If anything, you owe it to yourself, and the game you hunt.

I finally had the time to really start shooting my new Carbon Express Maxima Blu RZ arrows. In a nutshell, I love them. As you can see in the image to the side (or above, pending your device), they really do help in grouping. This was only at 20 yards, so I can’t brag too much.

This brings me to the main subject; practice makes perfect. I say this because you owe it to yourself for the time you are out there honing your skills and perfecting the use of your tools; making sure every piece if functioning well and no defects. An even more important item to address is being ethical when it comes to the game you choose to hunt.

In terms of archery, I mainly hunt whitetail deer, so I can’t say much about bigger game. However, I do know the stamina and heart that these animals have to stay alive after being shot with a bow or gun. I’ve seen wounded deer in the prior season be fully functional; that is an amazing will to live. Although, some are shot in the current season, and the meat just doesn’t seem good enough to eat. If you think about, how would not injuring deer impact the population and other hunters? Well, I would think so.

To that point, it is important that hunters make the most quick and ethical kill possible. I’m not saying that I haven’t made bad choices in the past — probably due to the fact that I was more of a “just shoot and try to harvest” young mindset — but in the past few years, I’ve found a different kind of love and enjoyment for the outdoors. Basically, it’s the hunt, the small things, the entire process that makes hunting enjoyable.

So, make sure your equipment is spot on, make sure to make the quick and ethical kill, and enjoy the small things when hunting.

(Originally posted on Medium)