I was sifting through some older pictures the other day, and I came across the picture you see in this post; it was taken a few years back just after I bought my new bow – a Diamond Black Ice for those of you who have forgotten.

The picture really shows a stark contrast between compound bows of old, and the compound bows of now.  I was honestly taken aback at how much different the bows really are – in looks, style, and size.  It is truly amazing what modern technology can do.

The funny thing, though,  is that the first thing I thought of when I saw this picture didn’t have anything to do with how the bows looked, or the major differences between them; the first thing that honestly came to my mind was all the great experiences I’ve had with the old bow – from shooting my first buck ever with it, to shooting another buck a few years later, and then another buck – my best one to date – a couple of years after that.  Looking at the picture of the old bow, a High Country Extreme, brought back a flood of memories from my first bowhunting experiences.

That in turn got me wondering about something else,  does modern technology – even though I’m just as guilty of using it as anyone – really turn the odds that much in our favor?  If we look at success rates my old High Country, in its first couple of years, was much more successful then my Black Ice has been, and it sure didn’t cost as much.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I still think the Black Ice is by far a superior bow – with its light-weight, awesome-balance, and smoothness right out of the box – but didn’t the High Country produce the same, if not better, hunting results without all the modern “conveniences”.

I don’t want anyone to think that I am bashing on new gadgets, or modern technology – that would not be very bright considering I’m just as guilty as a lot of people when it comes to buying new hunting things -  but the point I’m trying to make is do those things really increase our hunting success, or help us to appreciate the hunt anymore than if we were pursuing them with weapons of old?  I like to think that isn’t the case.

I think all of us owe it to the animals we pursue, to use the best, most efficient weapon at our disposal; and that does require some upgrades over the years.  But I guess this picture, and the memories that came with viewing it,  just proves, though, that ultimately it is about the experience, and not about the newest or most technologically advanced equipment we use to enjoy those experiences.

Some food for thought!

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I haven’t written a Saturday, Inside the Frame post in quite awhile, so I figured I might as well do it now.  For one, it is helping to alleviate the feelings of deer despair I have lately, and for two, it is a way to remind me that I can actually kill deer every once in awhile.

The buck in this particular picture was taken a few years back.  You can definitely tell that by taking a look at my nephew in the picture.  He is ten now, so, by taking a look at him, you can get an idea that a little time has passed.  I shot this buck on a property we used to hunt and the story is actually a pretty good one.

I was setup – on this particular evening – in a stand that is still one of my favorites of all time.  It was situated on a strip of woods that acted as a natural funnel for the deer.  And directly next to this strip of woods was a huge cornfield that butted up to some incredibly tall grass that the deer liked to filter through as well.

I had just spoken to Jeff on the radio – told him how incredibly bored I was – and that I didn’t think it was ever going to get dark.  I slipped the radio into my pocket, and it wasn’t 30 seconds and I heard a large twig snap to my left.  Knowing that something was headed my way, I instinctively grabbed my bow and got ready.  I don’t think I’ve ever had a shot happen this fast in my life.  I went from being bored one second to having a deer 10yds in front of me the next.  The buck was walking just inside the first corn row, and although he was only 10yds away, he had no clue I was anywhere around.  I let him pass by the stand until he offered the perfect quartering away shot, and I let the arrow fly.  The buck actually whirled around, and headed back in the direction he came.  He only ran about 50 yards, and then stopped in the tall grass.  Of course the grass was so tall, that I could only see his rack.  I watched intently, waiting to see which way the buck would head, when his rack disappeared.

I started to fear the worst.  I had visions of him belly crawling through the tall grass, and the feelings of doubt were overwhelming me.  I knew if he did make it much farther in the grass that the chances of us finding him where slim to none.  I wanted to get down right away and check my arrow, but my cousin, who managed the property at the time, instructed me that I better not move until dark.  He was still a little miffed about a buck that was lost a few days earlier, and wanted to be extra cautious before we started tracking this deer.

I waited until my brother, and the rest of guys arrived at dark, and then we started tracking.  We worked out a plan that they would start on the blood trail, and I managed to convince them to let me look where I last saw the deer standing in the tall grass.  Imagine my relief, when as I approached the location where I last saw him, I could make out his form tucked up in the tall grass.

It was the perfect ending to a great night of hunting, and it just goes to show, that a deer can show up at anytime.  I’m glad I was ready and that  it all worked out.

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I know this picture is a little rough, and I apologize for that, but looking at it brought back a pretty good memory for me, and I had to share.

The photo is actually from a few years ago.  At the time, my brother and I were on a lease together (it is actually a piece of property that he is leasing again with some other family members).  He had this decoy and told me that I should give it a try one night.  I took his advice, and I’m here to tell you that it is probably one of the best nights hunting I’ve ever had.

I had this little four or six point come into the decoy.  I knew I wasn’t going to shoot him, so I figured I might as well play with him a little.   With the help of this decoy I brought this young back back into my setup 5 times.  I’m not even kidding.  I would bring him in, and then he would walk away.  I’d grunt, and he would come back into the decoy again.  It was a riot and a night I will definitely never forget.

If any of you reading this have never tried using a decoy, you should try one this year.  You will definitely not be disappointed.

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This is another installment, of our weekly series here at SimplyOutdoors, entitled Inside the Frame.  In this series we post a picture from our archives and try to tell the story of what’s Inside the Frame.——————————————————————————————————————————

This picture was taken 10 yrs ago.  I can’t believe that it has been that long already.

Jeff’s son, Tyler,  was only a few months old in this picture.  And, as you can tell, we already had him in the camouflage clothing.

The outfit was actually my doing.  I can’t remember why, but I was on my way home from a trip up north, and stopped by a local outdoor store on my way home.  This outfit was sitting there, just begging for me to buy it.  I wish I would have taken a little more time, realized how expensive it was, and how short of time there would be that he would be able to wear it, and moved on.  But, me being me, I just couldn’t resist the temptation to get him his first camo outfit.

Tyler has been hunting with us for years now, and has seen Jeff shoot at least a couple of deer.  This is his first year that he will be able to bowhunt, and he is stoked.

I’m glad I bought the outfit, and I’m glad I have the picture for a keepsake.  That, in and of itself, was worth the twenty bucks.

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I don’t honestly know how many years ago this was.  I’m sure Jeff may remember and chime in with those facts in the comments.  What I do remember is Mr. Nugent was going to be speaking at a local outdoor show, and we figured we might as well head on down and see what he had to say.  We are both huge Nugent fans, and getting an opportunity to meet him, was a good thing for us.

We drove the hour and half it took to get to the convention center, arrived early to get in line, and waited.  It actually took quite awhile to get through the line, because Ted was taking so much time with each person that he talked to.  It was very cool.

The best part about the whole evening was the absolute class that Mr. Nugent showed.  His meet and greet hours were actually over, and the time for his speech had arrived with people still waiting in line.  Instead of moving on and doing his speech, and letting people leave empty handed, ole Uncle Ted told everyone to stay where they were in line, arranged for people to have chairs to sit in in line, and then once he was done with his seminar, proceeded to finish signing autographs.  He didn’t leave until every single person had went through the line.  If that didn’t say “class act”, I don’t know what does.

Ted was great to meet, and I was very impressed with his willingness to stay and meet everyone who had given up their time to try and talk with him.  I also thought it was pretty cool that he took so much time with every person he met.

It was a great day and one we will remember for a long time.

Why I didn’t get a picture with him I will never know.  I do have an autographed copy of his Hunt Music cd though.  I guess that will just have to do.

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