I often see some hunters soliciting insight on solid hunting spots via social media on a regular basis. These people expect hardworking hunters to just hand out waypoints so they can skip the scouting, cut corners, and shoot trophies with minimal effort. They want to head to new states without doing their homework or invade public land spots used by multitudes of hunters rather than put boots on the ground or use smart intel in the off-season. It's painfully obvious that they're just trying to take advantage of other hunters. Here's why I don't bite when I see these types of posts or get requests from random hunters—and neither should you.
Word Gets Around Fast
Tell one hunter with a big mouth where you head each fall, and you might as well announce your secret spot to the world. Even if that individual just accidentally shares the info with one other person, that person could tell two, then those people share the details with even more people. In a single hunting season, dozens of people could learn about your honey hole. And then it's not really a secret anymore, is it?
It Ruins Great Spots
The best hunting spots are usually great in part because they aren't highly pressured. High hunter density doesn't typically spell great success for pursuing deer, turkeys, or just about any other game. If you're the only one entering the area only when the conditions are right, you won't have to worry about pressure. But if you share the spot with other hunters, your long-term spot could dry up in just a few weeks. You can easily lose your prime hunting location for the sake of not upsetting someone who's too lazy to find an ambush site on their own. Just don't do it.
They Won't Learn
"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." I'd say that proverb applies to hunting spots, too. If you make it too easy for other hunters—whether newbies who are just learning the ropes or old-timers who never truly committed to putting in the work—to walk into your spots and have immediate success, they won't learn. Rather than handing over the location of your favorite hunting spot, help other hunters find their own. Teach them the woodsmanship skills they need to locate game sign and identify great spots. You can still be a helpful asset to other hunters without dishing out all the intel you've worked so hard to gather over the years.
Of course, there are always exceptions, and sometimes it's not bad to break this rule of thumb. If it's your best hunting buddy who you can count on to keep a secret, the family member who you always hunt with, or the friend who lives in the state where you can only travel to on occasion—you can probably share the coordinates with these people without worry. It's also a good idea to let at least one person know exactly where you're going in case you fall from your treestand, get injured on the hike in, or face some other kind of emergency—especially if you'll be in an area where you have no cell service or other way to reach the outside world when things go south. It can also be helpful for someone to know exactly where to go to help you pack out a bull or drag a buck if you fill a tag. But in general, limit yourself to sharing this info with just a single person you can truly trust to keep the secret and stay out of your special spot. Once the cat's out of the bag, you can't put it back in.
Be Cautious When Posting Online
If you're committed to keeping your secret spot under wraps, practice caution when posting anything on social media or in hunting forums while you're in the area. Sharing anything about your hunt in general could lead to a ruined location. Make sure you're not sharing your location on social media posts or including any identifiable landmarks in photos—you could inadvertently give away your secret spot. Check the settings on your phone and social media accounts to ensure you don't accidentally let your location slip. Don't be too specific with details when sharing stories and keep it vague. If you're careful, you can keep your secret for years to come.
Other hunters might call you rude, selfish, or worse when you opt to keep your special spot a secret, but that's far better than the area getting overrun with competing hunters and the wildlife abandoning your honey hole. Avoid dishing out the details on your favorite hunting areas and you can continue to enjoy success for the foreseeable future.
