I push a bit harder because I truely enjoy what I'm doing. If I push so hard some of that enjoyment goes away, well, I quit pushing.
The manner In how I challenge myself bowhunting. I love pushing the envelope and when I succeed at It It's that much more rewarding for me. Why did you purchase a recurve Bobby and hunt with It? You have more drive and determination then you think. There's nothing wrong with that either and to me bowhunting wouldn't be as enjoyable If one didn't have these characteristics.
Bowhunting is one of the activities I enjoy greatly in life. It is very natural to invest a lot of time in it. I used to REALLY blow everything off during hunting season, but I've eased that a little. It's all about getting enjoyment out of what I put in. If I get to the level where the effort in, doesn't pay back in equal enjoyment, then I will back it down. I started down a road where I put too much in and was getting away from enjoying myself. I backed things off & had more fun this past year.
I do it so I can come online and tell everyone how bada$$ I am. LOL Seriously, I just love it. It just seems the more I do and the harder I push the more I want to try and push harder. I enjoy what I do.
Great quote, an old coach of mine used that all the time. I am not sure who his other favorite quote was by, but it goes like this: "Excuses build the house of failure."
I pushed hard in my earlier years. But now that I've been bow hunting about 40 years... I just enjoy and don't worry too much about pushing hard. I go, I observe, I have fun, I shoot something and eat it. Obsession pushed me in the earlier years, that along with a love for the new experiences. After doing it for so many years..... I just enjoy the trip and doing it again. I've killed a lot of deer. When I started bow hunting we didn't have the deer herds or the bag limits we do today. Back in the beginning it was ONE deer. Back in the beginning I was the only guy in the woods for the most part. Today, I like to be me alone in the woods with the critters. No pushing.... just remembering.
Bowhunting/hunting is what i decided to take up as a kid. I could have gone that way or sports, i enjoyed hunting more. i consider myself semi-successful at this point, but 100% satisfied with my decision. I push the envelope as far as i feel i need to in order to hunt confidently.
Speaking of crossroads, Im at a big one right now in my hunting career. Its time to stop taking the "easy" route, and start doing what i need to be successful. Last turkey season, i finally mastered (somewhat of course) the aspect of turkey hunting. Everything from locating birds, to setting up and calling. This video pretty much proves that i am where i need to be in that regard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMxA9L8M9ak I didn't pull the trigger on any of those gobblers, but i did make all the sets and did the calling. Good enough for me, success is in the eye of the beholder. Then deer season rolled around, and i quickly found out that i could kill deer. I have that part down, i finished the season 3/3 on bow shots with 3 mature doe kills. Its all about the buck now. I came pretty close on a few 2.5/3.5 year old deer last year, but not quite what i was looking for. Im excited for 2010.
My initial thought was that I don't push myself.....I just hunt a lot. But upon reflection, I guess to most of my friends, including my hunting friends, I do in fact push and am much more intense and committed to hunting than anyone else I know first hand. It just doesn't seem like "pushing" because as many of you have already said, I too approach everything I partake in life with the same "passion". While bowhunting is one of my favorite activities, I put no more in it than I do my career, my family, and other hobbies(photography, mountain biking /cycling, and snow skiing.) I purposely don't fish or golf anymore because even though I enjoy them as well, I don't have the time to commit to them so I'd rather pass completely than approach them half heartedly.
I feel the need to hunt because it is one of the most deep down human activities in the world. Humans were originally created to hunt and gather. It's just natural and I absolutely love it. I push so hard at hunting because I am just so enthralled with the chase and all the prep that leads up to it. I'm admittedly obsessed.
For me, life is like an unfinished multi-faceted gemstone. Raw potential is ever present. However, the sheer beauty and value is not 100% until it's finished. Everything that makes that stone glow (e.g size, cut, uniqueness, color, clarity, experience, etc.) involves time and hard work. Each facet is cut individually, but it is their combination that comprises the whole. I strive to make my life complete, and let's face it. when buying gemstones, "bigger is better". Hunting is the machine which allows me to facet.
I hunt hard because that's what I enjoy. If I'm gonna be passionate about something, I don't linger in the shallow end of the pool. I head for the deep end!
