Another year behind us. I know this sounds a bit contrived, but it all seemed to fly by so quickly. A great portion of my year was spent obsessing over a spring bear hunt here in Arizona. When I get into that state of mind, it seems the only way that I end up paying attention to time is sunrise, sunset, and when the next time I can get out in the field is. This is both an advantage and a downfall for me. The advantage is, I stay driven at the task at hand. The downfall? It often makes me neglect other areas of my life. Household chores are put to the side, laundry piles up, my wife watches way too many documentaries, and my dogs turn into ticking time bombs of energy. As it remains, all is well. Just because it works though, doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement on my end. I hope to find an even better balance in 2017. I don’t plan on taking any energy away from my hunting life, but I do plan on putting more into my home life.
Even though I was set up to stay out for 3 days solo, I told my wife, the night before I left, that I would be home tomorrow night, and that I was gonna fill my tag in the morning. I’m not one to be cocky, but I was so determined to fill my tag that I was trying to convince myself that I KNEW that I was going to “get it done.” Up until this point, I had only been served “Failure” with a side of “Almost.” Failure and bow hunting go together like bows and arrows and I was very familiar with all of them. Another thing that comes with all of that head scratching though is education. One does not pick up a set of car keys and automatically know how to drive. The only word that comes to mind when I think of spot and stalk archery deer hunting is “Humbling.” You will be humbled whether you fill your tag or not. That is exactly what I felt when I was a mile from my truck on my first morning, spotted a lone buck, and then realized that I had forgotten my tag and licence in the truck.
The air is starting to get more and more brisk with every passing day here in AZ. Our “brisk” is probably comparable to warm fronts across the rest of the country, but it’s still nice. This time of year, I have 2 things on my mind. First, I can’t wait to spend another holiday season with family and friends. Second, I know that I will be chasing rutting mule deer and coues deer with my bow before I know it. Our Dec/Jan archery deer hunts are some of my favorite hunts of the year. It’s a beautiful time to be out in the desert. I don’t have to worry about stepping on a rattlesnake on my way to a bedded buck or a scorpion crawling up my pant leg as I sit and glass. During these hunts, I have seen some truly amazing sights through those binoculars. From watching bucks chase does all over the hills to squaring off with each other to tend to pecking order business, it’s a great time to say the least.
With Thanksgiving now in the rear view mirror, it got me thinking. So much has happened in the past 11 months that I have to be thankful for, both in the field and out. With our fast paced way of life, it’s sometimes hard to realize what’s in front of us. At least for me it is. For example, I get so amped up about everything involved in a trip, from planning it to actually being out there in the field hunting, that I forget to slow down and take in what is going on in my life at that very moment. I’m too worried about where the elk are or why this bear hasn’t hit this water source yet. Little things like, the fact that I am physically able to hike back into the areas I go. Some people aren’t so fortunate. Another that comes to mind are the things that I get to witness while out in the field. Some people will never get to see the steam like breath of a bull elk hit the cold morning air as he bugles and makes his presence known. That is a sight to behold. I’m also extremely grateful that I actually have the time to get out in the field as much as I do. I hear how some folks can only hunt 2 weeks a year, and while I would do the same if I had to, I can’t imagine only being able to hunt that amount of time. For me, it would feel like suffocation.
Anytime a new endeavor is taken on that has an ultimate goal to it, it oftentimes seems hard to imagine actually achieving that goal. At least it does for me. Things like buying a house for the first time. After my parents raised me and I spent so much time with them growing up, the thought of moving out and owning my own house seemed foreign to me. Life without Mom and Dad everyday? It was a foreign feeling, but one that would inevitably be thrown upon me. As with other things in life that might intimidate us, once we get passed them and achieve those unimaginable goals, we realize that it’s not that bad. Sometimes, I questioned why I would even let such things intimidate me to begin with.
Something that I looked forward to every year, when I was a kid, was when my dad and I would make our annual trip up to deer camp. The key word there is “up.” Our deer camp was located at 9800 ft. on top of a mountain. What a beautiful area. I didn’t even know that places like this existed in Arizona until I saw it with my own eyes. I am used to seeing mostly desert/high desert country. Where we were, straight looked like the photos that I would oogle over in my outdoor magazines at home. Even surrounded by all of that beauty, something always bothered me for the first day or so I was there. I’d have headaches and just feel downright drained of energy. I didn’t know, until recently, that I had been suffering from Altitude Sickness. Never before, did I give any thought on how I might remedy the issue. It was something that I just dealt with for the time being and then it would go away. That was until I heard of Wilderness Athlete’s Altitude Advantage. Let’s take a closer look at what Altitude Sickness is before we dive into this product.
If you’ve been following along with me for the past few years, then you know how much of a bear nut I am. Last year I wrote a story called Canyon Bruins, which took you along the epic journey that was my 2015 season. If you read that story then you know that is when I was able to harvest my first black bear. On that morning, we were able to see 9 bears in about an hour and a half, all within 300 yards of each other. Everything from the shot to the packout was nothing short of an adventure. It took me 3 years to find a good bear spot here in AZ, so you can imagine how excited I was to get back to that magical hell hole that these Canyon Bruins called home for the 2016 season.
I’ve decided to do something a bit different for this post then previous ones that went over my hunts. On this trip, I actually kept a journal while out in the field and I think it turned out pretty neat. I might end up doing this a lot more in the future, just because of the genuine point of view that it offers with the play by play perspective. This was not only my first out of state hunt, it was my first archery elk hunt, along with my first extended backpack hunt. My brother and I packed into the Colorado backcountry for a week in hopes of making some awesome memories and arrowing my first bull. We ended up doing both…..technically. Enjoy.
Finding a good hunting partner can sometimes be just as difficult, if not more difficult than hunting itself. A lot of things have to lineup between two people in order for it to work. This became all too apparent when I really got into all of this. Up until a certain point, I had always hunted with another person. As the fire grew inside of me to be out in the field though, I came to a fork in the road. Either I was going to not go out at all or I needed to go out alone. I chose the latter and throughout my adventures have really grown to love hunting on my own. Even with that being the case, I still enjoy getting out into the mountains with good friends and family. After all, that is how I ended up loving hunting as much as I do in the first place.
If you are an archer/bowhunter, then you know the feeling of watching your arrow cut through the air and land right where you want it to. It’s a soothing feeling and, for myself, has become somewhat of an addiction. Achieving the accuracy that you strive for doesn’t come free of charge though. It takes much practice and dedication in order to crush your archery goals. Some folks are just naturals and will be busting the bullseye at 60 yards in a heartbeat. Other people have to work a bit harder. Wherever you fall, I think there are a few things that we all should keep in mind while we prepare for our future hunts.
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