BowAmerica- DIY Pronghorn Antelope

DIY Pronghorn Antelope


Read it here in the magazine itself.

  We all have been caught day dreaming at work of far off places in which we fullfil our childhood dreams of taking a trophy animal on a species not native our our normal hunting grounds. Wildebeest on the African plains, a 7x7 Rocky Mountain Elk in Montana, Dall Sheep in Alaska or a Big Mature Whitetail in South Texas.  For me it is the fastest land mammal in North America, the North American Pronghorn or Speed Goats as I'd like to call them.
  I have spent countless hours scouring videos, articles, blogs, BLM maps, Google Earth and hunting stories of others taking their trophies on the plains of North American.  A lot of people take them with a rifle and sit 200+ yards away while the goat stares at them, but my dreams are a little closer than that.  I want to be able to see my reflection in their eyes as I lift my range finder up to verify the yardage of my then equal.  Game and hunter facing each other at and 30 paces, lime old west gun slingers, me the drifter and he the salty country folk locked in a battle of wits and wills.  The drawing of his last breath and the exhale of mine, a symphony of power and grace, that results in a well placed arrow just behind his shoulder at the intersection of white and brown. A short yet vigorous run from the goat that results in the most monumental event in my hunting career up to this point, my first Speed Goat.  The crowd stands in applause the curtain falls and I win an Emmy for my film on hunting in Idaho. Well at least that is how it plays out within my mind, or something like that.
  Fast forward a few years and insert an opportunity hunt public land in the great state of Idaho and more specifically South East Idaho.  Top that off with a friend who is a local who has endless connections and the ability to give much needed support on the ground and I am poised to embark an adventure that will for me at least be forever remembered.
  So now that I have the pie in the sky plans laid out in front of me where do I go from here?  To start, my hunt is all public land and though from what I have heard from others and what I have seen from pictures there are big goats out there, it is really still just hear say and promises.  But, I do believe I can do a lot of scouting from my office in California of the land and topography in South East Idaho.  Here is a basic rundown of my normal routine.

·         A simple Google search can do wonders for providing information on an area. Articles, a guides notes, and details from past hunters on a general area. You will find restaurants, archery shops, motels and endless information and possible contacts on an area that you have never even see. It is a daunting task at this point, but you need to start somewhere.

·         Click during the search click on the Images tab and start the endless hours of looking at pictures that have been posted by people and websites.  It is amazing what pride will do to a hunter, with all the advancements in technology our bar room boasting has only moved to the computer for everyone to see.  People tend to give way to much information on who, what, when, where and why's of the hunt, especially when the harvest something. Also take not of key geographical features in the back ground to help you get your bearings when in the field.

·         In my case with Pronghorn, water during the August and September is the best way to hunt them. Find water on public land and you most likely find antelope smacking their lips for a refreshing drink. So I looked up pictures of windmills, watering holes, hay fields and photo blogs.  Photographers may not pursue game in the sense that you or I, but they hunt game with a lens and share it freely.  You'd be amazed of the quality of information you can get from hikers, geocachers and wildlife photographers.

Now that the basic information has been found it is time to get specific and look at maps and more specifically aerial photographs of watering holes and hopefully game trails.  Last year I hunted and new area and by only searching Google Earth and my other best friend Cabelas Recon I set myself up on a spot that had a 250lb+ pig trotting right at me within 15 minutes of being in on being set up.  
  Look for programs and information on the web to help you set up what you can from your home. Lastly don’t be afraid to call up shops for information on the area you are targeting, search content and ask questions on regionally specific forums.  The worst they can say is nothing or no, at the least they may give you some info and maybe just maybe they will invite you over for a drink and tell you to bring your map when you get to town.

Pease be the journey,


The Bearded Boar

Read More

BowAmerica- Zen and the Art of Bowfishing

Here is an article I wrote for BowAmerica's February Issue on Bowfishing.  Enjoy.


I read a book a long time ago called Zen and the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel, who was a German philosopher who taught in Japan in the 1930s. In his book he describes that in archery hitting the target is secondary to the focus and awareness the archer brings to the task. It is not about the target, but about everything that builds to that point where you release the arrow and accomplish your target.  First, I am not a Zen Buddhist nor do I pretend that I am a master at archery.  I do recognize though there is a valuble lesson to be learned from Herrigel’s book, especially when it comes to Bow Fishing for carp, Gar, Gators or whatever your taste of fish is. 

  I’ll admit that I have had days where nothing goes right and I could not hit the ground with my arrow if I dropped it.  If you want a painful laugh watch my video Day of 20 Misses and you will see my worst day ever behind a bow.  That is a day that I will never forget to say the least.  It was also the day where I remembered Heir Herrigel’s book and some of the things that he said.  I had let the fish become the goal for me instead of the bow, the water and the art of bow fishing.  I had been clouding my head with the need to rack up the fish counts and film big fish getting drug on shore and for what? Was it because someone on Youtube I watched or something a guy on a forum said that carnage is the true sign of a Bowman? Was pride creeping in and blood lust taking over?  Not sure to be honest, but one thing I do know is I missed a ton that day and I had to shame myself by posting it.

  Bowfishing to me truly is about the skill, timing and understanding your target.  Stripping down all of the unfiltered muck that clouds what we are and do helps us to realize that we are perusing an animal that lives in another world and his whole being is trying to evade us.  Really that is Bow Hunting at its core, hunter looking to our smart prey that is trying to survive at all costs.  They say that a trout has an IQ of 2 and that a carp has an IQ of 4, they are not dumb as far as fish go for sure.  I think that you need to be able to realize that we are not out to fill a bucket or barrel. But rather we are out to fulfill something greater, to make us better archers and people.  Patience, thought, and the understanding that we are there to enjoy the day or night and let the Art of Bowfishing take over.   For me I know when I am in that spot when I am not thinking.  I turn off everything else in my mind and I am simply focusing on releasing the arrow.  It is a wonderful place to be for sure.

  I’ll be honest, duck season is almost over, deer and bear season is long gone so my attention is now devoted to fish (and pigs but that is another post).  I am really excited to start walking the banks and drifting the rivers and lakes in search of carp.  Anytime I can get ready to go hunting by putting on a pair of sandals and a short sleeve shirt I am really excited about.  So as the silt starts to clear up from the lakes and the rivers are starting to flow again I am looking to my Matthews MQ1 and my homemade PVC bow to shape me into being a better archer.  I am sure I will miss and miss and then miss again, but I know that if I walk with one or two fish in a session it has been a good day.  Though if I come back with 20, I will not be complaining either.

Peace be the Journey,

Tony

The Bearded Boar

Read More