The Evolution of the Hunting Tribes of the 21st Century

The origins of hunting date back roughly 3 million years according to records and historical artifacts. It’s no surprise that, for as long as we’ve been roaming the Earth, we’ve been getting better at acquiring prey and providing nourishment for ourselves and our community.

In an activity that is now mostly done for pleasure, leisure and sustenance - or some combination of the three - hunting was once done completely out of necessity. And out of said necessity bred groups of hunters, or tribes, that soon turned into complete hunter-gatherer societies as they eventually became known.

Using a two-is-better-than-one or even a five-are-better-than-four mentality, these tribes developed not in competition, but in harmony with one another. By utilizing a group of men, these tribes were proven to be more successful in the field and as such, were better able to provide not only for their families, but also for the families from within their tribe.

The reality of these early hunter-gatherers was not that they were immediately feasting on deer or elk (and placing their antlers on display inside of their caves), in fact, it was quite the opposite. Today, these early hunters would be seen as vegetarians, or worse, vegans. Without the proper tools (and sophistication) to take down big game prey, these tribes began as groups more accurately labeled as foragers.

As groups, these early tribes did manage to sometimes luck into a small animal or bird, but they found most of their success in hunting wild plants that could be plucked from the ground.

The Advent of Sophisticated Hunting Tools

For starters, let’s ensure we’re all using a little caution here when we throw around the word sophisticated when describing the tools that were originally used to take down larger game animals. To us, these tools are a (very) far cry from the tools we have at our disposal today, but they ended up being effective and revolutionary all the same.

While not exhaustive, the following were the earliest effective tools early-stage hunting tribes used to take down prey animals:

Spears - Some of the earliest hunters utilized sharpened wooden spears to chase wild game and they undoubtedly experienced some success in doing so. Many tribes made leaps and bounds on that original technology by replacing wooden spears with those created using stone, bone and discarded antlers.

Atlatls or Spear-Throwers - The hell-yeah weapon of the time had to be the atlatl. These crafty spear-throwers allowed early hunting tribes to chuck spears further and with a more deadly force than ever before. The adoption of these weapons truly opened the doors for larger prey as they allowed the hunters to attack from a greater distance. 

The Bow and Arrow - The same weapon we fine-tune (and argue about) today was developed somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago and truly has never lost steam. A step above the previous generation’s atlatls, these weapons were portable, lightweight and eventually became incredibly accurate in their design.

Stone-tips - This was kind of an add-on to the late-model spears and the newfound bows and arrows. Rather than sending an arrow without a piercing tip on it, hunters and tribesmen began to create tough, sharp and durable tips commonly made from flint or obsidian.

Traps, Pitfalls and Party Hunting - With new weapons on the scene, hunting tribes soon had it all and rather than banding together solely to hunt ground-dwelling forage, they could now use their power in numbers. The deadly combination of lethal weapons and the use of traps, pits or snares, they also defined the earliest version of grandad’s trusty deer drive.

As the technology continued to improve, hunters soon learned that they didn’t need one another as much as in generations past. So while the traditional hunting tribes that first established this pastime have long since gone, it doesn’t mean that hunting itself is any less tribal. 

It’s actually quite the opposite.

In this issue:

1) The new branded hunting tribes: No, not quite as bad as donning the brand on the Dutton Ranch, what you wear while out in the field is now serving as literal brand regarding what kind of hunter you are.

2) Tribal by Pursuit: In an attempt to separate ourselves from one another, we’ve also gotten fully tribal about our pursuits. At one point it was enough to dabble in the outdoors, but in some circles, you’ve got to join their particular pursuit or die.

3) Virtuous tribes: Closely related to the above, but slightly more evil in nature. These tribes have only been formed over the last decade or so and mirror what we tend to label as ‘woke’ ideals in the political world.

Branded Tribes

If you’ve watched Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone saga, you were undoubtedly moved during a scene in which a rugged cowboy lowers the corner of his pearl-snap shirt to reveal the prophetic brand forever burned into his chest. While today’s branded cowboys might not be as mean as those who once worked on the fateful ranch, the hunters that now live under the brands of their choosing can be.

Whether it’s the subtle orange sun rising over First Lite’s mountains, the strong and aggressive Kuiu ram or the antler-scissor-thing that belongs to Sitka, the truth is, we belong to these brands more than we know. I remember a time when the Browning buck was enough to brand yourself as a hunter. You didn’t need to own a Browning rifle, but you could put the sticker on your truck or wear your favorite trucker hat and not a soul ever judged you for it. That has since changed and perhaps the internet social media is to blame for it. 

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Like pulling up to the club in the nicest car, those with reverse-facing cameras in hand are pulling up to the stand with just as much of a statement to make. The attention has turned tribal and now mixing any of the aforementioned brands in your ‘kit’ is seen as sacrilege. Sure, grandad did it in blue jeans, a Woolco jacket and a sort-of-orange ball cap, but show up to camp like that today, or dare we say, in a rival brand’s ‘colors’, and you could be shunned for life.

Tribal by Pursuit

Much like the old Browning ball cap, it’s not enough to simply brand oneself as a hunter these days. To be a generalist is to be a hack and Lord knows we don’t need anymore of those prowling around on the ‘gram. No, instead we need the purists, those that do hunting one way and instantly decide that any other way just might be the wrong way.

Yes, we’re talking about the public landers who couldn’t possibly be seen drawing back their bow on a private chunk of land (unless of course the fence is hidden and they really need that buck for next week’s Instagram reel). If you thought the judgement of your hunting uniform was something out of a Mean Girls scene, just wait until you get a load of these idealists. Yes, hell hath no fury like a public land, trad bow enthusiast watching a fellow hunter leave a comfortable camp on 400-private-acres and shoot a deer he purposely ‘let walk’ for the previous four seasons.

The fire burns deep in his soul and while his mountain-top professions of fair chase and ethics surely enter the echo chamber he’s worked so hard to create for himself, he still can’t help but feel a bit empty inside as he curses an alternative method of pursuit.

Virtuous Tribes

The past decade or so has revealed a new type of evil. Seemingly cloaked in good intentions and righteousness, virtue signaling is a cancer that has infected our government, educational institutions, workplaces and yes, even the hunting world. 

Acting as somewhat of a blend of the two aforementioned tribes, these virtuous ‘warriors’ are often sponsored spotted repping the most expensive brands and are often singular in their method of pursuits. In addition to grandstanding about what camo pattern looks best glassing from a far-off knob, these guys and gals go a step further in attempting to remind us of our apparently checkered past. As if grandad and his buddies were all low-class criminals pillaging the natural world, the virtuous hunter’s main function exists to squash the ‘old guard’ in an effort to usher in a new, more accepting and ethical generation of outdoor enthusiasts.

As if to assume that the non-hunting crowd would be impressed by an irresistibly white smile, flawless jawline and biceps that can only be provided by a select few hunting-related supplements, this ‘look at me’ approach is proving to do more harm than good. 

By caring about the opinions of outsiders, these virtuous actions are serving to deteriorate the very way of life we love from the inside. Many great governments have been toppled from within, often with good intentions leading the way. As more state wildlife boards turn to inclusivity (like including birdwatchers to participate in mountain lion hunting regulations), the flames of internal rot end up being fanned by this virtuous gang who is unknowingly (we hope) toppling the very lifestyle they are allegedly so virtuously attempting to protect.

Back to Basics

Will we ever get back to the original idea behind the original hunting tribes of the past? No, because we don’t need to. Generally speaking, we do this for sport, for fun and a bit of extra game meat in the freezer. The trick through all of this, is keeping it that way. 

Tribes will always exist, we’re a tribal species after all. The only thing that allows these tribes to be destructive is destructiveness itself. If we allow judgement and segregation to win or to suppress members of the broad hunting community, that in itself is where and when the alarm bells should be rung. 

The truth is, it doesn’t matter if you prefer public over private land or holding a bow in your hands instead of a .300 win mag. What matters is, we’ve got the freedom to choose where and in which manner we want to pursue wild game in. 

We just have to remember not to be complete douchebags about it.