Back in March of 2020 I released my very first book Becoming a Backpack Hunter: A Beginner’s Guide to Hunting the Backcountry. The positive response was overwhelming and it continues even to this day as I sit here now in 2024. Shortly after writing that book, I started another. I’ve kept this as hush as I could over the years of writing it, but it’s time to get the word out.
So, I wrote a book! This has been a project I’ve been working on for the past year and a half and I’m so excited that it’s finally ready to be seen. The book is called “Becoming a Backpack Hunter: A Beginner’s Guide to Hunting the Backcountry.” From the title, I’m sure you can gather what it’s about, but let me give you the skinny on it and why I decided to write this in the first place.
I remember sitting on the side of a cliff with my brother, being mad at myself on the third day of our hunt. We had just picked up a bear that morning with our glass and I chose to not try to close the distance with my bow. Instead, I caught myself just overthinking the situation. This led to a bunch of time wasted. That was at 7:30 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., I indeed picked the bear back up with my binoculars. It happened again though, and I didn’t act. Excuses rolled through my head about why I shouldn’t try to make that stalk. “The bear is not going to be there when I get over there. I don’t want to waste time going on a blind stalk.” Before I knew it, we were heading back to the truck, dreaming of the fantastic breakfast we would have in town the next morning. The whole time in doing so, I was frustrated. Frustrated that I didn’t at least TRY to make something happen.
This is going to be a different kind of post than you have become accustomed to here on Dialed in Hunter. This is just me reaching out to you, and from the bottom of my heart, telling you thank you. You are indeed reading my 100th blog post. The thought of that makes my head spin. I remember back when there were less than 5 and how it felt like I was writing to an empty room. That room has filled up quite a bit over the years and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the support you’ve all given me. It has been a joy for me conversing with you, sharing my stories, and even inspiring some of you to get out there and chase your hunting dreams. That right there, has really become the biggest reward for me. So, thank you.
Living a life that is rich in health and fitness is becoming way more common practice in this day and age. More and more folks are caring about what they put into their bodies and the long term effects of neglecting their health. For me, this all boils down to fear. I am simply fearful of not being able to do the things that I love for as long as possible. As many of you know, that is bowhunting the backcountry. In light of that, I started watching what I ate as well as working out on a regular basis. Longevity is what we are striving for here. So, when I heard that someone was coming out with health conscious meals for the backcountry, I was thrilled. Meals that were made with real food from the real world. As someone who lives mostly off of wild game, this was extremely appealing to me. Heather’s Choice meals for adventuring had my attention and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a few to try out.
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.
As I woke up on the morning of December 29th, I told myself that today was going to be the day. Today would be the day that I closed the distance, and filled my archery tag on a mule deer buck. The 29th would be my 5th day of hunting mule deer here in my home state of Arizona. This time of year here is a time that has grown on me and dug its roots deep into my core. Year after year I take to the field with my bow to chase both mule deer and coues deer. Every year I have a few successes mixed in with a ton of failures. Of course I like to look at those failures as lessons learned and opportunities to grow. That goes for all walks of life, not just hunting. This year would prove no different in the “lessons learned” department.
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