Lurkers.....Esteemed members

[Elkcollector82]

Left default topics (off and even campfire)  off seems like a good ol hunting site now!!!
 

I read all the comments and thought about many of those comments and how we could make the site just and outdoor site without taking away from those who like the additional subject matter. The best way seemed to be to rearrange the site so that it's just hunting, fishing, and trapping unless you want to see and opt into the other topics/boards. Thanks for the comment, I'm glad the changes have pleased some of the members. 

Changes are great. Atmosphere is good and the stories and pictures are rolling in. Keep up the good work. 

[Mark Brenckle]

Left default topics (off and even campfire)  off seems like a good ol hunting site now!!!
 

I read all the comments and thought about many of those comments and how we could make the site just and outdoor site without taking away from those who like the additional subject matter. The best way seemed to be to rearrange the site so that it's just hunting, fishing, and trapping unless you want to see and opt into the other topics/boards. Thanks for the comment, I'm glad the changes have pleased some of the members. 

Changes are great. Atmosphere is good and the stories and pictures are rolling in. Keep up the good work. 

I  really like the new emphasis and the new layout.

[Rainier10]

I didn't sign up for OT or VC until yesterday.  Really looked like a hunting only sight for the few days that I wasn't a member of those two boards.  I think for many that want it to just be a hunting site that change is a great one.

After I signed up for OT and VC so I could keep an eye on everything to do the moderator thing it had a different feel.  I will say that I am really impressed with the tone in those not exactly hunting specific topics.

I hope that it lasts and I hope most like the changes.  I know that the mod team is going to work to keep this going.

[O. hemionus]

I have been absent from this site for a long time, even as a lurker...I love the vast majority of this forum and the folks on here. My main reason for not posting, or even lurking, is lack of time and access. Last year I was on here quite a bit as a grad student because there is no better way to procrastinate writing a thesis than to be surfing this site. I could access this site from my office computer when I should have been writing...Now, I am 9 months into a new job where I cannot use my work computer for non-work related items, and I don't have a smartphone to access it either. By the time I get home from work (which is very irregular due to my job duties), I'm usually wiped out or getting down to business on some house project (we also bought a new, old house when we moved back to Washington). Now with hunting season in full swing, I'm trying to spend most of my afternoons after work chasing bear or scouting. I will try to post more in the upcoming months. Overall, this is a great community that I enjoy being a part of and contributing to and we can't just rely on a handful of members to carry all the weight of posting  .

I hesitate to say this, but the second reason I have gradually spent less and less time on here, is, quite frankly, because I have been disheartened and disappointed. I'm not trying to snub my nose at folks or tout the holier-than-thou attitude, but I have honestly become disappointed at the attitude of several folks on here, including the attitude of some of the more esteemed members. We are all hunters and identify as such - but equally important as our sense of identity as hunters is our role as conservationists. Flag me as a hippie liberal environmental wacko or whatever, but the anti-predator sentiment around here is pretty deflating and disheartening. I love hunting deer and elk as much as the next guy, and I think everyone is entitled to express their opinion and freedom of speech. But as conservationists, I honestly don't understand why we assign higher intrinsic value to some species and love to hate other species that are equally important to ecosystem function. I'm not going to get on my soapbox, but I just wish many of the members on here would stop and remember our role in wildlife management and our role as stewards here before rekindling a coup on predators. I apologize if this is straying off the topic - just my  as to why I have been less inclined to post on here lately.

[Rainpaddle]

A few years ago I started hunting again. I don't know why I took almost 20 years off. Maybe it was the lack of a hunting partner, brother in another state and I thought I was mainly a kayaker. But, my wife came back from Costco with a box of meat and asks, "didn't you used to be a hunter?"   

I lost a lot of skill. I had trouble finding a decent unit. My buddy and I got sick of the crowds in Modern and we switched to Muzzle. Finally after 4 years I cow called a bull to within 40 yards, the wind swirls and he's out of there. I will never forget that scream before he busted me.

So, we've put in some scouting effort, getting the skills back where we don't sound like Century Link on Sunday going across a hill. I'm in no position to be offering advice, though.

I will say this: This is a very informative site. I log in as much as I can and utilize some very good information from some solid hunters and huntresses. Thank you.

As far as the negativity, it doesn't bother me much. Some of the kayaking websites would make you blush. Nor have I attracted enough attention around here to get any. That said, I understand the need to keep a firm stand on keeping as much of that out as possible.

Thanks again for a great site and I hope to meet some of you.

[Bigapplediams73]

Can we get a like and dislike button? The more likes someone has the more we can tell of that persons contributions to this site. Then we can see who gets to see all those cool pics and read the members only tips.

[Okanagan]

This is a pretty good site.  I lurked for a long time, and though have been posting more recently, still have well under 300 posts in seven years.  My grandson got me here.  I found some quality people and quality posters, like Boneaddict and Hirshey who are among my favorites, and many about my caliber who simply enjoy hunting and fishing.

I'm disappointed at how critical a fair number of posters are, but not surprised since that is the trend most internet forums drift toward, with a few jerks dominating or trying to.  Here, there is a spirit of assuming negatives about those who post rather than assuming positives until shown otherwise.     

Good for the mods for trying to improve things.  I think I like the Off Topics ghetto because I never go there and won't have to wade through that debris to read hunting and fishing tales and topics. 

Expecting that someone will parse my words for any possible fault forces me to think more and edit more rather than make a casual comment/post and then clear up any misunderstandings in a light hearted way if needed.  That makes it more like work and I don't like the feeling of having to watch my back in a place where I came to relax, enjoy stories from other hunters and swap some myself.  Just my perception, and why I don't post a lot.

I don't care what those whom I've ID'd as wannabe critics think. I'm not threatened by those who disagree with me or have preferences other than mine.  Go for it, Bro, and I'd politely request the same courtesy, though don't really expect that on an internet forum any more. Some people are insecure enough to feel threatened when someone disagrees with them.   All of these human foibles emerge on HuntWA.  I have a life outside of the internet and do a lot of things outdoors that I don't post about.  It does not feel seemly to live my life on the 'net.  I don't need an ignore button to ignore those who live to criticize, trolls, and those who are boringly predictable. 

Kind of a ramble but this site is good enough to give feedback when the mods ask for the perception of fringe people, which I consider myself.

[boneaddict]

I appreciate it.  And Thank you

[runamuk]

Can we get a like and dislike button? The more likes someone has the more we can tell of that persons contributions to this site. Then we can see who gets to see all those cool pics and read the members only tips.

Actually what usually happens is you end up with a few popular people who get all the likes and that are not always the best role models to look up to. 

I have made friends here I see quite a few awesome pics that never make it online during hunting season.  I made friends by being active in the topics that interest me.  I have met a bunch of huntwa members, have gone on some incredibly fun hunts with quite a few as well. 

I do support a like feature because often I have zero time to reply or sketchy Internet service but really did like what someone said.

[SnakeEyes]

I have been a member for quite a while and site sponsor. I do not post much but I do when I have something to say. When this topic was started it got me thinking about the off topics. I decided to unsubscribe and boy do I enjoy this site more than ever. The off topics sucked me in. Now I can focus on the topics that get me excited about hunting and fishing. Just an observation I had while sitting here working on my computer.

[hambone]

My thing has been time 2 years ago messed my back up bad last year didn't make out at all do to my back then lost my father just couldn't get my head right just now i am looking forward to hunting season just bought myself a polaris 570  quad and my wife a900 acer just went today for a ride things are looking up felt good to be in the woods used to post a lot of pics but my apple sucks trying to post pics love this site will try to start to contribute more

[Skyvalhunter]

Hambone looking forward to seeing that picture of you big buck this year.

[dfresh96]

I really enjoy this forum & happened to find it when I was looking for info about my Goose Prairie bull tag years ago...I dont post a ton & only log on at home on PC... I used to share game cam pics until I seen others getting bashed & lost some spare time when I started my business...
It seems that for a time there was a group/crew/gang of members who would attack anything with a negative POV which may have encouraged others to gang up & post negative comments when they normally wouldnt...It seems native bashing & finger pointing was encouraged for a time or Ive grown immune to it...
I have had some great encounters with members when buying & selling gear...
I dont mind hearing/reading others thoughts on daily life as we need to have that to possibly open up our minds...
I really enjoy the pics & stories that is shared...most of the time Im late to the party like on this...
Thanks to those making it happen behind the scenes...

[jasnt]

This site used to have a lot of like minded folks. Now not so much. Constant bickering and not picking. I miss some of our lost members like bigger hammer and bango skank ect. The forum is just not what it used to be. Don't think there is a way to fix it. Things change. I used to come to this site 100 times a week or more. Now I just check in once in a while. I still share from time to time but it's just not so great anymore the your way is wrong and my way is right attitude has also ruined it.

[bearpaw]

I want to thank everyone who commented, we listened, I hope the forum changes have provided an improvement in the H-W experience for most members.