I prepared for months for this archery season. I have had my bow for several years now. I shot a bit in New York and even (unsuccessfully) hunted white tail with it. However this year, I felt it was the year to dust off my bow. I brought it to a local bow tech to have it tuned up and make sure it still properly fit me. I practiced shooting almost daily for several months, listened to many podcasts, chatted with local hunters and tried to prepare myself the best I could. I went into this archery season feeling more prepared and driven than ever. I was anxious to harvest an elk with my bow, but more just excited to learn. I hiked nearly 170 miles in the month of September, witnessed moose play in a high mountain lake, climbed through dead fall like a kid on a playground, watched squirrels prepare for winter, found and followed the scent of elk, experienced slight panic as I explored maybe too far off trail, fell asleep in the sun to the peck of a woodpecker, and laughed hard at both myself and my friends. I watched the mountains come alive each morning with the rising of the sun. I hope the incredible scenery that surrounded me, never leaves my brain. Even though my elk season did not end in a harvest, I wouldn’t say it was unsuccessful. I learned so much.
Things I learned this archery season:
Me helping Elena skin her first bear., and first big game kill.
You can read her bear hunt story HERE!
Make sure your headlamp is charged. I woke up at 3:30 am to hunt elk. I began the morning with my headlamp, wandering through the trees as the sun replaced the moon. I hiked over 11 miles in search of elk. As I was coming out of the mountain and into signal, I received a call from Elena. She had shot a bear! I quickly hustled to the opposite side of Routt County to where she was. The sun was setting as I trampled through thick brush and shrubs. I arrived on scene to help find the blood trail only to realize that my headlamp was dead. I crawled around the brush turning over leaves, looking for a potentially wounded bear with only the light my dying phone provided. Charge your headlamp/carry extra batteries.
Never let your guard down. Hunt your way in. Hunt your way out. As we climbed over dead fall and gained elevation, we were finding fresher sign. We could smell them. We knew we were close but couldn’t spot them. As we reached the halfway point of our 11 mile loop, we came up on a logging road. We walked the road for a little ways, still looking for tracks but letting our guard up. Certainly they wouldn’t be on the road right? Wrong. We spooked a pair of cows no more than 20 yards from us. I headed back to the same spot the following day. I sat in a small meadow close to the only water source that I had seen in that area. I was there only about 45 minutes before I needed to pee. I took my pack and release off, set my bow down and walked about 10 feet from where I was sitting, only to bump an elk 20 yards away from me that was headed my direction. Never let your guard down.
Track yourself. I am not directionally inclined. OnX gave me the confidence to go out alone. Although you can’t totally rely on technology, OnX saved me more than once. On the last day of the season I was following a small creek, gaining elevation as I went. As I crossed one section of the creek to head further up the mountain, I fell into a sink hole up to my knees. Soon after I was not feeling well and decided it was maybe my time to head out of the woods. Determined to not give up, I decided I would make a loop back to the main trail before heading out. I found myself in the worst downfall I have yet to experience, on an extremely steep incline. Luckily I had remembered to track myself and could direct myself back to my original path (after climbing and stumbling through crazy downfall). I made it home. Track yourself.
Hunt with multiple people. You learn something from everyone. I had the opportunity to hunt with several different people this year. Each person has their own unique style of hunting. Some checked the wind constantly, some not much at all. Some called consistently, some not at all. Some people liked to constantly move and some will find a spot to sit. I learned something from each person and used this to develop and try my own things. You can take lessons from each experience and use it to create your own hunting style. Hunt with multiple people.
Don’t get set on a destination and forget to hunt your way there. You may have set a destination in your mind of where you think the animals may be and set out your day heading to that spot. It’s easy to put your head down and go but don’t forget that they can be between you and that destination as well. Maybe just on the trail 30 yards ahead of you… Don’t get set on a destination and forget to hunt your way there.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. My favorite day of the entire season was helping Elena find her bear. The blood trail was light. I was exhausted from my own hunt but couldn’t have been more excited for her. The emotions were high, her first big game kill, a light blood trail and darkness was surrounding us. I would have spent three days helping her find her bear if needed. The elation she had when we found it was contagious. For myself and many other hunters, it’s not about the harvest as much as it is the experience. People are more willing to help than you realize. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
This is only a few of the hundreds of things I learned this year. The natural world is absolutely incredible and has more lessons to teach than any book. Getting out there is intimidating. Do what you can to best prepare yourself for the elements, be smart about it, but mostly importantly, just get out there. I guarantee you will learn something every time you do. I’m anxious to add to these experiences in my hunt for the great shadow walker next year. Until then, I’m going to focus on my next attempt to put meat in the freezer: Indiana Whitetail.
Jaime Barton, Co-Founder of Rocky Mountain Sportswomen
Jaime ended up being successful during her archery hunt in Indiana and managed put down a delicious doe to bring home to her freezer!
Way to go Jaime!
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