There are phases and we all go through them even if it's not sequential.
Shooting Stage.
Limiting-Out Stage.
Trophy Stage.
Method Stage.
Sportsman Stage.
Again, it's not necessarily a sequential development and we're not easily defined as being in one stage at a time, but these values can be cylical and repetitive. We sort of have to go through them in some form. Personally, I began with a strong emphasis on "method," not just because I started with archery but also because I quickly learned things like I didn't want to hunt over dogs. Even so, I still had those first shots. Someone might say they're not interested in trophies, but we're still aware of the rack size on the buck we're stalking or that we take, and even more so when it's remarkable. I would like to skip ahead to the Sportsman Stage, and in some ways I have -- for example, I'm more concerned the last two seasons with teaching young people to hunt ethically than I am with taking anything myself. Even so, I'd take as many days off work as I could if I knew I could limit out on quail and fill the freezers.
So I suppose I'd say to my younger self to have the set of convictions that I have now, but if I hadn't developed those convictions, then I wouldn't really understand their value. We move through stages of development because each of them teaches us something about hunting and ourselves. We'll do things that we regret and things that we're very glad for. As we move to the next stage, we'll try to distance ourselves from the former and carry with us the things that brought about the latter.
So if I could tell me younger self something, it would be where all the good spots are. I wish I'd come to the point where I could tell myself how to pull game out of the hard places, places where you can spot for days and see nothing. Not there yet, but more convinced it's not possible or at least not practical.
