Ever since I was a kid, I have been going on hunting trips with my dad. In my teenage years, I would head out with both friends and dad. There came a point though, when I reached adulthood, where I wanted to spend more and more time in the field. I wanted to be out there more than just for the annual deer hunt or sporadic quail hunt. As we grow up our list of responsibilities keep getting bigger though. This proved difficult in being able to schedule hunting trips with friends and even dad. So, I had a choice to make. Either I don’t go out hunting as much or I grab my bow/rifle, put on my backpack, and head out on my own. I think you can guess what my decision was.
If you have never heard of Target Panic, consider yourself lucky, because that probably means that you haven’t had to deal with it. Target Panic is when the archer is unable to release an arrow without panicking. Panicking can take many forms including flinching, not being able to keep the pin held on the bullseye, and not even being able to release the arrow. Movement is completely normal when aiming your bow, but some people have a hard time accepting this which causes them to panic. While you are never going to be as still as you would if you put a rifle on a rest, remaining calm throughout the releasing of the arrow is going to have you stacking them in the bullseye. Target Panic is 100% psychological and, lucky enough, very curable.
2015 was a pretty exciting year for me in the field filled with new experiences and opportunities. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago, when I stopped to think about it all. It was almost overwhelming reflecting back on everything, which is what I intend on doing here. Being relatively new to the hunting lifestyle(3 years), means a lot of things happened to me for the first time. The deeper and deeper that I dive into this, the more things that I want to experience someday and the things that I do get a chance to experience, seem to create new traditions that I can’t wait to take part in the following year. There were way to many firsts that happened during 2015 to list here, but I would like to take the time to reflect on the major ones.
As most of you probably have figured out by now, I am a big fan of the podcasting world. So much so, that I almost find my self listening to hunting podcasts now more than music and that means a lot coming from a musician! They are a great way for like minded individuals to interact and help all of us become even better at our passion. In this case, that is obviously hunting. The knowledge and just pure entertainment that I have gotten out of these shows has been endless. My only problem is, as I have said in the past, finding the time to listen to them all! So many good shows and not enough time in the day!
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.
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.
Before I know it, hunting season is going to be here and I am going to be like a kid in a candy store. There is truly nothing like being out on a hillside, at the mercy of mother nature, with my bow glassing for critters. I wait all year for it. I eat it, sleep it, and breathe it. For this reason, I take practicing with my bow pretty serious during the off season. I remember when I first got into bowhunting and how I would pick my bow up a few weeks before season and start shooting. Every time I did this, it was almost like I had to get used to shooting my bow again, because it had been so long. Nowadays, I practice all year round, be it at 3d archery shoots or just in my backyard. This keeps me sharp all year and keeps me from having to get used to shooting my bow every year. Is this enough to get me ready for the woods though?
The battle between fixed blade and mechanical broadheads is one that will be around as long as bowhunting exists. The decision on which to go with literally plagued me when I really got into bowhunting and archery. Talking to different hunters on the subject was helpful to a point, but kind of frustrating. The mechanical guys swore by mechanicals and the fixed guys swore by fixed blade. Each of them had their own reasons for why they decided to shoot what they shoot. It soon became apparent that I was going to have to figure this out on my own. With lots of reading up on both types of broadheads, the pros and cons of each started to show themselves.
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