A quick chat with Aaron Warbritton of the Hunting Public

The idea was to give the general hunting public – namely those who hunt public lands – an outlet, a place to learn and grow and come together as hunters.

It’s safe to say that the aptly named Hunting Public has done what it set out to do, and then some – to the tune of about 569,000 YouTube subscribers when this story was updated in June of 2023.

According to its website, “Hunting Public’s core mission is to create a community of hunters that can interact and learn together as a group. Our video journals and podcasts create a platform that allows us to teach, learn, and interact with other hunters. They cover everything from advanced whitetail tactics to unique hunting situations. Through our hunts on public land and small privately owned properties we create content that is relatable and appeals to all hunters.”

Outdoor News caught up with Aaron Warbritton, 33, part owner of Hunting Public, in 2021 to chat about what he helped start with, essentially, a few hunting buddies.

ODN: How did Hunting Public come about?

Warbritton: We wanted to create something that would relate to most hunters. We decided to film our adventures on public land with the goal in mind to show average folks they could have great experiences with family and friends on public lands across the country. We started posting videos to our YouTube channel in September of 2017. Now we air episodes on YouTube, Amazon Prime, Facebook, other social media.

ODN: What’s your hunting background.

Warbritton: We (the Hunting Public crew) all grew up from different areas around the country. I’m from northeastern Missouri, where I was raised in a hunting family. That’s what we’ve done since I was a kid – hunted for anything that was legal on public land and small private farms.   

ODN: Did you ever think Hunting Public would grow to this point? What were your expectations early on?

Warbritton: We had no expectations, really. The goal was to make videos that related to people and to try to create value for them in some way. Eventually, it grew, but we’re still trying to do the same thing as when we started.  

ODN: How do you keep your message fresh and, ultimately, meaningful?

Warbritton: I’m not sure, honestly. We just want to keep hunting new areas so we can continue learning how to tackle various hunting situations. Every new place has its own unique set of challenges. Sharing those experiences with folks and showing them they can do it, too, is what’s meaningful. 

ODN: The pandemic is getting more people into the outdoors, including into hunting. Is that always a good thing and do you think it will be sustainable?

Warbritton: New hunters are a great thing for us all. Hopefully, we can keep them active and engaged in hunting moving forward. There is strength in numbers … The larger and stronger we are as a hunting community, the better chance we have at protecting hunting for the next batch of folks down the line.  

ODN: Getting youths into the field and hunting is a key to the future of the sport, and mentors and mentored hunts are more important than ever. How has Hunting Public tackled this subject and tried to get more kids involved? How difficult has it been?

Warbritton: We try to show content that lowers the barriers of entry for new folks. For example, we created a $500 bow shop challenge video this past summer with a new bow hunter. We filmed him … everything he needed to go deer hunting (he got) at a pro shop, where they set it all up and gave him a few pointers on shooting. Eventually, we filmed him harvesting a deer with it a few months later.  

Lack of access is a problem for today’s youth. Private land access has become increasingly hard to obtain, especially for a kid new to hunting. That’s another reason we hunt public land and encourage states to expand their hunting opportunities.  

ODN: What’s been the feedback? 

Warbritton: Most folks seem to enjoy the content and learn from our successes and failures along with us. Occasionally, we get someone who doesn’t like to watch or who isn’t a fan of how we hunt – to each their own, of course. We welcome criticism as long as it’s done appropriately and politely.

ODN: What now? Where do you see Hunting Public going in the future?

Warbritton: Continuing to inspire folks to get outdoors and have fun hunting. And we want to expand into some new states for turkeys in spring and deer next fall.