I am looking at this journey we call traditonal bowhunting and reflecting how it has changed my perspective on so many things. I seem to take more time and slow down, enjoy the smaller things. A friend who shoots trad and I were taling about how much our perspective and whole mindset has changed, and we seem to go about everything different in the woods. Iknow bow season is just getting under way for some of you, but has been going strong since Sept. 5 here in KY. My wife and I hunt a lot together, bow, rifle and Muzzle loader, and some of our best quality time is afield, sharing some coffe in a blind, watching a sunset, listening to a flock of canadian geese heading south. Since getting her into hunting, I worry more about her being succesful than me, and get more excited when she connects. She usually gets two deer each year.This year hunting, one of my goals was to get my second traditional Turkey, ended up getting two, and any deer for the freezer, got one. Another goal, was helping my wife get her elk, she got drawn here in KY, and after several scouting trips, which were great in themselves, to see and hear elk bugle here in our home state for hours on end. She got a 4x4 on her first day, nice small rack, european mount for the den, having the hide tanned with fur on for throw also and ended up with a nearly #300 of processed elk meat to fill one freezer up. She got her buck, a nice 8 point, #170 field dressed 2 days ago, 13 yards from a ground blind. I am more proud of her than if I had gotten him. We now have the two freezers full with our garden and fruit from our orchards and wild game. I swapped some gunsmithing for striper fillets from a local guide also topped of our larder. Since I no longer worry about hunting a"Book" deer, and there is nothing wrong with that,I have 2, I feel no pressure from anyone or myself, am more at ease in the woods, and each time I shoot game, big or small, it is a trophy to me. I could have killed two small bucks, but passed on one to give another person a shot, the other was just too small and not enough meat to burn a tag. I am now seeing several good bucks on a daily basis, and am enjoying seeing them as much as I would shooting them. Getting within bow range of a mature buck is a trophy for me in itself. Rather than shoot one, when the 3 are there together, and spook them all,I am saving my best spot for a friends nephew, who put my wife and I on the elk in the county where he lives, on public land and wouldnt take a dime for guiding us, using his vacation time. He does not bowhunt, But When he comes over during rifle season, he will be in my best 2 spots to return the favor. And if I dont kill a big buck this year, another fat doe with a bow, canned up will be just fine, horns are not neccesary to sooth my ego. I would as soon fill my tags with a trad doe, than a firearm and a buck. I work with kids that are drug addicts and I teach them that EGO, stands for Edging God Out, of our lives that is. And I find that true for myself, especially in this sport. I have volunteered with the 4H archery program, and got more in return from the kids than they ever got from me. Watching a boy or girl learn to shoot instinctively and hit what they are aiming at, see the spark in their eye, is priceless.I guess with all going on in the world today, we need to be more thankful for the small things in our life, not look too far ahead for the big things that may never come to pass. I have met many fine people on this board, at the KY and Tenn. classic,and hope to meet many more. I feel like I have been too blessed to ever be depressed. Well I guess I am rambling on, just wanted to share.
Good post. Hope our trails cross sometime.
Well said. Good luck with the rest of your season.
sam,excellent thread.
amen bro...good post
Sam, I get it. I'm more proud of my 11 year old son getting a small buck last week with a muzzleloader than anything else I get. It's his third deer of his young hunting career. I've been fortunate over the last 40 or so years to have taken quite a few deer and 2 elk, mostly with a rifle and muzzleloader, and some with a bow (one deer and one elk with a longbow). I'm more proud of the trad kills than any of the others. Like you I have slowed down considerably since taking up the longbow and taking an animal isn't nearly as important and it once was. I'm more thankful for the friends and family that I'm able to share hunts and camp with and thank God for the opportunities that he has given me and for giving me such a good wife that lets me spend so much time in the woods, even though she doesn't have my passion for the outdoors. As I get older I realize more and more why my dad in his older years didn't shoot more deer, even though he could have, it just wasn't that important to him to shoot. He instilled in me the love of the outdoors at a very young age and I am so thankful for that. He passed away just over a year ago and I think of him so much while I'm in the woods. I am truely blessed.
BOB
Well said Sam! Your maturation shows! Carry the Cross. Best to you and your family.
Breathe deep, and enjoy.
Great post. :thumbsup:
Bless you for working with kids with addictions. I work for a Drug and Alcohol Inpatient facility and know its a hard job. When I see the adolescent unit and talk with the other counselors I can't help but feel sad for most of the youngsters. Giving kids hope and confidence is everything. That is where your shooting instruction fits right in.
I know what you mean about slowing down and enjoying more. Although my wife doesn't hunt I am truly enjoying my time afield more. I am noticing more and becoming thankful for everything I have.
We need more people like you! God bless, hope we meet and keep it up. Someday someone will approach you who you don't remember and thank you for saving their life.
Your story brings chills. Thanks for sharing with everyone!
Charlie :thumbsup: