The Reason to have a quality Bow

  Yesterday I was up in Bakersfield, CA running some errands when I decided to go into the local bow shop to see what was going on and to introduce myself (Remember local shops are the lifeblood to our sport, see My local bow shop is closing and its our fault ).  Upon walking in first I was blown away. If you wanted a Matthews Helium they had it in your size and in whatever color you wanted, same went for Hoyt, Bowtech, Elite, G5 and more.  That was impressive to say the least.  I spoke with owners mother who was running things behind the counter and the uncle who was helping a young guy with in (XXXXXXX) bow, sorry don't want to give any details til I know more about what happens next.  Good shop and I was just cruising looking at photos and product thinking up what I need to waste more money one, beside the Matthews Helium of course.
 
  As I was talking to Mom, the had put the guys bow in the press and changed his draw length of his brand new bow that he had purchased a few days before.  First shot you here a noise, that was weird. Second time a round....this is the point where everyone is holding their breath and thinking of arrows going through hands, strings flying around and cutting faces and arms and general mayhem unleashing.  Well you are right, as the young guy got about half way through his draw snap! Strings and cams everywhere, arrow goes flying in my direction and I am ready to apply pressure till paramedics arrive. Luckily no one was hurt, only the bow.  The bracket that held the upper cam in place had completely sheared off and caused a train wreck. Needless to say that was exciting.

  So long story longer the Unnamed company wanted the bow back for testing and the young guy is being sent a new bow today.  I will say, good customer service, but I don't think I will be buying a bow from the company anytime soon.

So all in all, don't buy a XXXXXXX and head over to The Archery Shop if you are ever in Bakersfield, CA. They have a great selection of Hunting, Bowfishing and Camo products.  Plus they are good people too.

  On a side note they did have a bow from the movie Scorpion King staring The Rock, I didn't expect that when I went in there.



Talk to you later all,

The Bearded Boar

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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

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Bowfishing the Canal.....And Video Editing Wall

   I had a blast shooting the footage for video this week, but I hit the wall last night and the two nights before.    I have been getting to bed at around 12am for the past couple of nights trying to be the video the way I want it.  Hard part has been getting up for work at 430am the next morning. But for vids this awesome you have to do what you have to do.  The Vid went thought three rewrites and the final product I am happy with enough to share it with you all.  So with much exhaustion, passion, sore arms, and exhaustion here is the vid.

Enjoy,

The Bearded Boar

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"Day of 20 Misses"

  Here is the second Video in Bearded Boar Video Store, "Day of 20 Misses" chronicles my best and worst day of my bowfishing career.  I saw more fish yesterday than ever before, but I missed more fish then ever before.  Not sure if it was just me or if I just folded under the pressure of trying to self film.  Either way it was a humbling experience to say the least and lets all face it, we have off days.

  

  So with out further ado, here is a good laugh at my expense.

The Bearded Boar

Here is a link to another version to the video with different music.  20 Misses w/ Zac Brown Band

PS. Weight is coming down, 235 and My eating habits are under control. Looking forward to my run this afternoon, an hour through the fields of Oxnard, CA.

   

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Chumash Trail Run and Bowfishing

Here is my first video, ending is a little rough because my battery died after that last shot.  So no trophy pics, sorry.  All that being said, I am now hooked on filming.

Enjoy.

Bearded Boar

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From Fish to Finish

  Today is Labor day, a wonderous day in which we celebrate all things Laborious.  Our jobs, (which I put a few hours in this morning), the morning commute, the paycheck, the really bad office coffee and of course that special someone in your office that makes you want to hurl a computer monitor in their general direction.  To me labor day is a little strange, we have a day to celebrate our jobs? I thought that was called the weekend, but I digress.  And before anyone emails me I know that it was set up in the late 1800's by Presdent Cleveland in response to the labor strikes and clashes they had with the military.  But that does not really the point of an outdoors blog, to discuss the finer points of the labor movment.  So now off into the world of bowfishing and trail running, things that are worthy of celebrating.
 
  Today was an hour run up the Chumash Trail starting at Mugu Rock and the basically went vertical.  900 feet of elevation gain in just over half a mile.  Lets just say I was a little winded by the time I got to the top and I was not even half way done with my run.  It is one of the most beautiful places on the PCH for sure.  So after an hour of assending and dessending the the Tower of Babel I headed to the river for some skinny stick sling'n. 
   Rolled up to the first spot to find the alge bloom in full swing, which means no visibility to speak of.  So, off to the next spot.  Once I got the the second spot I was greated with the sight of Carp feed near the bank.  I grabbed my bow and hooked up my camera and I was off.  Yes, I am filming my hunts now and I am currently editing yesterday's run and bowfishing session.  Anyway, lots of Stinging Nettles, which hurt when you are wearing shorts, and lots of fish.  My only problem was that the light was fading fast and I was running out of light.  On my first shot I connected and I had my first camera/bowfishing experience.  It was not easy to say the least. 
 
  With success comes an inflated ego and despite the setting sun I stuck around for a few more shots and the high tailed it out of there.  Good day, exhausting, but great.  Like I said I am currently editing the video and will post it as soon as it is done.
Later,
Bearded Boar

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Slinging the Skinny Stick and Mr Fishy.

ad·dic·tion

 [uh-dik-shuhn]

noun

the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.

  Yes I have an addiction, Slaying Carp!  Sigh.. Okay I feel better, but not really.  I am addicted to Bowfishing Carp, I am a slave to the pursuit of Carp via a fiberglass arrow and a string.  I have the privilege of shooting at three killer spots on my way home from work and I am lucky enough to have a wife that likes her husband relaxed when he gets home.  So pair my addiction with killer spots full of fish insert add a dash of an understanding wife and you have a recipe for blood on the river banks.  

The Setup

Since I started shooting at the "Almighty Canals" I have tagged close to 35 fish over the past two months with my largest fish coming in at around 35 inches.  I know that may not seem like very many fish but, seeing how I only spend a few minutes there at a time its not to bad.  If I am not fishing it, I am checking it for water clarity. It is not all rainbows and butterflies all the time though, I do receive severe trauma (a symptom of addiction) from the Stinging Nettles that line the banks.  The crazy thing is that I am now becoming immune to their nasty bite,  I got hit a few days ago and really didn't feel anything.  Just a few brushes of the hand wiped the pain away.  

Disturbing The Peace 

 Please understand that I live in a spot that is as "country" as you are going to get for the Greater LA area.  It is mainly strawberry fields and orange groves where I live and hunt, but that does not preclude the occasional tree-hugger from calling the police on me.  Last time it was, "We have received a few calls that a threatening man was walking around with a bow and arrow by the road."  After a few laughs with the Officer and the obligatory exchange of licenses and IDs, I began to explain what I was doing and how it was legal to be shooting fish on the river.  I even gave him the local DFG warden's number if he wanted to verify what I was saying.  He just smiled and said have a nice day.  So back to slaying I went.

The Kill Shots

  

So there it is, Bowfishing in So. Cal, not the most mainstream sport out there, but it is the best I can do to hunt daily around here.  Here are a few pic of my conquests.

Oh Ya, run went well yesterday.  Pushed my Camo princess around a cucumber field for 30 minutes, followed by an ab workout and 100 arrows.  Good news is I dropped under 240!  That's right folks drop'n it like its hot.

Later all,

Bearded Boar

Hole in the Head!

Later all,

Bearded Boar

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