How has archery hunting shaped you as a person?

[Ruger]

It's made me slow down and enjoy life more as a whole.

Just about all of life's real pleasure tend towards the simple side of things.

[Stanley]

Great post. The biggest thing bow hunting has taught me; I now know more than I used to but, I Know a lot less than I thought I knew.

[Bucky]

I feel most "alive" when I'm alone walking/observing nature and wildlife. Definetly something primal to it... my sense of smell/sight/sound all seem to highten yet I feel completely relaxed. It is an addicting state of being....

Good post XP... well written

[Kraftd]

Good post! As I like to say the natural world is my Prozac and Ritalin all in one. Bowhunting is a large part of my connection with mother nature.

I say that partially as a joke but do believe a whole lot of people would need a whole lot fewer meds if they took time away from the zoo that is our modern lifestyle had a greater connection with old ma nature.

This! If I go even a couple of weeks without getting outside, I can feel it in my stress levels. Bow season is sort of the culmination for me annually. Being outside is just plain good for people. For me I have always felt it is as important to both my physical and mental health as anything else I do.

Luckily I have a job that accommodates it, but I try to get out at lunch at least once or twice a week shed hunting, bird watching, mushroom hunting or just hiking.

As far as everything else, agree, very well stated XP. Bowhunting gives me a place to focus on improving on all aspects of my life I would like to improve on. Patience, fitness, concentration, organization, compassion, really just about anything.

[TN Whitetail Freak]

Reading your post the first thought that came to me was opening day 2014 when a doe came into 20 yds....that feeling of my heart thumping so hard to the point I focused soley on the adrenaline pumping through it. The deer became lost to me at that point until I forced myself back into focus. That moment/memory is the reason I choose archery hunting.

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[Southern Man]

I always thought my love for the woods came from a childhood of growing up in Chicago. I have often thought I could appreciate nature more than someone that had lived their whole life in a rural area because I had seen the other side where that kind of thing didn’t exist. Although I spent a lot of time in the woods before I started bow hunting, it was bow hunting that made me realize it’s not just something I did, but a way of life that encompassed so much more than just walking into the woods to kill a deer.

I have lived a privileged life. I’ve never had a lot of money but it’s been a privileged life just the same. I’ve watched the sun rise and set many, many times from 20’ up a tree. I’ve stood waist deep in water watching ducks flyin in to feed at the first hint of daylight. I’ve heard turkeys yelping on roost followed by the thunder of a gobbler. Squirrels runnin around in the leaves lookin for nuts and coons climbing down in the evening to start their nighttime wanderings. I’ve smelled the leaves of fall after it rained, smelled pine and cedar in the woods, and honeysuckle in June. I could go on and on. Yea it’s been a privileged life. I thank God almost every day for being able to see it, experience it, and to be a part of it.

It was the time spent bow hunting that made me slow down and realize that there is a whole other world in the woods, right there in front of us, that a lot of people never see. There is much to be said for a rural life. Sometimes it’s hard to not get distracted by it all and forget that I am there to kill. That’s my part. I’m not a great hunter, just a hunter. I can’t say it makes life any easier for me, but it does help put it all in perspective.

[Hawthorne]

Bowhunting always made me feel true freedom. Just pure good fun. I try to tell non hunters that its more about the outdoor experience than just killing. Seems like they start to get it more. I work with some non hunters and some anti hunters.

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[stash59]

Those are some very well thought out and written words. The non-hunting community especially the antis think we're all just a bunch of blood thirsty killers. Little do they realize how important all the little extra experiences are to us. The chickadee that landed on your arrow. The somewhat irritating but comical world of the squirrels. The owl that almost landed on your shoulder. The sounds that come and go as night changes into day. The beauty of a red sunset that signifies a change in weather. The stiffness of your face after being out awhile in really cold weather. The buzz from a mouse as he leaves his nest from above your head. The unrelenting crescendo of cackles as a flock of blackbirds hop scotches it's way toward your tree. How quiet it feels once they're all gone. The woods awakening hammering from a Pileated woodpecker. The slow times on long sits reflecting about oneself. The circle of life and how everything is interconnected. The painful satisfaction after a long successful day of scouting or hard drag. The taste of loin chops cooked in sizzling bacon grease. Yes the main reason most of us Beast members are out there is for those two beautiful chunks of bone on a big bucks head. But I'd bet every last one of us would quit if all it took was to walk out to a fence and shoot that big buck tied to a tree. True hunting is a spiritual thing.

[lynchpin]

Great post thanks for sharing your thoughts... many of us feel the same way.

[olivertractor]

It's a place where I figure out trials and tribulations of life, definitely gives me a true appreciation for life and thankful for what life has given me.

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[Tennhunter3]

Their is so much wisdom in the words written above. Stanley great post above. What it's taught me. Go after what you want you will mess up but every mistake makes me better and more prepared for all areas of life. Keep pushing through all the junk life throws your way and take extra time to enjoy life's great moments and blessings. Shoot straight practice stay confident and leave nothing behind you only fail if you accept it so don't. Get after your dreams incase we only get one shot in life!
There is no rush in life with a bow in my hand and the predator instinct to chase the bucks i see in my dreams. In my assault I feel alive relaxed when the sound of leaves crunching my heart rate rises to another level. The feel of the hunt every one is special in some way . The job no longer matters or the house in that moment I am the predator and truly free.
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[Twenty Up]

Good post OP. Hunting has "sharpened" many skills, some obvious ones such as patience to respect for the outdoors as a whole. It also allowed me to notice something that I wish I had before, and that was my passion for "hunting". From tracking where a big buck eats, his travel pattern to his bedding area; Finding and matching those pieces to the puzzle is what I enjoy most- more so than actually shooting the animal which feels strange to me. I probably would have made a decent FBI-DEA agent

[JROD157]

Bowhunting seems to be the only time I can truly control my ADD tendencies.
It is the best, and most common place for me to talk to god.
It has instilled patience, persistence, and appreciation.
I am a better person because I bow hunt.

Great thread

[Bowhunter4life]

Excellent post XP. Very well written and for anyone who truly is a bowhunter I'm sure they can relate to your post. It's certainly not easy but as you stated you get out of it what you put into it and this holds true to a lot of things in life as well!

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