We live in a world which continues to baffles me on a daily basis. Who would have thought a new interactive virtual Pokémon app would be the thing to get kids out from behind their game consoles and into the outdoors? Regretfully, I’ve even seen “hunting parties” of full grown men marching down the sidewalks armed with their smartphones just waiting to catch an elusive Pokémon.
As I drove through the downtown area in my rusty old pick-up listening 90’s country, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Have any of these Pokémoners ever tried to actually hunt? They’d probably enjoy it.”
The game is remarkably similar to deer hunting from what I can tell…I mean I haven’t actually downloaded the app myself, but as I understand it, the quest to catching them all requires you to drive and walk around to “scout” for good areas…just like deer hunting.
“This point is where Charmander and Pikachu are usually bedded.”
The first part of the journey starts on a map…just like deer hunting.
Once you’re in an area with lots of “sign” like a grocery store or downtown area, you set up and wait or maybe even employ a stalk to get within distance of Pokémon…just like deer hunting.
Then comes the moment of truth and a Squirtle comes busting out of the bushes! Holy cow, a Squirtle! You take aim and throw your Poké Ball at it and retrieve your prize…just like deer hunting (kind of).
“Hey! Would you just stand still so I can whip this PokéBall at you?”
There’s also the social aspect, I mean who wants to Pokémon alone? You can create teams and “hunting parties” …just like deer hunting.
For your sake, I dove deeper into the Pokémon GO game, and by reading an informative article on Pokemon.com, I discovered it’s even more like deer hunting than I thought!
As a trainer you get to customize your look with awesome apparel and accessories…just like a deer hunter does with Legendary Whitetails Apparel.
“Look! There’s Booner the Pokemon! Catch him!”
I hear they also have PokéStops where you can gear up and get more Poké Balls and other hunting accessories…just like a sporting goods store.
And if you’re into adventure hunts, there’s over 100 species of Pokémon to catch…just like hunting different game animals.
Oh, and you can’t forget about your Pokédex, a.k.a. hunting experience level. The harder you train and practice the more elusive and powerful Pokémon you can catch…just like hunting.
Can you believe that they even practice QDM in Pokémon, or would it be called QPM? Regardless, if you catch the same Pokémon over and over it can evolve into a more mature and rare version of itself…just like passing up that young buck time and time again.
By now you can see the remarkable similarities between Pokémon and deer hunting, only we use trail cameras and tracks to hunt our “Pokémon” and we get to eat them.
Perhaps we as hunters now have an easy and understandable way of explaining to the rest of the world why we love to hunt and why we it’s so addicting. All we have to say is it’s the equivalent to a real life version of Pokémon GO, and they’ll understand.
For all you Pokémoners out there, do yourself a favor once this fad ends. Get out into the woods and experience a true hunt because I can promise you, once you start, you’ll never stop trying to “Catch ‘Em All”!
Hmm, I wonder if I can use a PokéDecoy to lure them in? Or maybe some scent wicks soaked with PokéPee?
