Not everyone is a professional hunter, and we have to shell out the cash for our equipment. With that being said, if you set a budget and hunting plan each year, you can account for a bow upgrade or additional hunting trips. If I went with the Matthew's Chill, then at least two of my western PA trips would have to be cut. By going with the PSE Bow Madness, (and the incredible deal I got from Gander Mountain) one of my western PA trips can be extended for a week.
So two years ago, my hunting passion was revitalized. The usual three days of rifle season after Thanksgiving would be part of my season not just my season. Previously, my job had kept me traveling all over the US, making hunting locally nearly impossible. The holiday was about the only thing to keep that tradition after Thanksgiving of going hunting with the family at the farm. Even then, my job beckoned and kept me away from that sometimes. Spending a turkey dinner under a canopy leaden with 30 strangers responding to a train derailment. Never once thought it would happen in my lifetime but it sure made it memorable.
With a corporate change in my career, it set my resting place in one spot finally. Even bought a nice home on top of the hills. Alright, so I still live in suburbian hell for right now. By finally having some roots to call home, and not a hotel room with four walls, two towels, and TV. Actually we have a bunch of towels in the house but always get used before I need one. With my roots set locally, the hunting passion could now flourish again. During my years as a road warrior, it lended a chance to make friends and develop relations with land owners.
I found it to be a great time to follow up on those offers, "you can hunt my land anytime" offers. It wasn't long that my boots were stomping through the woods to check properties. A local hunting spot even bubbled up from a co-worker. At one point, the old PSE, nearly first compound bow that dad had gotten me shoot a couple of arrows at deer. This was evidence though that the deer clearly had the advantage to escape. Being my work schedule was still quite busy, a crossbow was enlisted to help my success rate. It did just that, 10 for 10 in two years. That is 10 deer hit, 10 deer harvested. Those one or two misses can be blamed to buck fever or even human error.
This year though, I planned my schedule accordingly and accounted for time to practice on a compound bow. With a closely monitored budget, I waited and waited, and waited even more. Then one day, the deal of a lifetime came along. If you may remember in an earlier blog, my spending goes as such: On Sale, Clearance, and Free. It works out if you are patient enough. This started by monitoring the online prices of major outdoors stores (Cabelas, BassPro, and Gander Mountain), and the occasional visit to each location near by. We had found ourselves in Virginia for a Christening, and decided to take a short drive to Maryland to check out Gander Mountain.
As new bows for 2013 where being displayed across the back wall, the three, little lonely leftovers from 2012 sat on the end. Hung up like old news, they could only hope that someone would buy them. Honestly, with the price tag on PSE bow sitting there, how didn't anyone else buy it. The bow was marked down below half of the original price. It was steal instead of a deal. And this guy took it home. I am proud owner of a PSE Bow Madness and can enjoy it even more with the money I saved by switching to Geico (just kidding, I am a Nationwide fan).
As you can see below, it even rode on a pillow all the way home.
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