Clean eating sounded intimidating enough when I decided to try it out. Honestly, it was kind of overwhelming with all of the restrictions that would be put in place once I got going on it. They aren’t really a big deal from a bird’s eye view, but once you realize how many of those creature comfort foods you can’t eat anymore, it can become daunting. So, eating clean is one thing, but what about on hunts and not just any hunts. What about eating clean on a backpack hunt to be more specific? After doing this diet for one month during our spring bear season, I can assure you that it is entirely possible. It probably isn’t going to be what you’re used to back there, but if I can do it, you can do it too! Who knows, you might even find a few new staples in your backcountry menu!
In the months leading up to a hunt you can usually find me scouring maps, spending an unhealthy amount of time on google earth, sifting through backpacking journals online, and shooting my bow each and every day, sometimes multiple times. I am a planner, and I always have been. Not knowing what is going to happen in the future, somewhat stresses me out and it’s an area that I need improvement. I try everything I can to make sure all of my ducks are in a row. If this isn’t done beforehand, it drives me crazy and I can’t think straight. Oftentimes, it will lead to me throwing in the towel, because I am left not knowing what to do with myself. It is my Pre-Hunt Anxiety. Each year that goes by it creeps up on me, and each year we throw hands at one another.
We did it! We actually made it through 1 full month of clean eating! I have to admit that when we started out with this little experiment, I was a bit skeptical of how I would feel and if I’d even be able to go through with it. The act of breaking routine can sometimes be a hard one, especially with food. Food is pretty habitual for my wife and I. We like what we like when we like it. Completely stepping out of our comfort zone was at times stressful, but ultimately enlightening when all said and done. So, what are my thoughts on this diet?
3 weeks! Cannot believe it has already been 3 weeks of clean eating! I am so close to destroying a pizza in May! I’ll probably regret that, but a guy can dream right? My food fantasies aside, I feel awesome and am noticing little differences each week that goes by. Let’s get right into it!
Man! Time has been flying by! I can’t believe I am already 2 weeks into this clean eating journey. It has been sort of refreshing to be forced to eat different foods than we are used to and in doing so, I believe that has given us(wifey and I) more appreciation for certain foods. It’s also been pretty eye opening as to how much sugar really is out there and in how many places. Things that you would never guess had sugar in them have it. Looking back on my diet before this, I realized that I was literally eating sugar every single meal and snack of the day! So, at 2 weeks clean, how’s it going?
Hey, everyone! I have officially been eating clean now for 1 week! In that time, I’ve already gotten 2 backcountry hunts under my belt as well. For the first 6 days I’ve gotta admit, things were sluggish. Really in terms of my energy levels. I felt so dragged down as my body went through sugar withdrawals. It’s pretty crazy, but my body had to essentially relearn how to harness energy that wasn’t coming from sugar. I never realized how dependent I was on it, until I took it away.
Hey, everyone! Hope everybody’s spring is treating them great and you are getting out in the hills on a more regular basis after the winter time. Some spring seasons are already upon us and I am as excited as ever to see what the coming months bring in terms of bears and turkey. Another thing that I am pretty stoked on at the moment is an experiment I have decided to do with dieting. There are 3 big diets that are being mentioned on a regular basis right now it seems. Folks are chatting about eating clean, keto, and paleo. Instead of picking one, I have decided to try them all.
For some odd reason, when I was a kid, I never connected the dots between hunting and food. Hunting was just always this cool and fun thing that I went and did with my Dad. My young self looked forward to things like hot coffee in the dark of the morning, donuts followed by that coffee, and the possibility of seeing wild animals. I just loved knowing that we were going and looking for them. At no point was I thinking about juicy backstraps over and open flame. Honestly, I was more thinking of what it would be like to walk up on a dead deer or to see one get shot. The consumption of said deer after the fact never crossed my mind really until I got older. I’m not really sure why that is. Sub-consciously I recognized that people indeed ate wild game, but I never really pictured myself doing so as a child. Things all changed for me in my adult life.
Most focus in the hunting world gets put onto all things ungulate. That being deer, elk, moose, caribou, etc. Basically, all of things with antlers or horns. Rightfully so! All of those species are magnificent animals with a ton of opportunity behind them for the blue collar hunter to take advantage of. Arizona is no exception in that right. We have a massive amount of attention put on our huge bull elk and tons of opportunity for mule deer and coues deer, especially for the bowhunter. Those are some of my favorite hunts of the year, but they are not my absolute favorite. For me, that title rests in the paws of our Arizona black bear. Yes, we do in fact have bears here in our hot and desolate desert believe it or not. Let me tell you why they are my favorite animal to hunt here and the best hunt you’ve probably never heard of.
Here is a short film of my 2019 archery deer/javelina hunt with my brother here in Arizona. Our December/January archery deer season here in Arizona is a hunt that has skyrocketed to the top of my favorites. The weather is generally great, the deer are rutting, and it’s just a phenomenal time to be out in the mountains here. The tags are over the counter and if you play your cards right, you can draw an archery javelina tag and be hunting them and rutting coues and mule deer at the same time! A great excuse to get off of the couch in the month of January! Each year my brother and I look forward to backpacking into some of our favorite units to chase deer with our bows and soak up that backcountry experience we long for. This hunt was a wild ride and one that I will never forget. You can read about it in depth at a few recent posts called 2019 January Archery Deer and Javelina Hunt (Part 1) and 2019 January Archery Deer and Javelina Hunt (Part 2) Hope you like it! I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below!
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