At each start of a new year, I always feel like I am rich with time. A whole 365 days is ahead with a long list of adventure hunts planned. And each year it blows my mind how fast those 365 days fly by. So quick that sometimes it’s hard to appreciate things in the moment as they happen. In light of that, I’m going to treat this as a reflection post. One that takes a look back on the 2023 hunting season.
The first hunt of the year was right in my home state of Arizona. January archery deer is one of my most cherished hunts of the year. A group of friends and I packed into a familiar area and shared an awesome camp together. The coues deer were thick and the laughs were many. While this is technically the first hunt of the year, I honestly look at it like the last hunt of the season. And because of that, this environment shared with friends is always a nice way to close things out until Spring. Shooting a buck was the cherry on top.
Shortly after Arizona I was fortunate to join a few good friends south of the border for more coues deer hunting. This time with a rifle. Being a coues fan Mexico has always been a place I’ve wanted to experience and it did not disappoint. From the many laughs to the awesome bucks we were all able to take home. And then there was the food. We stayed at a ranch house and had a cook that would prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner for us. Everything was so tasty!
If you’ve followed this blog for any amount of time, you may have caught onto that I am a fan of the bears. Idaho spring bear was a hunt that I had always wanted to do. And since I went on my first bear hunt there 3 years ago, I have gone every year since. Its rugged backcountry stole a piece of my heart, as did the bear hunting. This year I packed into a spot that I’ve got history with over the years and finally laid my hands on my first Idaho Spring bear. It was a special moment for me. 3 years of hard work and now had the pleasure of pack a bear out through the fortress like walls these bears lived in. Unbelievable.
For a spot and stalk bowhunter that loves backpack hunting, it’s really hard to beat high country mule deer. From the towering peaks and lush golf course like meadows to the plump velvet bucks that walk throughout them. I absolutely love this hunt and this year was a reminder of that. Not because I shot a buck, because I didn’t. In fact, I missed a great one and it hurt. Actually, I missed 3 between Utah and Colorado. The real gem here, as hard as it was to see through those misses, was the perspective this hunt gave me. I needed a reality check and this hunt gave me that tenfold. The most valuable things gained from a hunt are oftentimes never the animals. Long story short, bowhunting is supposed to be fun. It’s about embracing the experience as a whole and the privilege it is to simply exist out there. This I love and sometimes, I get distracted by things like work or pity parties due to missing. Backcountry bowhunting is a gift. Being a father and husband is a gift. These things I need to never forget.
Over 10 years ago at this point I decided I wanted to learn how to bear hunt here in Arizona. It was a huge undertaking for me knowing absolutely nothing about it. I remember reading forums and talking to successful bear hunters trying to figure out what I was supposed to do. These things were all I had to go off of. And after a few years of doing this, I stumbled my way into my first bear. This past October I returned to the very area that this happened and was hit with more nostalgia than I anticipated. The bear I shot ran into the exact same oak thicket that my first bear died in some 10 years ago and he wasn’t 10 yards from where the bone pile was. This cut me down emotionally. So much work. So many memories and feelings of failure and achievement. All of it came full circle right then.
My last trip of the 2023 hunting season would be late archery bull elk in Arizona. This is a hunt that flies under the radar to many, as most folks want to chase bulls during the rut in September. I’ve really grown to love this though. It’s a spot and stalk hunt during a beautiful time of year and this year was no exception. My buddy Gabe and I had tags and we gave it hell. Gabe had stalk after stalk and I laid down a few as well. One of them resulted in a bad hit unfortunately on a great bull. That changed the trajectory of my hunt on day 7 of a 12 day hunt. The rest of my time would be pretty dedicated to trying to find that bull and get another arrow in him, which I almost did twice. Much like my early mule deer season, this hunt gave me a lot of time to think. I worked some things out mentally that I had been struggling with a bit and for that I am grateful.
We can only plan so much and anticipate so much of what a year is going to provide us. Things are not always going to go the way you want. So, instead of stressing out about those occasional road blocks, simply figure out how to make the best of the situation. And when you’re in a moment of frustration ask yourself if it really matters to begin with. Because here are the facts. You and I ask to put ourselves into these wild places on these wild hunts. That comes with a certain set of “adversities” now and then. Hold them for what they are. Experiences. And embrace them because we only have so many experiences in our lives. This is the most valuable lesson that the 2023 hunting season taught me.
Let’s make 2024 beyond great. Happy New Year!
Check out my book Becoming a Backpack Hunter: A Beginner’s Guide to Hunting the Backcountry
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