By: Ted Nugent
My simple battlecry for a happier life is to never stop learning. My yesterday sure was fun, exciting and energizing, but my goal is to do even better today.
I just put down my battleworn Gibson Byrdland guitar after a morning of SpiritWild Ranch chores and shooting a few dozen arrows on my Morrell 3D range.
As always, I started out the morning shooting arrows at various ranges in my lifetime proven shot sequence procedure but made it a point to stop and consider some possible improved procedures for better archery. Reading, listening and watching archers and bowhunters much better than myself causes me to implement some of their suggestions and styles, and when doing so, my focus becomes strengthened and my groups get tighter, even at longer ranges beyond 50 yards.
In fact I shot some of the best arrows I have ever unleashed this fine morning, and that sure feels mighty good!
I approach my guitar playing the same way. After jamming like a madman for over 60 years I tend to blast away with notes, riffs and patterns that are the most familiar and comfortable, but I never fail to go into uncharted sonic territory to push the envelope so to speak.
That spirit of breaking standard operating procedure goes a long way in the gratification department and can be implemented and pursued in every imaginable activity in life.
It works wonders in the kitchen and I assure you that Mrs. Nugent appreciates it in the romance department.
Not a day goes by that I fail to communicate with my hunting buddies around the country, and we always make it a point to share observations, experiences and ideas about shooting and hunting.
Lucky lucky me many of my friends are really dedicated, expert killers and I always learn something from each of them on a regular basis.
Even watching some of the hunting TV shows on the various networks can teach us new and interesting upgrades to increase our hunting happiness.
I pay real close attention to Levi and Samantha Morgan, Kip Campbell, Fred and Michelle Eichler, Will Primos, Michael Waddell, Nick Mundt, Travis Turner, Tim Wells, Dan Schmidt, Randy Ulmer, Chuck Adams, Jim Burnworth and so many other gungho bowhunters to pick up on every little detail of their hunting and shooting styles.
I believe that when you stop learning, you stop living.
Recently I hit the “play” button on a new deeranddeerhunting.com video that showed a fellow diehard Michigan bowhunter by the name of John Eberhart explaining his amazing public land hunting techniques.
Raised on public land hunting myself way back in those early experimental seasons in the 1950s and 60s, I immediately connected with John’s experiences and approaches to bowhunting the cagiest, spookiest, hardest to kill whitetails on planet earth.
Pushing himself to the limits going way deep into no-man’s land deer hellzones, John has accomplished an amazing success rate putting to use the most aggressive hunting style I have ever heard of.
I know a few super successful guys that defy the status quo of Joe Hunter out there, donning chest waders and putting forth Herculean effort to go where nobody else goes, deep into the nastiest sanctuaries of the wisest beasts of all.
I myself have occasionally and successfully employed this hardcore approach over the years and know for a fact that it can make all the difference in the world when seeking those older, wiser, ultra-sneaky mature bucks of our dreams.
John has written three killer books outlining his unique deerhunting methodologies that all of us can learn much from.
“Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails”, “Precision Bowhunting” and “Bowhunting Whitetails the Eberhart Way” will open your eyes and big buck horizons in a serious way.
John also puts on some seminars at sporting events around the Midwest that I would highly recommend.
With summer coming on and our sacred deerseason still a ways off, now is the time to increase our communication with each other sharing experiences and ideas that will help us in the deerwoods come fall. Not only can we learn a lot from each other, but just sharing our hunting life with each other will keep us inspired in preparation for the best hunting season of our lives. I’m going for it!