Will asking questions about hunting & firearms become no challenge?

Very interesting and insightful question.All technical knowledge is at our finger tips.And a BS expert can not last a few seconds.You will be able to stump someone only for a few minutes, and then he can give you an expert answer as soon as he looks it up.

This forum is not for knowledge, but to interact with others that are like minded. Every question asked could be answered by the asker quickly and easily by looking it up, just as most of the people do that have no personal experience on the subject matter.

But even so, I would rather read the answers and opinions of others, such as yourself, then to look up cold impersonal facts on the net.

But yes, it seems stupidity is more prevalent then ever.But that seems to be a contradiction, for knowledge is at everyones finger tips.That's just a wonderment.

But still, even with all the knowledge available, I prefer others opinions on different subject matter. For instance, if I wished to make a trip to Alaska, I may look at all the glossy brochures, but would rather rely on someone such as yourself that lives there to answer my questions.

Doc has some very good points. But we'll always have questions that require judgment for an answer. Between us, Doc and I probably have well over a century's experience in shooting deer and hogs in close cover, often from only a few feet away, where you have the experience with moose at long range. Naturally, your answer and ours to "What's the best first hunting rifle?" are going to be coming from a different place.

Also, there are still some topics not well covered on the internet. Since Doc mentioned Selous, I did a quick search on the 461 Gibbs #2, and was surpised to see any data, but it still isn't an overwhelming amount.

Also, there's the Forrest Gump thing: stupid is as stupid does. I spend a lot of time in the Medicine section, where readily available information is asked over and over, the same question appearing several times each day. I'd even suggest that the ready availability of information has made the younger generations intellectually lazy, and the apparent stupidity is only going to get worse.

As more and more people use the internet, the probability that there will be someone who knows the answers to the most obscure questions will increase. Most of the answers I want to know are found quickly on the internet without waiting for someone to find and answer a question here.

I don't think the internet will mean the end for BS, many of the questions here are opinion questions rather than simply factual, and you know what opinions are like.

I think that there are a lot of people who choose to be ignorant. It seems like it would be easy to educate yourself on the internet about any subject you choose, but people, in general, do not make use of the information that is available. I can only assume that they are lazy or just wish to remain uneducated.

But hey that's just my opinion.

There really are not more stupid people now than there were before the internet. It is simply easier for people to display their stupidity to larger groups of people now than ever before.

When we were young, the dumba$$ed redneck campaigning for a Darwin Award simply said: "Here, hold my beer and watch this." as his last words. Now the idiot tells his buddys,"Y'all be sure to get this on video for YouTube" before launching himself into eternity.

I must admit that the amount of absolute ignorance displayed here is mind-boggling to an old fart who grew up with his nose buried in books on hunting, shooting, woodcraft, and war. I am forever amazed to find that half the people here have no idea of who Elmer Keith, Skeeter Skelton, Jack O'Connor, Charlie Askins, Townsend Wheelan, Karamojo Bell, Pondoro Taylor, Fredrick Selous, Sir Charles Baker and Carl Akeley were, and that to half the people who have ever heard of Bill Jordan think of the damned clothes designer and not the great gunfighting Border patrol Chief Inspector and exhibition shooter.

Every time I see a question like, "Can I kill a grizzly bear with my AirSoft Sniper Rifle?" or "Which Barret .50 BMG rifle would be the ideal first rifle to buy?" I'm reminded of what a science writer once said. "There are only two things in the Universe of which there is an infinite supply, Hydrogen and Human Stupidity."

BC, I'd be damned discouraged if it were not for the few young folks who talk good sense, and ask intelligent and respectfully phrased questions. So hopefully there will always be at least a few younger fellows around who value the opinions of us greybeards and wish to hear and learn from our experiences.

Step back, take a few deep breaths. Take your grandkids on a three day fishing trip and recharge your batteries before you come back and have to tell someone,"You duma$$! You can't kill a bear with your bb gun!" Again.

Doc Hudson

I think that there will ALWAYS be people telling BS stories about some shot they made or witnessed or that a Model 29 is a great conceal carry piece and all they carry all day.

its human nature to want to be the most 'fit' whether its mentally, physically, or through some feat.

ADDED: FWIW, i think that the internet has just created a whole NEW VENUE for bullshitters to spew thier garbage.... this is compounded by know nothings who go along and agree, then regurgitate the same BS they read to other clueless people, and then eventually everyone believes that one well placed shot from a .380ACP can bring down a Bull Elephant in a full charge.

Maybe but people are to stupid to not do there own research. Also I don't think if it does happen it will anytime soon. When I ask stuff it usually means that I did not find what I needed with a google search or what I wanted is to specific. But now it just seems I ask question to tell people about X.

That day has pretty much come

There isn't a fact based question you can ask that cannot be researched and answered almost immediately

There are several websites that specialize in this

I was offered a job a couple of years ago with a site that did just this

You asked we researched and answered within minutes usually

Arrogance and bluster-based LORE will always be more popular than fact. But it is what drives the majority of gun sales and hunting licenses, not to mention the campfire BS sessions which form many or most of our fondest huntcamp memories. Like everything else, it is what it is, and it ain't what it ain't, and apparently we need both.

Facts are facts, opinions keep life interesting. The problem with stupid people is that they may know lots of facts, but they can't think critically.

See, I'm interested in facts, but I'm also interested in the human factor. Everyone has a different take on things.

And...that's all I have here.

We're never going to run out of stupid.