Re: Anyone else eatting tag soup?
I can guarantee you are not alone in being unsuccessful this year. It was a very odd season, with weather far from normal. Of approximately a dozen hunters I know personally, I’m the only one with a cut tag.
I started hunting at age 47, and am 90% self taught. My first 4 seasons I came up short, but learned a lot. It just takes time, but you will eventually be successful. My personal thoughts are that I wouldn’t rush to add archery into the equation just yet if your goal is to get meat in the freezer. Sure, go ahead and take your bow out in the archery only season (assuming you’re proficient enough with it), but once rifle season opens, I’d go that route. Experienced archers will limit themselves to 40-50 yard shoots, whereas most people can comfortably (and humanely) shoot out to 200 yards without too much difficulty. Depending on what and where you are hunting, that extra 150 yards is likely a game changer. No matter which equipment you are using, time in the woods and plain old luck will eventually see you through. And I applaud you for not taking a shot you are not 100% confident in. That shows very necessary restraint, which will save you a ton of grief over time. Even 100% certain shots can lead to bad outcomes, so no need to push the odds.
By “WA” do you mean Washington state or Western Australia? If you mean Washington, you at least have some insight into the animals and geography of BC as things are very similar. If you mean Oz, well, you’ve got quite the learning curve ahead of you.
If we’re not supposed to eat animals, how come they’re made out of meat?
BHA, BCWF, CCFR, PETA, Lever Action Addict.