There is a part of me that would want to start this story out the day I arrived in elk camp this year here in Arizona. However, it just doesn’t start there. The area that I drew my tag in has become one of the most special places to me. I frequent it year round and have had many firsts come to life right in those very hills. The first time I ever saw an elk bugle happened right there. I remember him trotting and bugling at the same time. Like he was trying to assert his dominance over the herd. The first deer I ever took the life from happened 300 yards away from that. It was a coues spike that meant the world to me. Not a mile away from that, I wrapped my tag around my first bear. An experience that lit a fire under me that still burns bright today. Now, it was my turn to try my hand at elk hunting in these hills that I’ve called a second home.
When the month of August rolls around, I have one thing on my mind when it comes to hunting. For those that know me, you know that the answer to that is bears. Over the years, bears have become my favorite species to pursue here in Arizona. This hunt that takes place at the end of August has become one of my most anticipated hunting camps of the year. I get together with friends and family to escape the heat/daily grind of city life. Camp is filled with shenanigans, laughs, and sometimes we come home with something that has a tag wrapped around it. While this is mainly a bear hunt for me most years, this year was different. For one, we had some new company in camp. Good company and some folks that I wouldn’t hesitate sharing a camp with again. For another, I had already filled my bear tag earlier this spring. I still had a deer tag in my pocket though…
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.
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.
When I was a kid, I always wanted a little brother. I remember asking my parents for one throughout my childhood. No matter how much I asked though, it just didn’t happen. That was until one morning when I was 12 years old. Just about to head out of the door to go to school, my parents gave me the news that I would indeed be having a little brother. That morning, as I swung on the swing set with my best friend, we chatted about how awesome it was going to be, me having a little brother. We talked about the things we would teach him as he got older. We looked way into the future and gazed at the days we would share a campfire together. It’s hard to believe that was almost 20 years ago.
Now, sure, some folks might think that all hunting gives us is big antlers, tanned hides, and the opportunity to kill, but we all know that is hogwash. We all know that this lifestyle is so much more than blood and bone. If it weren’t, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this. If it weren’t, a grown man wouldn’t shed a tear at the sight of a downed animal. We wouldn’t put so much effort into getting in shape, studying maps, and making sure our equipment is as dialed in as it can be if hunting didn’t mean what it does to a lot of us. So, what has hunting given me personally?
The first word that comes to mind when I ask this to myself is, “tradition.” When I was younger, it was tradition for my dad and I to go on our annual rifle deer hunt. I looked forward to that every year and still do. From that, came the bond my dad and I shared through hunting and the outdoors in general. That’s really always been our thing, and that’s that. As we trickle down further through time, we come to my brother. If there is one thing that has brought my little brother and I closer, it is our love of hunting and bowhunting in particular. I’m not saying we wouldn’t be close without those things, but I question how our relationship would be if they were absent of it. It seems like every time we see one another, the upcoming seasons are brought up, and with it, everything that revolves around them. I look forward to those little chit chats and seem to engage in them every chance I get. Jake went from being my annoying little brother to my most loyal and driven hunting partner.
with great sacrifice, comes great reward
– Unknown
Aside from family, hunting has shined light on the quote “with great sacrifice, comes great reward.” I knew what that meant, but had never been slammed in the face with it until I started hunting. The more effort I put into a hunt, the more rewarding it is in the end. That doesn’t mean that as long as I put in hard work, I’m gonna fill my tag. For me, it means that I will come out of that experience with way more than I went in with. Not all rewards on a hunt have a trail of blood that is linked to them.
Lastly, I cannot ask myself this question without talking about the meat. The organic protein that we acquire in the field is what made me make the decision to really dive head first into hunting and look at it as more than the annual deer hunts I was going on. I had the goal of providing myself and future children, should they decide to eat meat, with the most free range, organic protein on the planet. For me, with age has come more concern for my overall health. Every year that goes by, I care more and more about what I put into my body and physical fitness. I am by no means a professional athlete, but am someone who has started to train regularly and cares more and more about nutrition. If you have never experienced what it’s like to sit down and eat something that you put so much effort into harvesting, you are indeed missing out. It really brings everything full circle and makes you appreciate that animal and those experiences even more.
Now, that I’ve gone through all of that, I want to change the first word that comes to my mind, when asked this question, from “tradition” to “GRATEFUL.” I am truly grateful for all of these things that hunting has given me to this point. From life lessons to a healthier lifestyle, I look forward to what the future holds. Remember though, that there is no future of hunting without us. Use the things that hunting has given you as a driving force to keep it alive and well. Speak out when needed, and educate others when you can. Now, it’s your turn. What has hunting given you?
Even though I was set up to stay out for 3 days solo, I told my wife, the night before I left, that I would be home tomorrow night, and that I was gonna fill my tag in the morning. I’m not one to be cocky, but I was so determined to fill my tag that I was trying to convince myself that I KNEW that I was going to “get it done.” Up until this point, I had only been served “Failure” with a side of “Almost.” Failure and bow hunting go together like bows and arrows and I was very familiar with all of them. Another thing that comes with all of that head scratching though is education. One does not pick up a set of car keys and automatically know how to drive. The only word that comes to mind when I think of spot and stalk archery deer hunting is “Humbling.” You will be humbled whether you fill your tag or not. That is exactly what I felt when I was a mile from my truck on my first morning, spotted a lone buck, and then realized that I had forgotten my tag and licence in the truck.
If you’ve been following along with me for the past few years, then you know how much of a bear nut I am. Last year I wrote a story called Canyon Bruins, which took you along the epic journey that was my 2015 season. If you read that story then you know that is when I was able to harvest my first black bear. On that morning, we were able to see 9 bears in about an hour and a half, all within 300 yards of each other. Everything from the shot to the packout was nothing short of an adventure. It took me 3 years to find a good bear spot here in AZ, so you can imagine how excited I was to get back to that magical hell hole that these Canyon Bruins called home for the 2016 season.
I’ve decided to do something a bit different for this post then previous ones that went over my hunts. On this trip, I actually kept a journal while out in the field and I think it turned out pretty neat. I might end up doing this a lot more in the future, just because of the genuine point of view that it offers with the play by play perspective. This was not only my first out of state hunt, it was my first archery elk hunt, along with my first extended backpack hunt. My brother and I packed into the Colorado backcountry for a week in hopes of making some awesome memories and arrowing my first bull. We ended up doing both…..technically. Enjoy.
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