New forum section: Archery & Bowhunting

[vvvvvvv]

We've added a new section to the Hunting & Fishing area to include Archery & Bowhunting. This had been requested several times over the past several months, and the data is showing there may be enough interest to sustain a dedicated section. Hopefully, this will make it easier for people to find information related to archery and bowhunting.

https://www.okshooters.com/forumdisplay.php?95-Archery-amp-Bowhunting

 

[dennishoddy]

Not a fan of the new archery section.

I'd say 90% of the folks that post on here shoot both archery and gun to hunt, as this is the hunting section. We hunt with bows, guns, Muzzleloaders. Its a hunting section. We don't post pics of our kills in the rimfire rifle forum, or deer in the rifle forum, etc.

If it were a competition archery for 3D etc, I'd be all over it.

Forums can get too spread out trying to cover every aspect of the sport.

I'd like to see what others that are regulars of this forum think. Lets hear what you have to say. I'll deal with it either way, but lets talk about it.

 

[264Magnum]

I agree with my elder compatriot. There's a point where stuff gets divided too much. Its like having sections for every different type of rifle.

Hunting is hunting. No reason to subdivide it further. If this is now the general hunting and fishing section, we probably should have a rifle hunting section.

And blackpowder. Subdivided into traditional and in-line.

And crossbows.

 

[Lurker66]

Im cool with it either way. I am glad the Hunting and fishing section got moved up.

 

[dennishoddy]

This "elder" might have to take you on a cross country run to see how you stack up.

Put a 12 pack at the finish line, and I have no honor to beat you to it!

 

[Sticky Stokes]

Don't like it at all... Who moved my cheese? Who freaking moved my cheese? Too many categories, sorry.. I liked it better the other way... I just want to post in one spot for all my hunting and fishing adventures, I don't want to and will not go to 3 different categories to post and check posts, I like it the way it was....

 

[vvvvvvv]

There were several requests over the last several months about it, and I promised some of them that I would review the data.

Archery discussions are admittedly seasonal in nature around here. However, what has been found is that people generally have no idea where to post archery-related questions, and the season where the hunting forum is most active coincides with when archery discussions are most active. What happens is the archery-related discussions get buried and soon forgotten about.

Any expansion is a gamble. A balance must be struck between granularity and apparent activity. The same policy that applies to the Knife forum applies to the Archery forum: if the interest isn't sufficient, it will be assimilated back into a more active and appropriate section. The long term data suggests that there may be sufficient interest *if* a forum is available. It's a classic chicken and egg problem - some people won't exhibit interest in a topic until a specific area for that discussion is made available.

If it doesn't work well in the hunting section, perhaps we might move it to the Firearms & Gear Talk section. The choice here was based on 80% of archery discussions being directly related to hunting.

One huge positive about having a forum of this size is that we're able to collect enough data to make well-informed decisions. If we acted solely based on requests and recommendations, we'd have probably a dozen or so other sections for regional and game-specific hunting and fishing topics. Instead, available data is analyzed, current trends and potential are identified, and if the numbers look reasonably good then we go forward with additional granularity. If the numbers aren't there, then the request gets tagged for review the next year.

 

[dennishoddy]

I don't disagree that their might have been some requests, and the ability to mine data is incredible.

Did those requests come from somebody with a post count that is in the double digits and no longer posts in the Hunting and Fishing forum, and hasn't posted in years, or is the request from members that are regular posters and support this individual forum by being long time members?

Its late, and not many on line right now.

I'd like to let this thread I started play out over the next few days to see what the regulars that keep this thread active and vibrant check in and comment.

 

[ignerntbend]

I don't post over here that often anymore, but other weapons have their own forums why shouldn't archery equipment. Include all the HUNTING together but have a distinct forum for the bow and arrow, the same way you have distinct forums for rifles, shotguns, pistols and muzzleloaders.

 

[vvvvvvv]

I don't disagree that their might have been some requests, and the ability to mine data is incredible.

Did those requests come from somebody with a post count that is in the double digits and no longer posts in the Hunting and Fishing forum, and hasn't posted in years, or is the request from members that are regular posters and support this individual forum by being long time members?

Its late, and not many on line right now.

I'd like to let this thread I started play out over the next few days to see what the regulars that keep this thread active and vibrant check in and comment.

Most of the requests were from users with 3-digit and a couple of 4-digit post counts.

Like I said, too, we'll see how it goes. It's easy to move a section, and it's easy to move threads. If it's determined that it would fare better outside of the Hunting and Fishing realm, then we'll move it. if it's determined that there was no hidden interest and the only interest was from parties willing to make their voices heard, then it will be merged back into hunting/fishing. Placing it in H/F was decided based on requesting users tending to spend the most time in H/F and most related discussion taking place in H/F.

The Knife section worried me the first few months, but it's finally starting to pick up (with some new members coming here because of what they found in the Knife section).