Here's a question that's been rattling around in my mind alot lately. I've been reading and asking alot and I've noticed some stuff in talking with and observing trappers who are way beyond my skill and experience level . I've also been doing this with other facets that I'm into,reloading ,welding ,heck videos games even . And this question just keeps coming up in my mind when I compare people who are good and then people who are REALLY GOOD.

At what point does experience become a hindrance ?

One word, complacency.

At what point does experience become a hindrance ? I really don’t understand?

When past experiences lead you to the conclusion that you know everything and there is no need to consider the views of others on a given subject

When you close your mind because you think the way you do it,is the only way.

You'll know when that time comes when someone is talking about one of those "things" and they think they know what they're talking about, but you having the real experience knows that what that person is saying is wrong. Now, you can open your mouth and correct that person, OR you sit back and listen to the said "expert" babble on. That my friend, is when your experience turns into a hindrance.

Joke I heard when I first started officiating basketball..."There's guys that have 20 years worth of experience and guys that have experienced the same year 20 times"

People with great experience are often viewed as Cocky by those with lesser experience.And vice versa.

.. my lord ... who let Oprah join this forum

Expertise comes from great experience.Great experience comes from hands on trial and error based on shared knowledge garnered from those deemed to have great experience by the student.
You cannot get great experience from booklearning,although booklearning can help form your experiments.

good experiences mixed with bad experiences is never a hindrance...if your only having good experiences your not hangin it out there far enough...if you don't make it back from a bad experience you hung it out a touch too far..

Only thing I can think where experience can become a hindrance is after doing something for years, you forget things that worked great in odd ball scenarios, or just old methods that got replaced by whatever you're doing now. I think we do that as trappers all the time.

It must be tough goin thru life feerin ankle biters because they will take out your daggum thigh

That is No Joke, Truth !

So true.
The other time it's a hindrance is when one is too stubborn to try it a new way.

Wolf, I help my uncle with very light tig welding here and there. He's been a welder fabricator and business owner for over 50 years. What has made him incredibly successful is his willingness to learn and adapt.
Last week we figured out an answer to a decades+ long problem which has costed him hundreds of thousands of dollars thousands of hours over the years.

He's just jealous because you got to live in Ks for awhile

When experience makes you think you’ve learned it all. When the big sun of pride creeps in….it changes a man. I was talking with Gary Jepson a couple months ago and we were comparing notes. He mentioned how he likes to learn from other trappers. I thought, “Here’s a guy who’s killed more canines than parvo and has reached an age where many of us would hope to make it to and he’s learning.”

If it had to be said in a single word, Warrior nailed it.

Experience only becomes a hindrance when you gathered so much that you decide you've got nothing more to learn.