourage, it's not that hard when you put your mind to it! Just do it!
