BOWTREADER WEEKLY: New Year's Resolutions for an Outdoorsman

We’re back, folks! We all know that these two weeks without us were an eternity, but you can count on us to come back around with something to say! (Just face it, you can’t get rid of us.)

It's a new year and that means so many new possibilities! Diets will be started, subscriptions added, goals finally undertaken and support groups built around all of them to help make it through the first 2022 the world has ever seen. It's hard to tell how long our goal keeping methods will last (check back next week and we will see how America is doing with the no-carb diets and daily shred exercises 😂) but we are helping you keep up at least one: getting outdoors.

Many events are just starting and many coming to their end — actually, deer hunting in our local area is one of the events ending. Yep. It stinks. 

Unfortunately, the end of the line for bow hunting season draws up (no pun intended) right to the edge of the carb-goal-breaking line in America — which means it’s back to being at home eating biscuits and frozen meat instead of on the hunt. 

The worst time of the year.

On the other hand, this is one of the best times to travel for hunting! Maybe you live in one of those fortunate areas that still has some mammals in season (if so, we will see you in a few minutes 😉) or maybe you’re already gearing up for turkey hunting. But, for the most part, archery season is coming to an end and that pushes bow hunting goals to the back of most people’s minds — pushed aside to be taken up again next August or mid-July, when the craft stores start getting out their Christmas decorations.

We're here to change that! 

There are plenty of goals for Bowtreader in the shining new year of 2022 and with the ever-changing technology of outdoor equipment, you can bet there are goals for every bow hunter and outdoorsman out there.

GOAL 1- Practice Regularly

This one is kind of a given but we listed it first because it is important!

Whatever your sport, whether it is bow hunting or hiking or fishing or running — it requires lots of practice! If you're a fisherman, practice should come pretty easy. Archery is a little more complicated, hiking long trails can require months of practice, and bow fishing is its own category. So, before the season starts (or in the bow hunting case, before it ends) get ready to practice! 

Find a method that works for you. Buy yourself a target that will last and go to town; start working out your muscle groups and get active so the sports come more naturally.

Set goals that are specific to your schedule and work at them one day at a time. After all, if you try to conquer a whole years-worth of practice in a few productive weeks, it might cause more damage than benefit. Space it out and be consistent.

We are with you!

GOAL 2 - Try Something New

Of all the years Bowtreader has seen so far, we can all likely agree that this is the best year for trying something new! New ways of hunting have been invented. New ways to find your range and set your pins; new ways to track your hunting and find your way.

This year, we challenge you to try one (or a few) of them!

Try range-finding with a Garmin sight or using one of their watches to track your progress. Maybe your hunting experience in the next season could benefit from putting up one of our trail cameras that sends you a message every time it detects movement.

Keep eyes on when the deer are moving and use that to improve your strategy. 

If you are really into trying new things, you may want to try hunting in a tree saddle. Yes, we say something about those in nearly every post but for good reasons! Our own hunting successes in them have been the greatest yet, and our regular customers can confirm with successes of their own!

GOAL 3 - Update Your Equipment

We would say this is the perfect way to improve in 2022… but honestly, this goal is more situationally applicable. 

In other words, if your bow case damages your bow more than it protects it, or if your bow damages your case more than it benefits from it, it's time for a new case. Fraying strings (we’ll say it again!) must be replaced. That isn’t up for discussion. Old bag targets can damage your arrows and a sight that wobbles on your bow randomly just isn’t going to work.

It's time for an update!

Maybe you're on the verge of needing one of these updates. If so, plan out when you are going to make them happen this year to keep your equipment fresh and safe. You might be at the end of the line as far these maintenance updates are concerned. If that is the case, DON'T WAIT! 

Take care of your equipment even in the off-season and practice with it often. Just like vehicles and guns (and children) — really anything worth keeping needs to be maintained year round. Don’t let your equipment lay around and become a monstrosity for when it's time to use it again!

GOAL 4 - Try Wrapping Your Arrows

This one isn’t essential, but as far as new year resolutions go, we would say it is worth trying. In the past we have had a lot of fun with our arrow wrapping. If you are looking for a slight change to take your gear up a notch, this's the perfect way to do it!

Arrow wrapping is inexpensive, durable, and completely customizable — which makes it super fun! Here are some examples below on what we have done in the past with our custom vinyl wraps.

 

GOAL 5 - Get Clean

Every resolution now-a-days has a self care element. Ours is to get clean with all natural doctor squatch soap! Don’t mistake us for just trying to sell something when we say it. It's a great product, and perfect for getting you clean after a long hunt while nourishing your skin!

Of course if you don’t like the smells, we have a scent less alternative that the animals just love! They seem like they love it at least… in reality, even they can’t smell you anyway so it's hard to tell. If you haven’t tried no-scent on your body and clothes to hide that tattle-tailing human smell on a hunt, we definitely recommend it!

GOAL 6 - Try Some New Recipes

Being hunters and outdoorsman, it's always great to remember why you do what you do. What better way to remember than by cooking a memorable meal the whole family will love with the meat you have harvested?

We're making it easy to cook new twists and family favorites with our new Recipe section. It's one of our resolutions and we hope it can enhance yours as you try out new ways of preparing the food God gave you!

GOAL 7 - Learn the Land

The final goal we would recommend is unconventional but, by no means something that should be left off of the list! 

Learn. The. Land. 

Learn where you hunt, learn where you plan to hunt, learn the land in your own front yard! It may sound a little spacey, but it can do a world of good for nearly every other element in this list. 

In whatever outdoor endeavor you undertake this year, learning the land you are using is invaluable to succeeding. There are so many enriching experiences that can be made possible, and so many disasters prevented just by understanding where you are at any given moment!

Go outside on a walk.

Take the family and tell each other what each of you observe. Note the places deer are rubbing and where turkeys have scratched — not only will you learn the best places to put food plots, trail cameras, and stands (or saddles 😉), you will have experienced something so many outdoorsmen forget to regard. 

Take time to be in nature and appreciate it by observing what God created. Learn new skills. Try new things. Set new goals.

2022, here we come!

Also in The Saturday Morning Post