Team Realtree

Click over and give us an honest opinion on the Realtree Outfitters commercial spot we just posted. Bill J. and others will be reading what you think tomorrow: Realtree Outdoors® | Facebook

Mobile version will be ready very soon.

We will be updating the forums soon to vBulletin 4 (I hope to have a timeline posted here when I find out when). It is currently being tested and the feedback has been all positive. Some new/improved features vBulletin 4 has: - Improved search - Greater customization - Facebook integration - Redesigned UI - A Mobile version (Coming) - Native support for video embedding - Enhanced member profile pages During the preliminary discussions we had considered deleting some of the older posts in the database to improve the efficiency of the forums and to speed up the migration, but have since decided that we will keep them all. We did however, decide to once again delete accounts that have not posted in the past year. So if you know of someone who has not been active in over a year and would like to keep their profile, you might want to notify them asap. Deleting inactive users is something we have done on a number of occasions over the years. I guess you could call it house cleaning. It is not to punish them for not being in here. It is simply done to clean up the server which allows the boards to run better. Many of the accounts are where someone has come in briefly, posted once or twice and never again. I will find out soon when all of this will happen (and will announce it in here). I do know that because we will not be deleting any older posts or threads, it will cause the forums to be down for extended amount of time (a few hours). I will let you all know. Thanks, S

They have been working on some updates. Trying to find out the status. S

Very cool partner... | Facebook

Thanks for the feedback. The purpose of a mobile app is to make everything easier to read and interact with, so it might change some minds of those that say they won't come to the forums on a phone. I know I would if I'm stuck somewhere like a Dr.s office, airport, or slow day on stand. And don't bet on it cutting out the middle man on Tim's hunts. Have you ever talk tech with Tim? Might take a lot more than this:)

We met with an agency yesterday that specializes in a lot of things web related and it just so happens that a lot of the conversation centered around these forums and some things we could do to grow and improve them. Besides things I have mentioned before like tie-ins to Facebook and other social media, we began the discussions about building a mobile version of Realtree.com. We know some folks already access the forums from their phones, but the site isn't optimized for that and it is more than likely a pain to move around or view things in here.There are many things besides making the site easier to browse and view through a mobile device. One of the best is allowing members in here to participate through the phone wherever they might be. That got me on the subject of Tim Andrus' live hunt threads and how we might can feature those more and make it easier for him (and those who help him) keep the threads almost live and as the hunt happens. If you can imagine any user with a smart phone narrating their hunts while they happen and for all to see in here. And even instantly uploading pics and video from that hunt. How about spending slow times in the stand reading other posts, writing your user blogs and uploading images to Photo Post? This mobile optimization will probably change the whole dynamic of these forums and how they are used. The paperwork has been completed and we are well under way with the mapping and outlining. It won't have everything the main site has and will look and work much like a phone app does. However, it won't matter what phone you are on (there is no downloading or buying) and you will always have access to the main site if needed. I will keep everyone updated. It is hard to give time frames or launch dates on projects like this, but I will say that it should be up way before the start of the 2011 archery season. In the meantime, we would like some answers to some questions we have for our members in here: Do you access Realtree.com on your phone? If so, what kind of phone do you have, what parts of the site do you go to, and is it hard to navigate or see? If you could name 1, 2, 5, or 10 different parts of the site you would like to see optimized for phone use, what might those be? If you have other comments regarding mobile web usage, let us know. I am gathering as much information as I can during this process. Thanks, S

We have had a great partner here at Realtree.com and I told them I would help spread the news and do it here in the Lounge: It's the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Many of us working here at Realtree dream of hunting Elk out west and the first step is applying for the tags. Colorado does do a great job of making the process easy. Have you done it before or plan on doing it soon? Share your stories with us here in this thread or over on Facebook! Hit this link if you want to add to the FB thread The tag deadline is April 5th, 2011! (I posted April 4th on Facebook by mistake) If you want to go to their site directly: http://www.huntcolorado.org/ Thanks, S

All I saw was that headline and thought uh oh, here we go. And I bet that was your thinking when you posted it!

Any flames or bashing of the legal use of crossbows (or their users) won't be tolerated and will be dealt with swiftly. Now, does anyone know how many states now allow crossbow hunting (for both disabled and able hunters)?

Just getting in here and seeing this and don't know what thread or posts this refers to, but if there are any explanations to why any post were deleted they will be done by PM or email and not in public where others might chime in for either side. When I find out I will let you know. Thanks, S

I was kicking back this afternoon and happened on our first episode of Road Trips on the Realtree.tv website (where we have almost every episode). Did you see the first one? Hard to believe it has been 8 seasons already! A blast from the past: Montana Whitetails Part 1

Don't forget to enter the Realtree.com Turkey Tip contest today! Submit a tip and hunting photo of yourself by 6 PM EST today for a chance to be published on Realtree.com. The prize package this week is a HS Squealing Hen call and a HS Ring Zone turkey call! I will be shipping those out tomorrow morning, would love for it to be a forum member from in here. http://www.realtree.com/hunting/articles-and-how-to/turkey/turkey-tip-contest-submission

Do you access Realtree.com on your phone? Do you read the forums when doing it? Give us your comments and suggestions. We are currently developing a mobile version of the site to make all of that much easier. What do you think would be parts of the site that you would like to access on the go and on your phone? Thanks, S

I've posted mine. You folks help us populate this map. Getting that time of the year! Just like the site's rut report, the entries in these will help us for years to come when planning trips to other areas to hunt or going back to look at our own hunting grounds and the game tendencies in certain areas. S

I have gotten a couple of emails and a PM tonight concerning an issue with Chat. I am pretty sure it is tied to a server issue or change we made last night. I have emailed the site admin about it, but can't guarantee he will get it tonight. For sure tomorrow morning. Sorry, but thanks for letting me know, S

PS. This is a Go_Kart for adults too and will carry me around easily. Guy that tuned it up for me said that they can be altered and geared to go really fast, but I declined. Is fast enough.

If your close enough to Columbus, GA for picking up, I have one for sale ($600). Sat in storage for a couple of years and I recently spent about $175 on getting it cleaned and tuned. Excellent condition and a good price. Murray Explorer go-kart with a Tecumseh 6.0HP (195cc) motor and Torque Drive transmission(variable belt drive). Great condition and runs like new. It has a roll cage, seat belt, adjustable seat, rear disc brakes. Has been kept out of weather with no holes or rips. Recent tune-up, replaced filters, pull cord and roll cage padding. Carb was also completely disassembled and cleaned. — Model: GT50501X92A — Frame color: dark green — Approx dimensions: 80" x 55" x 31" — Wheel diameter: 12" (front), 17" (rear) — Engine brand: Power Sport Tecumseh Products Just email me if interested. S

For all you outdoor video guys. We have a someone in our video dept. here at Realtree wanting to sell a Canon XL1, 16x lens, extended battery, charger, shoulder mount accessory with XLR input, Pelican case. He's asking $900. Good camera and well taken care of. Just email me and I can hook you up. S

I saw that yesterday and it's amazing. I wonder how many takes it took on some of those shots? I'm not saying he isn't talented (There are very few that could make any of them), but I know he didn't get every one of them on the first try too. S

Congrats to the winners and thank you Will Brantley for creating the contest and managing it for all the participants. It's amazing how digital technology has advanced over the years. It has basically opened up opportunities for many of us to capture really good outdoor related moments. Hopefully we can continue to have these in the future. S

How much do you rely on moon and/or game movement charts in your planned hunts?

As much as some in here would like to think that these forums are going down hill or has reached the bottom, they haven't. For every negative email I got in the feedback there were plenty of emails/folks that actually do still enjoy them, get good information, and come in here to check and read posts everyday. The difference in those folks and the others (which was mentioned in this thread) is that they are able to do so and not let comments or posts that might go against what they believe or how they live their lives cause them to reply and start a major debate. They or either reading and ignoring them or just skipping over them all together. In the beginning it was easy to control discussion boards. They were and at the time the only "Social Media." With the onset of new platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and others, discussion boards have had to take a back seat to more sophisticated and much liberal forms of virtual discussion groups. Every article I have read on the subject and every social media "expert" I have heard speak about it says the same thing and that is new social media has become an extention of everyones web traffic and presence. Across the board and in every category, discussion boards are sitting level or have declined in participation. I know there are still a good bit of people registering with us every day. They might not jump right in and post, but they are still coming. As those other platforms have allowed folks to speak more freely and basically put their thoughts and beliefs out front and "In your face," it has gotten folks to thinking that discussion boards are now ran in the same manner (many have run like that from the beginning). So what you have now (that you didn't 5-10 years ago), are choices. The folks that don't think a message board format is fair or is too strict, tend to drift toward other platforms (or other boards) that are not. New media is conditioning them to think differently and they have options and avenues to go where they need to in order to speak out more freely. Personally, I don't have a problem with that. And I do prefer quality over quantity. If we have 400 folks in here that enjoy the boards because we don't allow what they can enjoy somewhere else, I would much rather see our boards at 400 than at 1000 and everyone constantly challenging the rules. It's as simple as that. I am trying to spend more time in here to help. Hopefully, we are getting some issues straightened out. I will say that unlike some bans, thread deletions, thread moves, etc. that have happened and became a topic for public debate will not happen on my watch. I have told the mods (and some users the same thing). Going that route usually takes an issue that was dealt with to a whole other level and it sucks in others that would have never been involved. You can PM me or the mods about an issue, but do not expect an explanation, apology or a debate about it in another post on the boards. If there was a mistake, or something happened that I might not agree with, then I'll try to fix it. If I don't agree with a user (or a mod), it won't (and never has been) personal. I am always trying to do what I think is best for the overall community. S

We have been filming all footage in HD for a couple of years now. If they show older footage on an HD channel, or someone has a TV that is not HD capadable, it creates the margins on either side (called a picture box). The Outdoor Channel has asked that there be some type of image or graphic to fill that space. Our guys are looking into other options for it.

Store gift codes were sent through emails (twice). I know that some have been used, but if a spam filter caught it or there was an error in the addy sent, it wouldn't have made it. Anyone who didn't get theirs can email me directly and I will check. If I have to I will have someone call to give them out over the phone. Thanks, S