this is part of the preseason prep. And Bruce Ritter-Clark, otherwise known as Hoss, works at Ethics Archery https://ethicsarchery.com/ down in Arizona and he and I got together and had some great conversations back on…we were just on Facebook talking about what we’re going to talk about on the podcast.
So, Hoss, welcome to the show. And you’ve been an archer for a long time, but, man, you really dig deep and it’s…you know, I think the tag line for the show is, “What I’m using and why.” Let’s talk about…
“What I’m using and why.” Let’s talk about…
Good, good.
Let’s talk about that tag line, because I think it’s perfect.
conversation. Before I start getting into any kind of dissecting their bow or their arrow setup or their broadhead choice, anything like that, I always like to start and say, “What are you using and why?” And you’d be surprised how many people can’t give me a legit answer as to why. They’ll always tell you what they’re using, but they don’t know why.
And a lot of times the real why, when they actually sit and they have a “come to Jesus” moment with themselves and they have to be honest with themselves and they say, “Why am I using this product?,” 9 times out of 10 is, “Because of what I saw on TV,” “So-and-so, big name on TV, is shooting it,” or, “My buddies are shooting it.” There’s no real thought process as to why they’re shooting it. It always has something to do with social, it’s not the ethics, the ethical use of the product based on using it on an animal. That thought process isn’t there, and you’d be surprised how much that happens.
So that’s what I…I mean I like to get into that, get down to the nitty-gritty. And everything that I build, from my bow to my arrow setup, everything, has to do with ethically killing that animal, causing it the least amount of pain, expiring fast, and hopefully expiring within sight so there’s no track job. And I also build things to…I prepare myself for the worst, but I practice for the best, right? If that makes sense.
So we all know exactly where to shoot a deer, we’re always practicing that one spot, but what happens when that deer turns and goes to roll out of the way and you hit shoulder bone? Is your setup going to be able to go through that shoulder bone? Are you going to get adequate penetration to ethically take that animal down, and quickly, and painlessly? If not, then maybe you should re-evaluate what you’re shooting and put a little though process into it. And that’s usually where the conversation starts.
