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Charles Ek
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    Here’s a paradoxical philosophy (hey, I’m a Homo sapiens – I’m entitled by birthright …)

    Like the guy just to the east of me, I hunt in some pretty thick woods here in NH. Seeing deer on the all-too rare occasions is a kick; shooting a deer is pretty darn tough with a bow in these circumstances.

    So I hunt with traditional tackle for three months of the year and three weeks in the middle with a rifle. I’ve even been known to carry a weatherproof shotgun during truly nasty sweather, just to avoid the rifle maintenance when I’m don’t have time for it.

    When I carry the bow, I’m a bowhunter. That’s my frame of mind. I’m fortunate to be able to shoot a variety of hunting situations behind my house virtually daily, and I have thousands of acres within ten minutes for stumping. So I don’t feel like carrying a rifle for three weeks (if it takes that long) gets much in the way of “getting my mind right” for bowhunting.

    However, if I were a sort-of-former compound shooter struggling slightly with doubts of whether to commit fully to stick and string, I’d sell the wheels. I would want to have my mind in the trad game when presented with an animal. The shooting that goes on between our ears is crucial to success, and doubts about our abilities are inimical to success.