Background i wrote this article for my journalism class for school and send it to all the bowhunting magazines i could find hopefully it gets published.... tell me what u think if anyone wants to edit or critique it it would be very helpfull..
it would be awesome getting published
Why Hunt
Fred Bear, a man known as the father of bow hunting, once said “A hunt based only on trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be, time to commune with your inner soul as you share the outdoors with the birds, the animals, and fish that live there”.
These are wise words by a man who inspired me to spend as much time in the woods as possible can and learn the way of the land. I feel hunters have a certain respect for the land we hunt. In the age of electronics most people don’t get to experience Mother Nature and sit inside all day doing nothing. When hunting there needs to be a certain respect for the game pursued.
Every time I draw my bow and take aim on a big buck or a huge bull I don’t think about how those antlers are going to look on my wall. I think to myself this is the last breath this animal is going to take, the last sunrise he will see, the last moment on earth. And for the few seconds my bow is drawn on an animal it’s just me and him nothing else matters, those few seconds feel like a few hours, And then my release lets go and my arrow fly’s, right in the sweet spot. All my hard work, all the practice shots I have taken. All the time and money spent. I get nervous and start to sweat waiting to see if the animal is down, praying to my self it was an ethical kill.
One of my favorite hunts that I have ever been on was archery season of 2010. September 1st, I was hunting black tail deer in Washington. The thing that set this hunt apart from all other hunts was that I had my mind set on everything that Fred Bear and Ted Nugent Said. Fred Bear taught me that there was more of a mystical part of hunting and that it’s about the experience of the trip that matters the most.
I was slower walking down a river bed, careful not to make too much noise. When out of no where a big doe steps out of the temper line to get a drink of water. I froze, careful not to spook her when I drew my new Mathews Z7 (that took me all summer to safe up). She was 40 yards away, I decided to see how close I could get to her before I took the shot, and I wanted to test my ability as a bow hunter. I got within 12 yards of her when she started to wind me, I froze up it felt like I couldn’t breathe, and I was amazed how I got so close. I drew my bow and aimed right in the sweet spot. I thought about how all my hours spent practicing in my backyard. Those 30 seconds I was drawn on this doe felt like an hour, my trigger released the arrow, and hit her with a loud thump. I nearly screamed like a little school girl I’ve never been more exited in my life. I let her be for an hour, and when I came back I found her 60 yards away. My deer was down and I’ve never been more happy.
Fred bear said “I have always tempered my killing with respect for the game pursued for this animal has more freedom then I will ever have”. These words mean a lot to me and have completely changed the way I think about hunting. So if you’re out in the woods on a big game hunt and don’t get that black bear, or your chasing that big fish that doesn’t get in the boat., remember what the most important part of the adventure is time to be out in the woods, time to clear your head, time to spent with your family. “Don’t base the fun or experience of a hunt on a kill or not, the kill is way down the road. You can enjoy the trees, the mountains, and the fresh air and enjoy the woods you share with the animals of earth, and you will go home with an honest feeling that something good has taken place”-Fred Bear.
