Sitting here spending my 3rd hour of the day looking at OnX maps of some public land and had a thought pop in my head I think we’ve all thought.
I’ve been bowhunting since I was 15, I’m 27 now. From age 15-22 I hunted strictly private land, pre-made tree stand sets, feeders, hell I even went to Africa on a bow hunt that highly caters to the type of bow hunter I was then. Not that there’s ANYTHING at all wrong with that style of hunting, but I sure am glad I took the plunge into scouting and hunting public land. I feel like my interest and passion for the sport has hit an all time high the last few years and it’s mostly due to falling in love with the leg work, with the feeling that I’m crazy for walking in with gear draped all over me and sweating so much, with the high that comes with even SEEING deer. It almost seems like that buck/doe that walks by in a public set was meant for me and I give more credit to myself for having it happen. I’ve shot a 140” public buck in Oklahoma and a 107” public buck in north Texas and both mean just as much to me, and both certainly mean more to me than the 62” kudu I took sitting over a water hole with a guide next to me in South Africa (I know that sounds asinine but it absolutely is the truth).
Anyways, headed to Arizona this August for an OTC Muley hunt and I’ve narrowed down the exact 2 basins and water holes I want to glass over. Now just to map out my hike in/out, tent set up, exact glassing points, drive times between these areas, and looking in my backcountry pack for the 4th time to make sure I have everything. I love this ish. Now back to OnX!
I’ve been bowhunting since I was 15, I’m 27 now. From age 15-22 I hunted strictly private land, pre-made tree stand sets, feeders, hell I even went to Africa on a bow hunt that highly caters to the type of bow hunter I was then. Not that there’s ANYTHING at all wrong with that style of hunting, but I sure am glad I took the plunge into scouting and hunting public land. I feel like my interest and passion for the sport has hit an all time high the last few years and it’s mostly due to falling in love with the leg work, with the feeling that I’m crazy for walking in with gear draped all over me and sweating so much, with the high that comes with even SEEING deer. It almost seems like that buck/doe that walks by in a public set was meant for me and I give more credit to myself for having it happen. I’ve shot a 140” public buck in Oklahoma and a 107” public buck in north Texas and both mean just as much to me, and both certainly mean more to me than the 62” kudu I took sitting over a water hole with a guide next to me in South Africa (I know that sounds asinine but it absolutely is the truth).
Anyways, headed to Arizona this August for an OTC Muley hunt and I’ve narrowed down the exact 2 basins and water holes I want to glass over. Now just to map out my hike in/out, tent set up, exact glassing points, drive times between these areas, and looking in my backcountry pack for the 4th time to make sure I have everything. I love this ish. Now back to OnX!
Comment