Since my earliest memories growing up with my father, I have been outside , hunting, fishing, target shooting , learning to build shelters, and fires , all the fun things that we take for granted as adults, yearning to spend our free time doing these activities.
I have been a archer since I can remember , shooting a bow since about the age of 5 or 6, and bowhunting since I could legally obtain a archery tag . Having never harvested a big game animal with a firearm.
I feel that the meaning of hunting has changed for me over the year , or for lack of a better word "matured" for me. I have a different outlook on hunting as a whole then I feel most people do because I don't firearm hunt. Being strictly a archer hunter leads to a completely different outlook on harvesting an animal and the adventures that you go on.
In my early years of bowhunting just filling a tag was huge to me, and meant everything that was my sole purpose. Call me a meat hunter if you will in this point. I continued this trend of "if it's brown , it's down" up until I went to Hawaii in College.
When I went to Hawaii for Axis Deer something just clicked in me that it's not just about harvesting an animal. It is much deeper then that. Enjoying the wild places, and everything that encompasses the hunt has become just as important and rewarding for me as the harvest.
Now I have never hunted with a firearm so I cannot speak to that experience. But I firmly believe the experience is quite different then it is with a bow in hand. Having to get close , be conscious of the wind, having to have a clear lane to shoot , and executing a quick and ethical shot on target. This can be so frustrating , heartbreaking and agitating to accomplish, but when it all comes together it is one of the most rewarding feelings I have ever felt, and it's an addicting feeling that I find myself constantly searching for that feeling throughout life.
Hunting for me has become a much deeper experience the last few years , really targeting the adventure , attempting to better my skills, and myself as a person. Constant practice in the off-season for that possible shot of a lifetime , learning all about the incredible animals I intend to pursue, and keeping myself in shape to be able to experience these out of state adventures to the fullest.
I would not consider myself a "trophy" hunter by any stretch . But I do consider myself as someone that prides themselves on trying to locate older age class animals , or animals that are a good representation of the species. I find myself passing alot of bucks on the first 2 days of a out of state hunt then I would have in the past. The only time I tend to get a little relaxed on this rule is if it's my first time in a area or chasing a specific species. In those instances i just try to learn as much as possible and hopefully harvest a antlered animal in hopes to continue to learn that species more in the future .
Overall, bowhunting , and hunting in general has had a major impact on my life , and has encompassed every aspect of my life. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities I have been granted in this life to chase the animals I have with a bow in hand .
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