It’s been a while since I did a more personal post on here, so I figured I’d give it a rip before hunting season kicks in. A sort of pre-season personal assessment if you will.

At the start of each year, I always seem to be filled with piss and vinegar, ready to get after my prep for the coming Fall. I want to shoot my bow more and better than ever. I want to get in the best shape of my life. Any holes in my backcountry system are going to be filled and then some.

My prep before the season also involves trying to stay ahead of work. Things need to be in order for me to take the amount of time I do in the field. This involves a ton of writing, brainstorming articles, and figuring out shot lists/film ideas. Not to mention, finding time for my new book that’s been in the works for the past 2 years.

And of course, first and foremost, there is my family. With all of the time I take in the field, I need to make sure I’m present for them when I am home. Taking time off for them is the most important, like family vacations or just hanging out at home together. These things need to happen and always do, no matter how ahead or behind I am on the other stuff.

As I sit here writing this less than a month away from the 2023 hunting season, it feels like crunch time, like it always does. I’m excited and anxious for the adventure ahead, but also feeling behind. I’ve been shooting the hell out of my bow, but I made some last-minute changes, so I need to get the bow dialed yet again. My physical fitness has been good all year, but I always feel like I can do more. And sitting here typing, my daughter Juniper is cuddling up next to me on the couch. This is one area I do feel good about. Amber, my beautiful wife, and Juniper are my world. We had a fantastic vacation recently that I needed desperately. A mental reset before the season.

This isn’t meant to be a downer post by any means, but it’s just me being real with you. My blog is called “Dialed in Hunter” and that’s something I strive for. But, I’m human and am not always “dialed in.” What I can tell you is this. I do the best with the hand I am dealt and run with it like it’s going out of style. Focusing on having anything and everything buttoned up at all times is a great way to miss life going by. A great way to disregard the smell of those roses.

What I can smell right now, aside from Juniper’s graham crackers she’s crunching on next to me, is an adventure. It’s optimism for another year above the trees glassing for velvet bucks. Another year scanning deep into the dense Arizona brush looking for bears. It’s hoping that bedded late-season bull is still there when I sneak over top of him. It’s late nights guided by my headlamp. All of it is perfect. From the warm embrace of my wife to the graham crackers, to the nights alone in the mountains. It’s perfect and I wouldn’t change a damn thing.

Here’s to the 2023 hunting season.

Joshua Kirchner