A reported 13.7 million Americans
hunt some form of wildlife. About half
of that number bowhunt. Only 2.6 million
use traditional gear. From my own observations
at gatherings only about 5% of the traditional community uses the American
Semi-Longbow or Hill style bow. I think
it would be generous to say 50% of that number were shooting a back
quiver. Probably, less than 50% of those
use one to hunt with. Crunching those
numbers, I am only one of several thousand hunters in the country who chooses
to hunt with the equipment I do. Throw
in my propensity to hunt from the ground and shy away from camouflage and the
numbers get really small. So, as far as
hunters go, I am truly an odd duck, or the “few elite” as I like to see it. Interestingly
enough, just 65 years ago, I would be among the majority of archery hunters on
the cutting edge of technology.
So, one
could ask, Why do it? Why take the hard
way? Why spend hours and hours
practicing my shooting, sharpening my stalking skills, researching plants and
trees that game prefers, travel great distances to partake in unguided hunts,
practice my calls on my way into work each day… and through all of this,
usually come home empty handed. Why, when you could make things much easier?
The
answer is something inside of me.
There is
a feeling and satisfaction that only the longbow hunter knows. A point when you stop directly interacting
with the woods, and you become a part of the woods. Like an out of body experience, you are
there, but you are not. You see the
animals in their natural state away from the human eye. This feeling triggers primal endorphins that
leave some, like myself, hooked and starving for more.
As my
personal journey continued, this feeling wasn’t enough from 25 feet high in a
tree. I wanted to be closer, more in
touch. I wanted things more on my
terms. The gadgets and crutches pedaled
by the outdoor industry became less desirable.
I wanted to be successful using my skills and knowledge. Quickly, I figured out that I didn’t need a
backpack full of gear to kill a whitetail.
In fact, some of that stuff made it harder! I tried more and more hunting from the
ground, and I became better and better at getting opportunities that way. I started trying to stalk game I saw instead
of waiting for them to “come into my shooting lane”. My gear changed as well. Simplicity became the appealing virtue. My bow evolved into a simple long elegant and
delicate bamboo laminated longbow.
Suddenly I didn’t have to wait for that deer to stop in my shooting
lane. I could hit things that were
moving. Wow was this getting fun!
Now I sit
down in my basement workshop and look up at various “trophies” hanging on the
wall and notice the lack of huge mule deer and elk antlers, no P&W sized
antlers, nothing that most modern hunters would say were “impressive”. That is if they don’t consider any of the
how. The struggles, the effort, the
missed opportunities, the ones just out of range, and the misses. All this makes up for it all in the long
run. Each one is something special in
the journey. I would not trade any of
it.
