Lane Jones began by asking his fellow hunters some questions about how technology was impacting the sport, but he realized it led to deeper thinking about the future of hunting in Wyoming.
“I think being a younger person, a Gen Z angler, I have a lot to take in. It seems like the progress continues,” Jones told Cowboy State Daily.
The focus appears to have shifted away from the days of filling the freezer as the primary goal for young anglers.
“Culturally, it's kind of a change to where meat hunters aren't as abundant anymore,” he said. “It seems to be more about social media, more focused on awards.”
But even as a member of the most tech-savvy generation yet, Jones said he struggles with some of the implications of advances in equipment, such as the ever-nagging question of how far away is too far an ethical shot?
Poll says…
When Jones, 18, a senior at Cheyenne Central High School, was given an assignment in an Advanced Placement research class, he knew immediately that hunting would be the focus.
“I chose hunting as a subject because that's what I do in my free time,” Jones told the Cowboy State Daily.
He created a survey and posted requests for responses on social media. He's been receiving responses from all over Wyoming and the rest of the country.
“Right now, I'm in the data collection portion of my research project, so I haven't made any conclusions yet, but so far I'm getting a lot of feedback, which is always great,” he told Cowboy State Daily in a text message. Before the phone interview.
“In addition, it is clear that most fishermen are using the new technology that is available,” he added. “For example, I have yet to have a hunter say they bowhunt primarily with a recurve bow, which makes sense, because that is much more primitive than modern compound bow hunting.”
How far can you shoot?
Rifles have come a long way from what Baby Boomers and Gen Xers would have carried on their first hunts. Bulky wooden stocks and basic scopes were replaced with lightweight composite rifle stocks and smart optics that had built-in rangefinders.
This has prompted some hunters to push their shots even further. Shots beyond 300 yards were rare. But now it's not unusual for hunters to shoot big game from farther afield.
How far to shoot has become a lively debate among hunters. A previous discussion among members of the Wyoming Wildlife Task Force about shooting antelope at 2,000 yards sparked heated debate.
Jones' survey doesn't specifically ask hunters what they consider to be ethical shooting distances, but he said the topic inevitably comes up when hunters start exchanging tales.
“It got kind of out of hand. One guy posted that he shot an elk at 1,040 yards,” Jones said, adding that he questions that claim, even with the best advances in rifle technology.
“Is it really a fair chase when the elk doesn't know you're there?” He said.
“Fair chase” is an ethical principle among hunters, the basic idea being that people should hunt in a way that always gives game animals a reasonable opportunity to escape.
Technology is also impacting archery equipment, he said, as advanced bow sights can point the bow toward the hunter.
Jones only recently started shooting sports, but he said he's already “addicted” to it.
“It's been a huge learning curve for me,” he said. “Although I recently broke my collarbone, I can't throw my bow to practice now.”
Technology helps, but it can hurt your pocket book
Jones said one interesting response he received was from some hunters “back east” who like to get out to Wyoming during the fall.
Technology makes hunting in the Cowboy State possible for them.
“They would tell me things like, ‘If it wasn't for things like the GPS on my phone, or articles online or YouTube videos that show you how to hunt elk, I wouldn't have been able to get out there, because I would “That.” He said, “I don’t know what to do.”
Jones said he acknowledges that lighter gear, GPS maps showing the boundaries of hunting areas and better rifles have made hunting easier and helped hunters make quick, humane kills.
Things have come a long way since the days of flannel jackets, grandpa's old .30-30 rifle, a fixed-blade buck knife, and an old pair of military surplus binoculars hanging from a neck strap.
But it can also come at a price.
“I have nice hunting equipment. The sky is the limit as far as what you can buy. I know guys who spend $5,000 on just one binocular.”
Some things never change
Jones said his hunting experience is “not as generational as you might think.”
Jones said his father moved to Wyoming from New Mexico and didn't start hunting until he was about 30, when a co-worker introduced him to him.
He started going with his father on hunting trips as soon as he was old enough to walk, so the refreshing Wyoming Falls is all he knows.
And listening to Jones talk about what drives his passion for hunting — and hearing him say the same things that hunters many decades his senior also say — it becomes clear that some things never change.
Is it about the meat, experience, or connection with other hunters? Is it about making the research process as easy as possible by using the latest technology? Or could it be some of both columns?
“I would say, for me, it's a combination of everything. I eat everything I harvest, and we process the meat ourselves for almost everything we harvest. “Hunting is 98% experience-based, 2% killing and processing the animal.”
It's also about passing on the tradition, Jones said.
“When I was 16, I took a friend to kill his first deer,” he said. “And last season, I helped another friend kill his first elk. It's all about the time you spend in the woods with the people who are important to you.
Mark Hines It can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
