It’s that time of year. When people are making New Year’s Resolutions and building their aspirations for the coming 12 months. Right after hunting season and the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it feels like the right time for a fresh start. I get it, and I’m no exception. I’ve got aspirations of my own, and because this is my blog, I’m going to share some thoughts I’ve had on the New Year and the goals I have in my sights.
It’s getting close now. I’ve been waiting all year for this and it’s about to be go time. Since I drew my elk tag back in February I’ve been daydreaming about hitting the hills with my bow. Getting another opportunity at an Arizona bull of my own and immersing myself in the whole experience. There are some things that need to be in order before leaving though. Hunting Preparation is not just about hunting.
I recently scratched down a post titled My Biggest Archery Issues, so it’s only natural to write another that reflects bowhunting specifically. Bowhunting is a never-ending journey for me and I don’t think I’ll ever master it. There is no shortage of ways to screw up an archery hunt, and I’ve been fortunate to be on more than a few of those receiving ends. Sometimes they make me feel downright helpless. The only way to improve in these areas, though, is to acknowledge them and act. So, down below I’m going to dive into a pool of reflection filled with My Biggest Bowhunting. At the end of this personal therapy session, I hope it drives you to tackle your own shortcomings and inevitably get better from doing so.
While self-preservation and my own hunting success are incredibly important to me, hunting doesn’t end with me, and it doesn’t end with you either. In order to keep this train rolling, we’ve gotta have the fuel to do it. That means more numbers and that means more hunters. We are a dying breed and if we don’t think about hunter recruitment, we’ll suffocate beneath the surface we once knew.
In this day and age that we live in, we have so many resources at our fingertips. Anything that you want to know is likely only a few taps or clicks away. The information is almost endless, and I love it. For us hunters, there is no shortage of captivating content to fuel our passion. Throughout that content a word that you might hear over and over again, is “backcountry.” It has become more and more popular as time has gone on and is now a regular part of many hunters’ vernacular. The world of “backcountry” hunting is a growing one. People want to feel and experience the adventure that it holds. So, what does it mean? What is the “backcountry?”
A great deal of my time as a youngster was spent in front of a TV watching hunting and fishing shows. I just couldn’t get enough of them. On Saturday mornings, I would get up way before the sun came up just so I could start watching outdoor television all morning long. Saturday cartoons? Nope. Immersing myself in these adventures lit a fire in me from a young age. For hours on end I would live vicariously through various hunters and anglers in my TV screen. They inspired me to learn more about this stuff and to be out in the field as much as possible. Almost to the point of me getting bad grades, because it was all I could think about. That fire inside would soon turn into an explosion once I hit my mid twenties.
I am going to go ahead and say that “Backcountry Hunting” is the cool thing to do right now. Rightfully so! I think it is pretty cool myself! The ultimate, most hardcore hunt right? A truly wild experience, living out of nothing more than what is in your backpack. The promise of adventure coupled with the anxiety of the unknown. You see it all over social media about how more and more folks are getting into backpack hunting. I personally think it is great. Good on them for wanting to take on such a demanding endeavor. This desire is oftentimes paired with a sudden need to start hitting the gym. If you have ever backpack hunted, you know why. Again, I love hearing this. People bettering their lives and pushing their limits in the name of hunting. In a world where more and more folks are glued to the couch instead of outside, this is definitely a plus in my book.
If I had a dollar for every time that I vented to my wife about how I didn’t know what weapon I wanted to use on a certain hunt, I’d have a lot of dollars. For some reason, I get into these modes where my indecisiveness takes over and trying to get myself to agree on using either a rifle or a bow is like pulling teeth. I have these internal struggles, because of 2 things. The first is, at heart, I am no doubt a bowhunter. The thrill of trying to get close to an unaware animal and having to deal with the adrenaline dump that comes with trying to execute your shot, is something that one can only know if they’ve done it before.
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.
If it wasn’t for my dad getting me into the outdoors all of those years ago, who knows if it would have caught me like it did. Some people are just naturally drawn to hunting and fishing for one reason or the other, but it is my understanding that most of us were introduced by some type of mentor. Whether it was a father, other family member, or a best friend is irrelevant. What is relevant is that, whoever it was, took the time to light the way for us and pass on the tradition. They are the ones that showed us how to do things like bait a hook or recognize a deer track. I don’t know about you, but I sure as heck wasn’t born just knowing how to do these things.
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