Zen Hunting

Ultimate Health Guide 2023

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General Health Overview

The purpose of this article is to share the basics of optimal health based on many years of personal study. This applies to hunting for one major reason:  A hunter is an athlete. Hunting big bucks in the modern era means having the physical ability to go wherever they go. In addition to physical conditioning, a huntermust optimize general health as well.

We’re currently living in toxic times. The air, water, and especially modern food are becoming a toxic waste dump compared to just a few decades ago. Diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity are more rampant than ever before in human history. Simultaneously, life expectancy has begun to decline in just the last decade despite great leaps and bounds in medical advancements. How can this be?

It’s primarily due to our poor diets and sedentary lifestyles. Eating lots of processed foods, and most other store-bought foods that are laced with GMOs and toxins, will inevitably degrade ones health, leaving you trapped in a decrepit skin-prison.

Optimizing health becomes a higher priority as we age. Therefore, fostering a healthy diet and active lifestyle should be a daily priority. We all get old, but we don’t have to become aged. We just need to eat healthy, eat less, stress less, sleep more, and exercise more.

A Personal Quest for Health

Several years ago I was suffering from violent blood sugar swings, mostly due to poor diet and a genetic sugar sensitivity. As far as I knew I was eating a normal American diet. But like all illnesses, my condition worsened with age, finally reaching the tipping point in 2010. This is often referred to as toxic overload. Basically your body has the amazing ability to deal great amounts of environmental stressors…until it can’t! And that’s where disease takes over.

Long story short, I spent the next ten years studying nutrition and radically altering my diet. Health and nutrition is no longer a hobby for me, but a way of life. Now I feel better than ever.

Throughout my quest for better health I compiled a prioritized guide to health. I call it the “Ten Pillars of Ultimate Health”.

 Ten Pillars of Ultimate Health (Prioritized)

  1. Diet: Avoid sugar and processed foods; you don’t need them. Instead, eat natural/organic vegetables, fruits, and organic, grass-fed meats. Eat more fiber and more fish. Wild-caught salmon is full of omega-3 fats and is probably the most nutritious food in the world. The next best meat is liver. We also need to reduce salt, soda, acidic foods, fast foods, and starchy foods with a high-glycemic index. These include potatoes, breads, rice, and white flour. Above all, avoid unsaturated fats (omega-6 fat) found in seed and vegetable oils. These oils contain high amounts of linoleic acid, a substance recently found to contribute to a wide variety of diseases including heart disease and cancer.
  2. Sleep: Every body is different, but generally speaking adults need a minimum of eight hours of sleep each night. The body and brain repairs and detoxifies during sleep. The majority of repair  only happens during deep sleep, so getting adequate sleep is necessary to reduce disease and premature aging.
  3. Stress: Act, don’t react. Never panic. Take on fewer responsibilities, work less, rest more, and always have an attitude of gratitude. Love more, hate less. Forgive, don’t hold grudges, avoid drama and spend more time in nature. Meditate, go with the flow, and be more positive. Above all, do what you love in life.
  4. Exercise: Nothing too extreme here; just avoid a sedentary lifestyle at all costs. Walk, hike, bike, or whatever keeps your body moving. Humans are designed to move, not sit at a desk. At least twice a week you  need to get your heart-rate up and keep it there for an hour minimum. This will increase circulation, the mechanism which maximizes the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to every cell in your body.
  5. Caloric Restriction (aka Fasting): Eat smaller meals and fast often. This is the #1 way to improve your health right now. Too much food taxes your entire body and its organs. Over-digestion siphons off energy from your immune system and other important bodily functions. As a rule eat smaller meals and avoid eating to until you feel full. The average person needs much less food than one might think. Skipping meals isn’t crazy; it was actually a normal part of life for thousands of years. At very least, get in the habit of eating dinner earlier and breakfast later. Recent studies show that an average person can go two to four weeks without eating anything but water! (Consult a doctor before trying this at home).
  6. Detoxification: There is way too many enviro-toxins in our air, water, and food. Nutritionists now believe that detoxification is a higher priority than nutrition alone. Sweating is the best way to eliminate toxins. Toxins like lead, arsenic, mercury, pesticides, etc. can be removed from your body by using saunas or epsom salt baths. Drinking more water helps flush toxins from the body. Taking an activated charcoal supplement regularly can also help eliminate toxins. Eat organic foods whenever possible. Consider growing your own food. Hunting is the best way to provide grass-fed, organic, non-GMO protein for your family.
  7. Natural Sunlight: We need a lot of natural sunlight for a myriad of crucial physiological functions, the most important being vitamin D. You don’t need to burn yourself to a crisp, just get out and show some skin two or three times a week; even more during winter. By sunning yourself, your body will make all the vitamin D necessary in about half the time it takes to burn the skin.
  8. Meditation: Nothing formal here, just use quiet time to clear the mind, slow your breathing, and reduce stress. Meditation brings you into the present moment. It also reduces stress and slows down the mind. Time spent alone in nature is mediation, and hunting for extended periods of time is a great way to meditate.
  9. Supplementation: Most modern food is lacking in nutrients and vitamins, so supplementation is a must. Some of the best supplements include magnesium, astaxanthin, vitamin C, high quality fish oil (omega-3 fats), turmeric, B-Vitamins, ashwaghanda, glutathione, and ubiquinol. Of course everyone’s body and dietary needs are unique, so consult your doctor before going on any supplemental regimen. At very least, do some personal study to figure out which vitamins you might be deficient in.
  10. Reduce Inflammation– Inflammation is the underlying cause of most bodily pain and disease. Reduce inflammation by living a healthier lifestyle and based on the aforementioned points. Avoid inflammatory foods like processed foods and sugar. Turmeric (active ingredient curcumin) is a good anti-inflammatory supplement.

Priority 3

If you do nothing else, pay close attention to the first three items in the above list. Diet, sleep, and stress reduction make up the foundation of good health.

Diet is #1 for good reason. Any disease this life can throw at you can be remedied through natural medicine and right foods. The father of medicine, Hippocrates, stated the following: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Self-sufficiency is a top priority for me, so harvesting organic, wild meat and growing my own vegetables is a must. It also forces me to maintain an active lifestyle.

Conclusion

Optimal wellness requires a basic understanding of human physiology, from you organs down to the cellular level. With modern research in nutrition and biology we know more about the body than ever before. There is a worldwide health revolution going on right now. Thanks to the internet, this information is widely available to the public.

Every cell in your body wants to live and thrive. So don’t get in their way. At the bare minimum just eat better, sleep more, reduce stress, and exercise. It’s really that simple.

Archery Basics

Eye Dominance in Archery

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Dominant Eye and Archery

Occasionally I have a beginner student consistently missing wide of the bullseye. At first it appears they’re doing everything correctly, however it quickly becomes apparent that the person is aiming with the wrong eye. Even after pointing this out, he keeps shooting with the wrong eye, or the eye that’s farthest from the arrow.

Knowing which of eye is dominant is imperative to accuracy in archery. If you try aiming with your the wrong eye, the target won’t be in the right place.

When I first hand out bows, I hand them out according to a person’s dominant hand (left or right-handedness). But some people have an opposite eye dominance. They write and throw a ball with their right hand, but they are left-eye dominant. How do you correct for this? Is it better to shoot a left-handed bow?

The answer is NO.

No matter which eye is dominant, you should still shoot with your dominant hand. Your dominant hand is your release hand, or the one that controls the arrow, string, and the final release. This means that you’ll shoot more accurately and naturally using your dominant hand.

Fortunately you can easily train yourself to aim and shoot with your non-dominant eye.

The Fix

One fix is to simply close your non-shooting eye. This will immediately force you to aim with the correct eye. However, shooting with one eye closed is not recommended. Keeping both eyes open gives you a better sight picture and allows you to see depth and distance more accurately.

Eye patch method for fixing eye-dominance problems in archery.

A better method is to wear an eye patch (temporarily) over your non-shooting eye. Yes, you will look like an archery pirate for a while, but in a short amount of time you’ll train yourself to shoot with the eye that matches your shooting hand.

What is Eye Dominance?

Your dominant eye is the one that sends the most information to your brain. It tends to be the eye that gets the most use. Some people have one eye that is much more dominant than the other, while others have an eye that is only slightly more dominant. You can find out which of your eyes is the dominant one using a simple at-home test.

Testing for Eye Dominance

The Miles Test, described below, is considered to be a good indicator of eye dominance:

  1. Extend your arms in front of you with your palms facing away.
  2. Bring your hands together, forming a small hole by crossing the thumbs and forefingers.
  3. Choose a small object about 15-20 feet away from you. With both eyes open, focus on the object as you look through the small hole.
  4. Close one eye and then the other. When you close one eye, the object will be stationary. When you close the other eye, the object should disappear from the hole or jump to one side.
  5. If the object does not move when you cover one eye, then that eye is dominant. The eye that sees the object and does not move is the dominant eye.
Determine eye dominance using the test mentioned above.

Final Thoughts

Although it is possible for a right-handed person to learn how to shoot a left-handed bow, it is much more natural (and more accurate) to learn to shoot with your non-dominant eye. If you are wondering where to get an eye patch, just look to your local pharmacy.

Archery Basics

How to Choose a Compound Bow for Hunting

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Compound Bow Considerations

Compound bow technology has come a long way in just the last few decades. The brand of bow doesn’t really matter much anymore because any bow manufacturer still in business has to work hard to keep up with advancements in efficiency and reliability. Some of the more popular bow manufacturers include Mathews, Hoyt, Bowtech, PSE, Bear, Prime, Elite, and a few others. In this article we’ll look at the most important considerations when purchasing a new or used compound bow.

Compound Bow Price

You can expect to pay well over $1000 for brand new bare bow. If you’re on a budget you might consider a lightly used bow for half the cost of a new one. When parallel limb technology took off in the mid-2000s, bows became much quieter and more efficient. Therefore, any used compound bow manufactured after 2008 or 2009 should work fine, so long as it hasn’t been damaged in some way. Over the years I’ve bought a few great used bows on EBay or local classified ads. Older bows from the 80s and 90s with vertical limbs and round cams are much less efficient and noisy. This often results in animals jumping the string.

Compound Bow Cams

Modern compound bows are powered by either single or dual cams. Basically, single cam bows are easier to tune than dual cams. The major drawback to single cams is that they produce slower arrow speeds than dual cams. Dual cam bows (aka speed bows) are faster, but more difficult to tune because, a) both cams must roll over in perfect synchronicity, and b) extreme arrow velocity accentuates imperfections in shooting form, bow tuning, and broadhead design.

Tuning issues have been largely reduced in newer bows, but in my experience dual cam bows are still harder to tune. This has more to do with blistering arrow speed than bow tuning. The faster an arrow flies, the more it is negatively affected by poor form or wind planing.

There are two major factors to consider when choosing a compound bow: Draw length and draw weight.

Draw Length

Draw length is basically the distance from your extended palm to your face. The easiest way to measure your draw length is by holding a yardstick in your palms straight out from the base of your throat, and then measure the distance to the tips of your middle fingers. Alternatively, you can measure your wingspan by holding your arms straight out and measuring the distance from the tips of your middle fingers. Then divide this number by 2.5.

The draw length of your bow needs to be within half an inch of your measured length. You can get away with a slightly shorter draw length, but if your bow’s draw is too long it will throw you off balance.

Draw Weight

As for draw weight, you should pull as much poundage as you are comfortable with without straining your shoulders or fatiguing out after a few shots. Drawing a bow that’s too heavy can also lead to shoulder injuries that will shorten your bowhunting career.

Also, if your bow is too heavy it can be impossible to draw back when you are cold or fatigued. This is something I’ve experienced personally while hunting in wintertime. That being said, a bow that’s too light won’t transfer enough energy to the arrow and will result in wide sight pin spacing and less accuracy. It can also result in less penetration or pass-through shots.

Carry Weight

Aside from draw weight and length, the bow’s carry weight should be considered. As they say, “a heavier bow is a steadier bow.” However, an extreme backcountry bowhunter might consider a lightweight carbon bow. Carbon bows are more expensive than aluminum, but weigh as much as a pound less. If you are stuck with an aluminum bow you can always reduce weight by choosing lightweight accessories made from carbon fiber or other composite materials. My current hunting bow is aluminum, but I keep it light by using a composite quiver, stabilizer, rest, and bow sight.

Bow Height

Another consideration when purchasing a compound bow is the axle–to-axle length (or ATA). If you have a long draw length—basically anything over 28 inches—a longer axle-to-axle bow is more forgiving of form issues because it has a wider string angle. The only drawback to tall bow is when hunting in wide open or low brush country where a taller bow will be more visible as you raise or draw your bow. Unless you have a very long draw length (say, 30 inches or more), I recommend a shorter ATA between 28-30 inches.

Final Thought

No matter what bow, arrow, and broadhead combination you shoot, just remember that shot placement is more important than speed or anything else. You don’t need a pass-through shot to drop a big animal. If your arrow is placed in the right spot, then speed and kinetic energy are secondary factors.

Zen Hunting

How to Blood Trail Wounded Animals

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Blood-Trailing Wounded Animals

Sooner or later every bowhunter will have to deal with a poorly hit animal. An ethical hunter must do whatever it takes to follow-up and recover wounded game. Arrow-hit deer rarely go down immediately, so every hunter needs to understand the basics of  blood-trailing. In this article we’ll look at some tips and tactics for tracking wounded deer.

An arrow kills a deer differently than a bullet. Bullets rely more on shock and devastating tissue damage, whereas an arrow kills either by massive blood loss due to arterial damage, or through asphyxiation by deflating the lungs.

A third and much less effective method is septic shock. Septic shock, or blood poisoning, is the result of gut-shot animals slowly dying as their stomach contents and bacteria gradually overwhelm the blood stream. Basically the deer dies from a full-body infection over the course of several hours or even days. Oftentimes the animal is lost because it bleeds very little and covers lots of ground.

Give it some Time

Unless the animal goes down within sight, you need to give it some time to die. Even if you’re confident in a heart or lung shot, you should still wait a half hour minimum before tracking.

If you suspect a gut shot, wait at least two or three hours before tracking, and then proceed very cautiously while glassing ahead. If it’s very cold out, it would be probably be fine to leave it over night.

Whatever you do, don’t go barreling in on the deer. Arrow-shot deer sometimes don’t realize they’ve been hit and will only run a short distance before bedding down. You do not want to bump the animal, but if you are able to stalk close enough, try to get a second arrow in the animal to put it out of its misery.

Weather Factors

You do not want to leave a mortally hit animal sitting for several hours in hot weather. Even a marginally hit animal will slow down and stiffen up within a few hours, so possibly bumping him is still better than letting the whole animal spoil overnight. Just use your best judgment based on the conditions you’re dealing with.

Snow can drastically improve the blood tracking job.

Snow on the ground makes for the best possible tracking situation since blood contrasts well on a white surface. However, rain and snowy weather can quickly cover up or wash away blood, making tracking difficult to impossible. In these situations it’s best to hasten your search.

Just remember, every tracking job is unique and requires a tactical approach.

Where to Start

Immediately following your shot, mark the spot you shot from with orange tape, and then mark the place where the deer was standing. Next, see if you can find your arrow and inspect it carefully. Bright red, bubbly blood is usually lungs. Any green smears or foul smells indicates stomach, and very dark blood can anything from muscle to heart or liver. Heart shots are obvious as they tend to bleed profusely.

Once you’ve determined the quality of your hit, try to pick up the blood trail. The secret to successful animal recovery is moving slowly, as if you are still-hunting. Make very little noise and glass ahead frequently. If at all possible, move with a favorable wind.

While blood-tracking, plan on following both blood and tracks. Sometimes a deer will bleed completely internally, in which case you will rely more on tracking than blood-trailing. Fortunately running deer tend to leave very deep and obvious tracks accompanied by torn-up ground.

Inevitably you’ll get stuck with a very sparse or problematic blood-trailing job. If the blood trail is very light, you should follow these guidelines:

Tips for Following Sparse Blood Trails

  1. Don’t step on or disturb any blood specks or tracks. You may have to return back to these clues later on.
  2. Continually mark the blood trail as you go, either with a GPS, orange tape, or toilet paper. By keeping track of the trail you may be able to determine the general direction the buck is headed.
  3. In places where you are unable to see tracks, you can still determine the direction of travel by reading blood splashes: they always splash forward. If the blood trail is sparse, you can tell the direction of travel by which side of the grass the blood is on.
  4. In the evening you might have to track faster. It’s much harder to trail a buck in the dark, but if you must just be sure to have a very bright flashlight. This will not only help you locate more sign, but will light up the deer’s glowing eyes far ahead so you don’t bump him further.
  5. If the trail runs cold, consider enlisting the help of a blood-trailing dog. Dogs trained to follow blood trails are becoming a popular method for recovering wounded game. Once the deer goes down, it won’t last long sitting in the field, so consider getting the dog handlers contact information before the hunt.
  6. If you lose the trail completely, you will have to employ a “grid-search” beginning where the last sign disappeared. At this point you should be able to “guestimate” the deer’s general direction of travel. Use your GPS to keep track of everywhere you’ve been and where you haven’t. Because you are now on a timer, grid-searching should be done with as many helpers as possible.

Final Thoughts

Contrary to popular belief, wounded animals don’t go directly to water, nor do they run directly downhill. Rather their first inclination is to put as much distance between you and them as possible. Given enough time the animal will eventually seek out water, but don’t count on it.

As for direction of travel, I’ve seen mortally wounded animals run uphill or downhill. But more often they side-hill or slant downhill over very long distances. Once again, every shot situation is different, so use your best judgment.

On rare occasion a deer that seems mortally hit will escape and make a full recovery. This happens a lot with high hits in “no-man’s-land,” as it’s sometimes called. Other times the arrow may have only contacted muscle tissue. Either way, you’ll likely never catch up to the animal. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try; it just means there are times when you must throw in the towel. Only experience can tell you how to proceed.

Archery Basics, Zen Hunting

How to Conquer Buck Fever

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What is Buck Fever?

Buck fever is a state of panic brought on by an intense hunting situation, followed by a huge adrenaline surge. It’s basically your body’s fight-or-flight reaction. If you’ve never experienced buck fever, then you either haven’t seen a 200-inch buck up close or you’re just one cool customer.

For the rest of us, buck fever is a very real and formidable foe. It still haunts me today! When that long-awaited moment of truth comes, when that giant buck finally steps into the open, I feel like a little kid trembling in my boots. This intense excitement is why I love bowhunting so much. Unfortunately it’s also the reason I still miss shots on big bucks.

On my second archery hunt back in the nineties, I had a true monsterbuck step out broadside at 35 yards. Sure enough I came completely unglued and proceeded to send my arrow into the dirt at his feet.

Today’s bows are consistent tack drivers. Unfortunately we let ourselves get in it the way of their performance. The ultimate goal in archery is to eliminate yourself as a variable, and the best way to do that is through diligent practice.

How to Practice for Buck Fever

  • The most effective way I’ve found to practice for buck fever is by getting your heart rate up during practice sessions. You can do this by sprinting to and from your target. Start by shooting one arrow and then sprint to the target, pull the arrow, and sprint back. Shoot again and repeat. This will quickly get you’re your heart rate and breathing up. Do this exercise repeatedly until you are a huffing, puffing wreck. I’ll admit, this kind of practice isn’t very fun, but it’s the best way to prepare for buck fever.
  • Shooting competitively is another way to practice for buck fever. Every major city in the country has archery clubs and regular competitions. Shooting competitively and publicly puts the pressure on and ups the excitement level, especially when competing for money and prizes. Just like other adverse conditions practice, learning to shoot well under pressure is a valuable skill.
  • While hunting there are a few ways to cope with buck fever. First, try to slow your breathing. If you have time before the shot, take a few deep breaths and exhale slowly. Second, avoid getting tunnel vision. Tunnel vision is basically where you lose situational awareness because you’re hyper-focused on one thing, like the deer’s incredible rack. Instead, take a second to expand your view. Look around for any other deer that you might have missed. Whatever you do, don’t rush the shot. Most bowhunting scenarios play out slowly, and rushing things just causes mistakes.
  • When the shot finally comes together, put all your focus into following through. Hunters under pressure usually miss low because they “drop the bow” on the shot. Instead, focus on keeping your sight pin on target until the arrow hits. Keeping equal palm pressure across the bow’s grip also helps with follow through.
  • One more tip:  When a buck suddenly appears at close range, it’s common to misjudge the buck’s size amidst all the excitement. This can lead to shooting a buck you aren’t happy with. For this reason I refuse to pull an arrow until I’ve judged the buck and I’m sure he’s a shooter. Pulling an arrow creates momentum, and when you combine momentum with excitement it leads to smaller bucks, or worse, missing the big one.

Conclusion

These are the best methods I’ve found to practice and prepare for buck fever situations. Buck fever might be an incurable affliction, but it also means you’re passionate about hunting, and that’s a good thing.

Good luck out there!

Archery Basics

Extending Your Effective Range

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Extending Your Effective Range with Compound Bows

Let’s say you’ve mastered the fundamentals of archery, but you’re stuck with an effective shooting range of 50 yards. Any farther and you begin to miss the 9-inch bullseye. At this point, how do you extend your range?

Extending your effective range starts with shooting a flatter arrow trajectory (reducing the arc of the arrow). There are only three ways to do this.

#1.  Increase Draw Weight

First, you need to transfer more energy to your arrow by increasing your bow’s draw weight. Assuming your bow isn’t maxed out already, you can increase draw weight by simply tightening down the limb bolts. Depending on your bow, this will increase draw weight by 3-4 pounds per full turn. Just be sure to tighten both limb bolts equally or it will mess up your tuning.

#2.  Reduce Arrow Weight

The second way to flatten arrow trajectory is by reduce your arrow weight. This should only be considered if your arrows are already overweight for the game you’re hunting. For example, you wouldn’t want to go below 400 grains (total arrow weight) for deer, or 450 grains for elk. If you’re strictly a target shooter, then you can go as light as you want. However, going too light can be hard on your bow because not enough energy is transferred to the arrow.

Now, the only way to reduce arrow weight is by using lighter points, lighter fletchings, and/or shortening your arrows. In most cases it would be best to start with a brand new set arrows from your preferred manufacturer. Look for an arrow with a low GPI (grains per inch). Lighter arrows are generally rated around 8.0 GPI or less.

#3.  Super Tune Your Bow

The third way to flatten arrow trajectory is by super-tuning your bow. Tuning improves arrow flight by removing slight deviations  in your setup, resulting in more efficient arrow flight. The longer it takes for an arrow to straighten out in flight, the more energy is lost due to air friction. Too much wobble also decreases arrow penetration.

Super-tuning starts with a good paper tuning. This involves adjustments to your arrow rest and/or nocking point. Throughout this process you may need to adjust your bow’s cam timing or cam lean. These adjustments require the use of a bow press, so unless you have the one it would be best left to a professional.

Additional Methods

Aside from flattening your arrow trajectory, there are a few other ways to increase accuracy. They include:

  • Regularly practice shooting at very long distances. This makes shorter distances much easier.
  • Practice “surprise release” drills. This is especially important for people struggling with target panic.
  • Shoot smaller diameter arrows that are more wind resistant.
  • Consider using a one-pin sight. Single pin sights provide better target visibility, especially at longer distances.
  • If you are shooting an older bow, consider upgrading to a newer, faster bow, preferably with two cams. Single-cam bows tend to shoot slower because they don’t transfer as much energy as modern two-cam “speed bows.”

Conclusion

There you have it, everything you need to expand your effective range. With today’s fast-shooting, dual-cam bows you don’t have to sacrifice speed or energy to get a flat-shooting arrow. Just make sure your bow is finely tuned.

When it comes to hunting, shot placement is more critical than speed or kinetic energy. Shot placement means putting the arrow in the precise kill zone for maximum damage.

Above all, make each arrow count during your practice sessions. Always shoot for quality over quantity.

Zen Hunting

Confidence is Key to Hunting Success

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Confidence in Hunting

A trophy hunter believes he can do it, and not in some cliché way. He actually believes he possesses all the right skills to find and arrow a giant deer. He trusts his decisions afield. He hunts in a relaxed manner while drawing from years of experience and a deep understanding of his prey. On any given day he expects to locate the biggest buck in the area. Having a couple big mounts on the wall back home certainly helps to boost his confidence.

One tenet in business is that success breeds success. Successful entrepreneurs often share a familiar story:  It takes years of work and many failures to earn their first million dollars, but only a short time to earn their second million. Success in any arena requires confidence.

Newbie bowhunters often struggle with confidence simply because they haven’t arrowed anything big yet. People transitioning to the bow from the gun sometimes lose confidence when they realize just how difficult it is to close the distance on a cagey old buck rather than sniping it from 600 yards across a canyon.

During my first bowhunt, after spooking several bucks out of bow range, I remember looking down at my 80s-model hand-me-down bow and feeling completely helpless. What I didn’t realize was that I was learning a lot about deer behavior with every encounter. The next season I arrowed a little 4×4 buck that had me brimming with confidence.

Hunting Mentors

Without confidence, you’ll continually second guess yourself. Which direction should I travel? Where should I sit in ambush? At this stage it’s helpful to have a mentor. If you don’t have a mentor, don’t despair; there are innumerable books, magazines, and online resources available that teach various hunting skills including locating, stalking, and field judging bucks.

Confidence increases as you learn about your prey and its behavior. Even before the season starts you need to get out there and put in some time scouting, tracking, and observing deer in their natural environment. The woods itself really is the best teacher. Learning how to identify big buck sign and habitat is key. No longer will you waste time in small deer habitat or nursery areas.

Before I ever bagged a real trophy buck I thought I was a decent bowhunter. It wasn’t until I went up against a true 200-incher that I realized how little I knew. Trophy bucks act completely different than smaller bucks; they really are entirely different animals. For two years I played catch up, reading everything I could find on mule deer while simultaneously spending more days afield. It finally paid off and I got my trophy. Now, when I enter the woods I truly believe I can find and harvest a trophy buck with some level of consistency.

Confidence in Archery

Confidence plays an important role in shooting skills too. You’ll be lucky to get one shot in a season, so you need to be intimately familiar with your bow. I recommend shooting your bow year-round in order to maintain your shooting muscles and maintain your effective range. Everything, from loading an arrow to drawing your bow undetected should become automatic.

Finally, confident hunters know when to pull out. What if your honey hole dries up or is overrun with other hunters? This happens all the time, so you need to have the confidence to abandon your traditional hunting area and find a brand new one.

Conclusion

When I set my annual goal to harvest a trophy, I envision a real monster buck with huge mass and wide-sweeping antlers. I am confident that at least one giant, stud-buck lives in every unit of my state. I just have to find it. I can set such lofty goals because I know I will consciously and subconsciously do things every day to reach my goal.

The difficulty inherent in bowhunting may lead you to believe that trophy deer are impossible to hunt. Sometimes we elevate these animals to mystical levels, viewing them as unhuntable specters of the woods. Big bucks might be masters of survival, but they’re still just big, stinky animals. When they bust out and fly away from us with incredible speed and majesty, they still have to go somewhere. As quickly as they disappear, they reappear somewhere else. Go out and find them. You are a good hunter; you can do it!

Archery Basics

Ambush versus Still-hunting

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Ambush vs. Still-hunting vs. Spot-and-Stalk

Ambushing

Because of the extreme wariness of big bucks, ambush hunting is the most effective style of bowhunting. In close-quarters situations, whoever moves first–you or the deer–is at a disadvantage.

Esther sitting ambush for turkeys.

In very thick brush or noisy terrain, ambush hunting might be your only option. This is why so many whitetail hunters sit tree stands. For mule deer, however, hunting from tree stands or ground blinds is only minimally effective because mule deer are so unpredictable. Therefore, ambush hunting is most effective only after you‘ve patterned a buck and are able to sit near prime feed or trails without being detected.

Ambush hunting is also a great option for novice hunters who haven’t mastered extreme stealth yet. It’s also a good technique in desert areas like Southern Arizona where sitting water is a viable option.

Still-Hunting

Still-hunting is the second most effective hunting method. Still-hunting is where you move very slowly through the woods while stopping frequently to glass and listen for movement. Still-hunting takes a lot of practice to master.

When still-hunting you must vary your approach speed as terrain changes. Whenever you come to a rise or break from heavy cover, stop and glass ahead. While still-hunting, try to keep to the shadows as much as possible since deer have a hard time seeing into shadows.

Still-hunting in winter.

The goal of still-hunting is to be non-existent. That means hunting against the wind while remaining perfectly silent. Different ground conditions will dictate the speed that you can travel. Still-hunting works best on soft dirt or wet substrates. When the ground is dry and crunchy, try to step on large rocks, logs or soft dirt patches whenever possible. If you continue to get busted while still-hunting, revert back to ambush hunting.

Spot and Stalk

Spot-and-stalking is where you glass up an animal at a distance and then implement a strategy to stalk close. Spot-and-stalk works best in more open terrain where you’re able to sit and glass for unsuspecting animals that move between cover.

Spot-and-stalk begins with glassing for animals and then planning an effective approach.

A successful spot-and-stalk strategy means planning the best approach based on wind and cover. In most cases the terrain will look differently as you close in on the animal. So it’s best to pick out prominent landmarks along the way, like a large boulder or dead tree. When covering very long distances it can also be helpful to take a reference picture before stalking just in case you get turned around.

Personal Preference

Ultimately the hunting style you choose depends on specific hunting conditions, terrain, and the method you’re most comfortable with.

Maybe I’m just impatient, but I prefer still-hunting over ambushing. I really like the freedom to move around and cover lots of ground. The majority of my trophies were taken while still-hunting, but in most cases I was lucky to either see or hear the deer before it saw me. It also helps to have thousands of hours practice.

Most of the time I will incorporate a hybrid-style of hunting that alternates between ambush and still-hunting. Basically I still-hunt around prime areas, and if I encounter a likely  travel route I’ll plant my butt in the shadows and sit ambush for longer periods of time .

Although most of my bowhunting takes place areas too thick for long-range glassing, I still rely on spot-and-stalk techniques when the occasion arises.

Zen Hunting

How to Hunt without Fear

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How to Be Fearless Outdoors

Hunters of all ages—but especially young and inexperienced hunters—can suffer from fear of being alone in the outdoors. And it only gets worse after dark. Most hunting success comes very early or very late in the day, and this means venturing out in the dark.

Whether your fears are rational or irrational, conquering your fears is vital for success in any walk of life, but especially in hunting. A successful hunter must learn to be comfortable in nature.

There’s no shame being afraid; after all nature can be a dangerous place. People die all the time from predator attacks, lightning strikes, hypothermia, heat stroke, dehydration, getting lost, etc. These are very real concerns. Fortunately most fears can be eliminated with a little woods experience and some common sense preparedness. But first, what is fear?

What is Fear?

Is fear even real? Where is fear? Can you point to it?

Fear is just an abstraction. It’s a negative state of mind conjured up out of one’s imagination. In most cases you are simply reacting to an uncertain future . Other times you are reacting to bad associations from past experiences. Only rarely is fear justified, as with an immediate emergency. In these cases, fear can be deadly.

Reaction to danger causes panic, and panic only makes a bad situation worse. I’m not saying that danger isn’t real. Life is full of danger. But when danger arises, a fearless man acts, not reacts.

With a little practice you can learn to control your reactions and thus lose your fears. Let’s explore some methods.

Prepare for the Worst

Successful hunting in modern times usually means venturing into some pretty nasty country. If you aren’t prepared for wilderness conditions, then maybe you should be afraid. Being prepared for dangerous situations gives you confidence and alleviates fear.

The following are some basic preparedness techniques that will  help you gain confidence afield:

  • Always bring enough food, water and enough extra layers to survive a night in the wilderness. Have a way to stay warm and dry: carry a rain poncho, space blanket, and a fire starter kit. Pack a reliable flashlight and a water filter. You should also carry a signaling device such as a satellite phone, a mirror or a whistle. If you are hunting in an area with dangerous predators, maybe carry a sidearm.
  • Having a basic first aid kit is another good idea. The most important item in my first aid kit is duct tape. Quartering an animal in the backcountry can be a dangerous task. Duct tape and super glue can go a long way to close up deep cuts and lacerations.
  • A space blanket is the first thing I pack for any backcountry hunt. Space blankets are made from a very thin, lightweight Mylar material that reflects heat. On a recent winter hunt trip I had stove malfunction the very first night out. In the two hours I spent trying to fix the stove, I could feel my body temperature dropping steadily. When I realized a warm meal off the menu I immediately busted out my space blanket and wrapped it around my sleeping bag. It was a real lifesaver. Knowing you have a reliable way to survive the elements goes a long way in dispelling fears of being alone in the wild.

Facing Irrational Fears

Fears can be also be eliminated by simply changing your perspective on life. More than anything people fear the unknown; with death being the greatest of the unknowns. But is death really that unknown? All creatures die, so how is life any more mysterious than death? Going through life fearing the inevitable is nonsensical. Why worry about things outside of your control? Why be distracted from living because of concerns for the future?

There’s a lot of philosophy here, but what it boils down to is this: The only thing worse than dying is not really living. Focus on living while you’re alive; dying will take care of itself. Conquering fear of the unknown begins with losing your fear of death and embracing the unknown.

Fear of Failure

Lastly, we should address the fear of failure. Fear of failure is very real and should be avoided. This is my biggest fear. Bowhunting gives my life purpose. I put so much time and energy into bowhunting that when I fail I feel useless. But nothing good can come from fearing failure. It makes a person desperate, and desperation causes a person to make bad decisions. It also compromises your ethics. Worst of all, desperation takes the fun out of life and hunting. Hunting is recreation and should be always be fun!

Conclusion

Bowhunting is a privilege; the act of bowhunting is reward enough in itself without having to kill something. Bowhunting isn’t business; it’s not a game of numbers. Hunting success is a measurement of one’s skills, for sure, but it’s not the full measure of a man. You can still fail with dignity, knowing you did your best.

You are in the woods for a higher purpose. You have something to prove to yourself. Fear is never a reason to give up. Back home there is only failure, but in the woods there is glory.

Uncategorized, Zen Hunting

Field Care: Quartering and Packing

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Packing out a heavy mule deer.

Quartering and Packing

In the old days hunters often avoided hunting too far from roads simply because it would be too difficult to drag the animal out if they got one. A lot has changed since then. Today, backcountry hunters quarter or bone out their meat and then pack it out in a trip or two.

Quartering means removing the skin, all four quarters, the back-straps, and whatever other parts you wish to keep, including the ribs, neck meat, liver, heart, etc.

Boning means removing meat from the bones. Boning reduces pack weight by several pounds, but this method has its drawbacks. First, boning takes time to do it correctly. Secondly, it exposes even more meat to contamination from dirt, bugs, and hair. For this reason I advise against boning meat unless absolutely necessary.

Quartering and hanging an animal is much more sensible than gutting and dragging the animal out whole. A boned-out mule deer weighs about 90 pounds and can be packed out in a single trip if necessary.

An elk is about 3.5X larger than a deer. Boned or not, an elk will take two people several trips to pack it out. Whatever the case, just be sure you have an exit plan before launching an arrow.

The basics of quartering big game can be learned from numerous video tutorials found online. Then it’s just a matter of practice.

Quartering can be a daunting or even dangerous task when performed alone, especially on slippery or uneven terrain. Until you’ve gained some experience, try to enlist some help from fellow hunters for tasks like holding legs and hanging quarters. With a little practice, it can be accomplished alone.

Temperature and Spoilage

Heat is the number one concern with meat care. Bacteria grow  exponentially on a carcass if allowed to stay warm too long. Meat begins to spoil in temperatures above 40 degrees (fridge temperature). In 90-degree weather—which coincides with many archery seasons—meat can spoil in single a day.

The higher the ambient air temperature, the greater chance of spoilage. Ambient air temperature determines how much time you have to get quarters packed out and loaded into coolers.

When daytime temperatures are above 70 degrees, the animal should be packed out within 24 hours. If daytime temperatures are  below 50 degrees, you can take your time, even several days if needed.

Other than rapidly cooling your meat, there are a couple additional ways to extend meat freshness. First, there’s a company out there that makes anti-microbial game bags. These bags can help slow bacteria spread on the surface of the meat where most  contamintatin takes place. Second, when flies are an issue, simply rub black pepper all over the surface of the meat.

Quartering Tools

Be sure to carry the right tools for quartering your animal. This includes a very sharp hunting knife with a built-in gut hook, a lightweight folding bone saw, a knife sharpener, and a 4-pack of lightweight game bags.

My favorite knife for skinning is the Outdoor Edge Swingblade. The locking blade converts to a dedicated gutting knife. Besides gutting, this extra blade easily unzips the hide and cape without cutting too much hair.

Outdoor Edge Swingblade skinning knife and gutting blade.

Some hunters prefer razor knives with replaceable blades like the Havalon models. Havalons are extremely sharp and capable of breaking down even the largest animals. But they aren’t ideal for skinning as they can easily cut through the hide.

I personally carry a small surgeon’s scalpel with cheap replaceable blades and use it in conjunction with my skinning/gutting knife. The scalpel is especially useful for caping and removing the hide from delicate facial areas.

Lightweight surgeon’s scalpel w/ replaceable blades.

Cooling Your Meat

The first step in cooling meat is to open the chest cavity and use a stick to spread the rib cage apart. Next, skin the carcass as soon as possible. The hair and hide is very good at insulating and will hold heat for a long time. An elk carcass left with the hide on can spoil even when left lying on snow.

Skinning is best accomplished systematically as you remove quarters if you’re using the “gutless method.” (See YouTube for videos on the gutless method). In this fashion, the hide is left intact and spread out on the ground as a barrier between dirt and the meat.

Once quartered and bagged, hang the meat in the shade to cool. Either hang the quarters in a tree or prop them up on rocks, logs or bushes to increase air circulation. Even in hot weather, meat will cool rapidly in the shade and will extend pack-out time.

Whenever possible hang the meat in the bottom of a valley and/or near a stream to cool overnight.

You can further cool meat by placing pre-cooled quarters in plastic garbage bags and securing the bags in a stream or river. Just make sure the sun isn’t hitting the bags as they can heat up even when submerged.

Finally, consider packing the meat out at night as this can keep both you and your meat from overheating.

Once the meat is hung you will need to figure out how many pack-out trips it’s going to take. This depends on your physical conditioning, distance, and terrain. Try to figure out how much weight you can safely carry long distances before going afield.

When dealing with trophy animals, the head, antlers and hide will add significantly more weight. You can always remove the antlers and cape from the head in the field, but take extreme care. Without adequate caping experience you could easily damage or ruin your trophy cape.

Using Pack Animals

Whenever possible try to enlist a number of friends and/or pack animals for the job. With today’s lightweight frame packs there’s practically nothing you and a couple buddies can’t pack out given enough time. The problem with backcountry hunts is that you may not have enough time to get the animal out before it spoils. This is where pack animals come in handy.

For backcountry wilderness hunts, consider hiring a horse packer. My brother once harvested a 2000 pound bison at the bottom of a snowy chasm. Retrieving his once-in-a-lifetime animal was only made possible by hiring a horse packer. It costed several hundred dollars, but was well worth the expense.

Horse packers with bison.

Another option is renting llamas or pack goats. My brother has a string of pack goats that have proven invaluable for packing elk out of the backcountry.

Having a couple horses will open up the vast wilderness to more hunting opportunities. Legendary trophy hunters like Kirt Darner and Robby Denning frequently relied on horses, not only for access, but for getting their trophies out of the backcountry.

The biggest drawback to owning pack animals is the year-round expense and maintenance involved, not to mention the burden of caring for them afield. But in my opinion, these trade-offs are tolerable if it means consistent success on trophy bucks.

Conclusion

It’s much easier to spend a couple extra days packing a critter out of some hell hole than hunting easy-access country for weeks on end without success. You just need to have an exit plan. This means being in good enough shape for an arduous pack-out, or using pack animals for the task.

Archery, Zen, and Hunting