Rising to the Challenge

I have been reflecting back on the 2012-2013 deer season, and I am reminded that I have done "it" again, for yet another year. The "it" that I am referring to is putting down the bow and picking up the muzzleloader once the whitetail rut begins. Over the past few years, it has become a strong desire of mine to outsmart a mature whitetail buck during the rut and harvest him with my bow. And so, prior to the beginning of each of the last few seasons, I have made a pact to rise to the challenge of hunting through the whitetail rut with my bow, even if it meant fewer shot opportunities and much tougher hunting conditions. But I sit here after the completion of another season, still not willing to take the required risks in order to rise to the challenge.

Reasons come to mind for why I continue to fall back on what is easier, what I am familiar with, what is comfortable and gives me more of a sense of being in control. More than once it's been because I had a big buck that I had been after for some time finally show up, only to pass by out of bow range. This year it was because I had been seeing so few deer throughout October that I figured I was more assured of harvesting a buck if and when it finally showed up if I had the muzzleloader. And I suppose that every year, I wind up being afraid that I am not going to be able to 'counter' every other hunter's harvest stories if I don't have that firearm with me to fall back on. Well, regardless of the excuse I come up with, the fact is that I still have not risen to the challenge of hunting through the rut with only my bow in hand.

Numbers 13: 27-28 (NASB)
"...We went in to the land where you sent us, and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless, the people who live in this land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there."

Pastor Brad Hoffmann taught us this morning about what he termed 'low risk failure', and the majority of his message revolved around the story of the Israelite spies being sent into the land of Canaan, from which the scripture passage above comes. Numbers 13 describes how Moses instructed the spies to go inspect the land and report back on what they found. See, the Lord had already promised that He was going to give this land to the Israelites. And, even though the spies reported back that the land was found to be excellent in every way, the majority of them allowed all the "what if's", "obstacles" and fear of inhabiting tribes to overshadow the fact that the land had already been promised to them by the One in control of the situation.

As I mentioned above, my current hunting challenge is to harvest a mature whitetail buck with my bow. To do that, though, I am going to have to look past all the associated what if's, fears, and temptations to continue to do things the same way each year. I am going to have to take on the associated risk of having a giant buck run past me and not offer a shot, or have one walk past me just out of bow range. And I am also going to have to be able to graciously listen to the stories of other hunters who harvest mature bucks with their firearms year after year while staying true to and focused on my goal.

Guys, in a much more serious and significant way, God has an adventure in mind for each of His children, and He desires for us to be willing to take the necessary risks throughout this adventure. Know this, though, that taking risks requires us to: be reliant on someone else (God); invest ourselves completely into the cause, step, or risk; maintain a single-minded purpose towards the goal; and live completely convinced that God has our best intentions in mind (Hoffmann). What is it that God has been calling you to? Have you been allowing fear and the risks associated with His calling to paralyze you or hold you back from taking the next necessary step on your adventure? Keep your focus on the good thing that God has already begun working out in your life. - GE

Related tip
Many bowhunters stop practicing their shooting once the season begins. Be sure to continue shooting during the season in order to keep your accuracy and confidence in top shape. During practice, archers should work on two particular situations that they often experience when attempting to arrow an animal. The first is to hold at full draw for an extended period of time, then make a quality shot. Deer have an uncanny sense of slowing down when they get within bow range, and it often takes a while for them to provide a good shot angle. The second is to come to full draw, aim, anchor and release a quality shot as quickly as possible. When bucks are chasing does during the rut, oftentimes archers are given just a few seconds to get off a shot before the buck is moving again.