We are currently coming up on the middle of August as I sit here and write this. If you are anything like me, you have been salivating for months anticipating what is to come. I’ve been shooting my bow all year long, dialing in gear, and making sure that I stay in the best shape that I can. Preparation is key. One of those gear items that I think is beyond important to get squared away is your boots. Our boots are our wheels essentially on our trips through the mountains. If you don’t spend the proper amount of time and take the necessary precautions with boots, you might be in for a world of hurt come your hunt. If you feet go out, your hunt might follow. Nobody wants that. Let’s take a look at 5 tips for choosing a hunting boot.
As a person goes through the learning process of anything, I think it is only natural to want to soak up as much info as possible. Be it through the internet, magazines, books, or just having a chat with someone that is more experienced than you on the matter. I turned to all of these outlets when I first started bowhunting. We live in a day and age where we have an endless amount of information at our fingertips. Anything that we want to know is just a few clicks and swipes away. Aside from the intel I gained through the internet, there were a few books that stood out to me though. Books that I continue to read over and over again. They are timeless.
The thought to increase the draw weight on my bow when I was younger was not one that ran across my mind often. In fact, I was pretty stuck on never raising my poundage above 60 pounds. As I went farther down the road that is bowhunting though, I quickly decided that it was something I wanted to look into. Why? Well, for one I would be able to deliver more kinetic energy downrange, which would result in better penetration. As an avid bowhunter, I always hope for a complete pass through on animals and this would aid in that. Another reason was specifically for longer range shots. This would increase my arrow speed. Increasing draw weight would close the gaps between my pins, which would give me the ability to shoot even farther than before. That is something I’ve really began to love over the years. Watching my arrow sail into its mark from 100 yards is a great feeling.
Since I dove down the rabbit hole that is my hunting blog and creating content in general, a constant question that lands itself in my inbox is how one goes about starting to do these things. The simple answer to this is to take a page out of Nike’s book and “JUST DO IT.” However, there can be quite a few moving pieces in that question. For instance, what kind of content do you want to create? Do you want to help people out and be a resource for folks? Are you looking to tell your own story and inspire others? Is your cup of tea video or writing? These, along with others, are all questions that need to be answered before diving down the rabbit hole I mentioned earlier.
The term “OTC Tags” is one that is growing more popular everyday in the hunting community. For those of you that don’t know what that stands for, it means “over the counter.” It is getting increasingly harder to draw tags through lottery systems. I don’t think it is going to start heading in the other direction anytime soon. We spend a ton of money every year on bows, clothing, optics, you name it. Hours and hours are spent at the range shooting our rifles and sighting in our archery equipment. For a lot of folks, myself included, it is disheartening when you invest so much time and money into something, only to be told you can’t go hunting this season. Not going hunting is just not an option on the table in my house. This is why I focus most of my attention on OTC tags.
The next area I am going to cover on backcountry hunting is water and water filtration. You cannot get through a backpack hunt without water, so this is not something to turn your nose up at.
When I was a kid, I remember longing to drink straight from a creek or other wild body of water. Like hunting for your own food, it was one of those things that captivated me. I loved adventure movies that took place in the mountains and watched folks more than once, reach down into a stream with cupped hands, bring that ice cold mountain water up to their mouths, and drink it in. Man, I wanted to do that! Eventually, my wild dreams would come true!
I feel like the only way for me to tell you why you need to consider hunting with a bow, is to tell you how I got hooked on it myself. Let us begin!
It wasn’t until around 15 years of age that the bow ended up snuggling its way into my life. It did so for the simple fact that my dad was sick and tired of not drawing rifle deer tags here in Arizona(We ended up moving out here from New York when I was 9). Archery deer tags in AZ can be purchased “over the counter.” That was something that we definitely wanted to get our hands on the following season. So, we bought some bows and started practicing religiously in the backyard. It was pretty cool shooting a bow for the first time. I remember thinking how hard it was to pull the string back and come to full draw. I also remember being amazed when I let the arrow go. The flight of the arrow captured my attention.
Food in the backcountry is one of those things that can both lift your spirit and your performance. Having a nice hot meal at the end of a long day just plain makes me feel better. When I might be feeling discouraged in the middle of the day, a cup of coffee just has a way of improving my overall mood. For that reason, I think it is important to not just throw a bunch of random stuff in a bag and call it good. You need to know how much food to bring, what food to bring, and you need to actually like what you are planning to eat. Backpack hunting is a strenuous game that demands refueling, so it is our job to do just that.
The 2017 Fall hunting season is dangling out ahead of us and is nearly in reach. Some of us, myself included, have already started doing the necessary homework to try and ensure our best chances of success. Burning holes with our eyes into our maps, working on our shooting, and buying new gear. For some of you, this might be your first season jumping into the world that is backcountry hunting. Let me say, I am excited for you! It’s a whole new look on things when you have camp on your back and bow in hand.
Over my years of black bear hunting there is a consistent theme that wafts its way past my ears every now and then. On multiple occasions, after posting a successful bear hunting photo, folks have asked me, “Why did you shoot a bear? You can’t eat bear.” This leaves me puzzled every time I hear it. Their surprise after I tell them I eat bear a few times a week never gets old though. So, with this piece, I want to lay that question to rest.
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