A Better Way of Learning

As serious archery enthusiasts, we’re all looking for that “silver bullet” piece of advice that will help improve our ability and performance. And in today’s information-packed world, you seemingly don’t have to go very far to find it. One finger click here on the PC and voilà...there’s that magical piece of wisdom we all wanted so badly. Or so we think. 

There’s an ol’ adage that says you can have too much of a good thing. Personally, I think that applies a lot in archery and bowhunting.

Bow & Arrow

Certainly, I can appreciate the basis for Internet forums, blogs and the plethora of “expert”-written articles on the technical aspects of archery gear and technique. It’s fun to offer opinions, participate in friendly debate and to pass on experiences to assist archers in learning. But, my advice is to be careful. Not all guidance is well tested, well thought out or clearly written in order to prevent confusion.

If there’s one thing I can say from my 25 years of shooting and hunting with a bow, it’s this: success often comes down to having a clear head and feeling confident in what you are doing. This means filling your brain with an obscene amount of information can actually be detrimental to learning correctly.  

Would you give a first-time driver 25 tips on how to drive a car correctly? If you did, they’d surely goof. The same goes for archery. The only way you can execute discipline and sound technique is to have a simple map to follow. The “what,” “how” and “why” of what you are doing should be crystal clear and easy to follow, or you’ll likely falter. 

I know this from actual experience. In my beginning years as an enthusiast, I read everything I could get my hands. I wanted to shoot and hunt like a true master. In time, I took what I was reading as the “gospel” and applied every word of it.

The problem was, I found out quickly that words could only take you so far. I slowly realized—through months, if not years, of trial and error—that a lot of what I was reading was actually flawed rather than true. Or, it simply required hands-on instruction to complete. This left me frustrated, confused and unclear on how to proceed. In the end, I lost a lot of valuable learning time due to my so-called “academic” way of learning.

This is where a good bowhunting mentor could have shaved off years of bad instruction. He or she can confirm what you’re reading about, or shoot it down, all based on real-life experience.

Bow Hunting Tips - The Mental Side

The power of the mind can be amazing, but if your focus is on things like fear rather than success, you can kiss your hunt goodbye. Here are some tips to help you stay in the game, despite a troubled mind.

Several years ago I found myself sitting at a desk going through my second session of court-ordered anger management. The class was going into its third hour and I was paying less attention this time than I had the first (probably why I was attending a second time). But, somewhere in the middle of that third hour a new instructor came in and started talking about something that caught my attention.

The instructor was covering the “fight or flight” response of a human when faced with a stressful or dangerous situation—basically how one deals with fear. When broken down, the moral to his story was simple. You’re going to have one of two initial reactions: 1. Come out guns blazing and both fists swinging (the fight response). 2. You run like a school girl scared to death (flight).

The instructor’s job was to help each person understand his or her own specific reaction and then harness that reaction to turn it into a positive outcome (instead of a third session of anger management). Now this subject may not seem like it has anything to do with wilderness bowhunting, but when you simplify things, you only have two choices when heading into the backcountry—complete your goal and stay for the entire trip, or talk yourself out of the hunt and head back early.

Each year hundreds of bowhunters head west with the hopes and dreams of tagging a big bull or buck on a multiday wilderness hunt. They’ve spent thousands of dollars on tags, gear and fuel, trained in the gym, lost weight and got as prepared as they could for the great adventure ahead. In reality, it’s always easier to visualize the ideal hunting adventure sitting on the couch. Unfortunately, many underestimate the physical and mental rigors of wilderness hunting and often talk themselves into cutting the hunt short.

Most hunters won’t head down the mountain early because of a specific incident that has made them fearful; but, the general concept behind the “fight or flight” response will eventually get the best of them.