The Honest Truth
Hunting is a skill that is passed down from generation to generation — typically from an older hunter to their child or guardian — and there shouldn’t be too much a millennial can tell a seasoned outdoorsman about hunting. But hear me out for a second. There’s so much about hunting that makes it special, like tradition and its primitive nature, but that doesn’t mean technology doesn’t make the cut. From scouting to researching potential hunting expeditions, you should use the internet. The same goes with apps.
Grand View Outdoors hasn’t ignored the valuable resources a hunter can find online including apps to help out with scouting and ballistics to calling predators. Still there’s one resource that’s been left off the list for too long.
Obviously I’m talking about Pinterest. And, of course, Grand View Outdoors is on Pinterest.
Why Would I Ever Join Pinterest?
Let's take a step back while also moving forward. Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann describes the website/app as a “catalog of ideas.” Pinterest is designed to be used like a bulletin board — individual posts are called pins, and folders are called boards — to collect information and inspiration on any subject that peaks the users interest.
Credit: Pinterest
Basically, Pinterest is a place to search and discover ideas on any given topic. If you like something, you can search, save and organize pins. To give a more specific example, I use Pinterest for recipes (though I’ve never actually cooked one) and for workouts. For example, I’ll search “chest workouts,” skim through the results and pin any posts I want to save. I’ve created a folder (aka a board) for those workouts and can revisit them anytime. Also, you must create a free profile (or log in through Google or Facebook) before you can access the website.
If you’re still asking why you should care about Pinterest, allow me to be more direct. In Pinterest’s seven years of existence, the hunting industry has made its mark. The hunting culture has embedded itself in more ways than you could ever imagine. If you’re a bowhunter, Pinterest has pins to benefit your niche. If you like guns (of course you like guns) there’s information on Pinterest just for you. Need to know how to process certain game meat? Pinterest has it covered.
Hang on. I Thought Pinterest Was Only for Women?
More or less, yeah, it is. Or at least it was originally. Statistics say there's a good chance your wife or girlfriend (or mom) love it. But wait! There are more statistics the company reported in April 2017 that you should know. Most notably, men are catching on and joining.
According to the report, 40 percent of new users are men. Plus:
- The median age for users is 40
- 87 percent of pinners have purchased a product online because of Pinterest
- Food and drink technologies are the most popular categories for men
- There are more than 75 billion — with a “B” — ideas on Pinterest
What to tell your hunting buddy when he sees you on the app
Honestly, it might be best if your hunting buddy just doesn’t find out you’re on Pinterest. He's undoubtedly going to laugh, but friends make fun of each other. It's not personal, it's just what you guys do. Honestly the best way to handle this guy ragging on you at hunt camp is to show, not tell, what skills or ideas you’ve picked up from Pinterest. For example, if you learned how to skin a hog from Pinterest and your buddy doesn’t know how … sounds like you’ve made your point.
So you’re sold, right? I hope so, because here are 10 hunting-related topics you should check out on Pinterest.
1. Hunting Tips
This incredibly general search term has a little bit of everything, which makes it a great starting point. You’ll find tips for everything from whitetail hunting to choosing calibers, aiming a bow, hunting coyotes, identifying tracks and so on. Here are several examples:
2. Products
You’ll find plenty of products on this app, but something you’ll notice in the picture above is Pinterest offers suggestions to include in your search. If you’re looking for more gadgets than the results for “hunting products” offers you, simply hit the “gadgets” button and a new search of “hunting products gadgets” is performed. For hunting products, here are some options that caught my eye:
3. Wild-Game Recipes
The study mentioned above also said there are 1.7 billion recipes pinned on Pinterest. That’s insane! And though those are recipes of any kind, wild game is mentioned plenty. Here are some dishes I’d love to try:
4. Processing Tips
To me, there’s nothing manlier than processing game after the harvest. I have no problem saying I’m still learning to process most game, and Pinterest seems like a good place to learn how. Here are some examples that can help:
5. Do-It-Yourself
This might be the most important category. There’s nothing wrong with finding an idea off Pinterest and making it yours. Here are some cool projects:
Uh huh. What Else?
So that stuff is all incredibly beneficial to learning, but Pinterest has fun stuff, too!
6. Shirts
Take your passion from the woods and camo to your everyday life. Pinterest includes all kinds of apparel from all your favorite outdoor brands, but let's focus on shirts for now. Maybe you’ll pick up something new for yourself or someone else! Here are some examples of what you can find:
7. Humor
No category is better than this one. Once you start, you can’t stop; so have fun spending all afternoon looking at hunting memes. Just don’t forget to share them with your buddies! Here are some of my favorites:
8. Man Cave Décor
If your wife happens to be a Pinterest user, there’s a possibility you’ve seen some of these pins. These options could really make your man cave, hunt camp or hunting shacks nice, as it should be. Here are a few things you might like to check out:
9. Party Planning
Let’s say your son or daughter loves hunting and wants a hunting-themed party. Search “hunting party” for all the ideas you could need to make it a party to remember. Here are a few ideas any little hunter would love:
10. Tattoos
Big tattoo guy, huh? Find some pretty creative ideas and inspiration on Pinterest. They range from standard to intense:
There you have it — Pinterest for hunters. What do you think? Are you in and convinced this is the next great thing to help you this season? Or are you still not buying in? Drop me a line at bmiller@grandviewmedia.com or comment below.
