It seems, as of late, the podcasting world, as it pertains to hunting, is getting more and more popular. To which I say, “AWESOME!” My only complaint is having too many good podcasts to listen to and not enough time to do so. Since the last podcast post I made, My Top 5 Hunting Podcasts, quite a few new shows have emerged on the scene and not without force. I have put together another list of 5 hunting podcasts to check out. These especially excite me, because they are all mostly geared toward western hunting.
In 2013 something happened to me that changed my life. The kind of thing that no matter how hard you try, you can’t stop thinking about. I went on my first bear hunt here in Arizona. Going into the hunt, I read everything that I could about bears in Arizona. Where they like to reside, what they like to eat, and their overall habits in the rugged environment that AZ has to offer. No matter how much I read though, I felt ill prepared for the journey ahead. It’s hard to picture something standing on a hillside when you have never really seen what you are looking for. By some stroke of luck though, it happened. I saw a bear on the evening of opening day. Because, of the bear being obscured by brush and other vegetation though, I wasn’t able to take a shot. From that point on I was caught hook, line, and sinker. I hunted bears for the rest of the season and never did get another look at one. That didn’t matter though. I would be back next year.
Taking on a new area before the season starts can be extremely overwhelming. Even if where you are scouting is somewhat familiar to you, it can still be tough. Things change from year to year, whether it be availability of food or added hunting pressure. Over the last few years though, I have come up with a basic system that has seemed to work pretty good when it comes to narrowing down specific areas to check out. Now, keep in mind that all of these suggestions are based on my experience hunting in Arizona. Hopefully, you can apply them to your neck of the woods though when it comes time to scout.
Every year it seems that a select few individuals are ALWAYS notching tags. These people do this year in and year out. It doesn’t matter if they are hunting black bears or elk, they get it done, no matter the circumstances. How do they do it though? I am sure this is a question we have all asked ourselves at least once. What is different about these consistently successful hunters and everyone else? Is it their calling techniques or glassing skills? Maybe, it is their equipment that is responsible for their success? While those things can definitely aid one in being successful, it isn’t any of them. So what is it? In my humble opinion, I believe that the “secret”, if you will, is hanging out in between their ears. They have a positive attitude, loads of tenacity, and a colossal urge to never give up. All things that are mental.
The fact that I am even writing about this troubles me. I think that it needs to be said though. There should be no such thing as hunters vs. hunters, but sadly it is something that has definitely shown its face. Why? I haven’t got the foggiest. Honestly, I don’t remember any of this from when I was a boy. Maybe, with how easy it is nowadays to communicate with other people via the internet and hide behind a computer screen, the issue is becoming more prevalent. It seems like outlets like social media have decapitated any semblance of a filter. Whether it be people criticizing someone for the type of weapon they choose to hunt with or someone hunting for meat vs. someone that is a trophy hunter, this ugly disease has seemed to weed its way into our small and threatened community.
In light of Born and Raised Outdoors’ new video, Expectations, being premiered at the Full Draw Film Tour this year, I thought it would be a perfect time to review their DVD entitled, Uncommon Ground. This story follows 6 friends through an entire elk season, taking place in Oregon and Wyoming, during September, the month that every archery elk hunter dreams about. 6 guys, 12 tags, 2 states, a guest appearance by Wayne Endicott, and the first backcountry mouse hunt probably ever recorded.
It seems that the more time goes on the more I hear about people harvesting game at longer and longer distances. Whether it be shooting a deer at over a hundred yards with a bow or shooting an elk at over a thousand yards with a rifle, their has been a steady increase of the frequency of these stories. Along with these stories usually comes a blitzkrieg of criticism which is inevitably followed by some harsh words. I read it on forums all of the time. Someone posts a story of how they took an animal at X distance and how proud they are of this accomplishment. Half of the people give the guy crap for shooting too far and the other half applaud him for making such an incredible shot. Where do I stand in all of this? Usually, in the middle. Like all arguments, there are two sides, and I understand them both. This topic walks a thin line between ethics and skill, both of which need to cohesively exist is order to make an accurate judgement on what is too far of a shot.
How many times have you heard someone say, “Someday, I’d love to___________” and how many times have you witnessed that person actually fulfill this goal? We are all guilty of it, myself included. There are tons of things that I would love to do someday, but probably never will for one reason or another. Why do these things cease to happen though? I think it is just because we aren’t working towards these goals. Saying something and doing something are two different things. In order to do the things that we want to do “someday,” we must work at them. I’d love to go on a Dall Sheep hunt someday, but I can’t expect someone to just ring my doorbell and hand me a fat check and a tag with a note that reads,”HAVE FUN!” Although this would be nice, it isn’t likely something that is going to happen.
I remember when I first heard about people actually working out for hunting. I thought it was absolutely ridiculous. All I knew about hunting was that you sat in a tree or on the ground and waited for a deer to walk by. What is physically taxing about that and why in the world would anyone workout in preparation for it? My thoughts on the subject changed drastically after I really got into hunting out west though. The animals out here live in some rugged country and if you aren’t physically prepared to even get to where they live, let alone haul one out of the mountains, you are really in for it my friend. Don’t believe me? Have your luck at a spot and stalk western mule deer or black bear hunt. When you get back, you might think differently.
Not too long ago I asked the question,”What are your favorite hunting podcasts?” on social media and was surprised at the amount of feedback that I DIDN’T get from it. I did get someone that answered and said that they had never listened to any hunting podcasts and if I had any recommendations. Of course I gave him a few to check out. That got me thinking that maybe these aren’t as commonly known as I thought and made me want to try and get the word out. Below I will give a brief synopsis of my top 5 favorite hunting podcasts, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, and hopefully give people the extra push to get on board and start listening to some like minded individuals chat about hunting.
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