Field Notes
Notes from the bench and the field. What actually held up, what turned out to be wrong, and why.
22 August
Mental Toughness Is a Trained Pattern, Not a Trait
Nobody is born calm on a big buck. The guys who look tough are running a script short enough to survive an adrenaline dump — and you can build one this week.
21 August
The 5-Minute Pre-Shot Routine That Actually Helps
Most shot processes are eleven steps long and none of them survive a buck at 22 yards. Here's the five minutes I run before every session, and the eight seconds it buys me.
20 August
Why You Choke at Tournaments And Not in Practice
Your bow didn't change and your form didn't fall apart. Your shot just got three seconds shorter and nobody timed it.
19 August
Visualization Is Real, But Not the Way You Think
Seeing the arrow hit the crease isn't visualization. It's daydreaming with extra steps — and it trains the exact fixation that wrecks your shot.
18 August
The Confidence Loop: How to Build It With Range Data
Your confidence at sixty yards is built on one bad arrow you shot six years ago. Here's how to replace the story with a number.
12 August
Why Pressure Reps Matter More Than Volume
My buddy shoots 200 arrows a week into a bag target and still fell apart on a bull at 55. He doesn't have a form problem. Every arrow he shoots is free.
11 August
How to Pick a Hunting Property in 30 Minutes With OnX
Thirty minutes on a map beats three weekends of walking. Here's the exact filter order I run before I ever put boots on a new piece.
10 August
The Cheap Hunting Gear Worth Buying (And What to Splurge On)
Pay for glass, pay for anything that keeps you alive. Cheap out on camo, stabilizers, and about half the stuff your buddy told you that you needed.
8 August
Tree Saddle vs Lock-On: An Honest Comparison
I own both. I've killed deer out of both. The real difference isn't comfort or weight — it's which shots you can actually take, and which ones will make you cant your bow into...
5 August
Bareshaft Tuning: What the Internet Gets Wrong
A bareshaft landing left doesn't mean move your rest left. Pull the vanes off and you've changed the arrow — lighter, stiffer, faster. Most guys are chasing a spine problem with a hex key.
30 July
The Scent Game: What the Science Says vs What Pros Do
A federal judge ruled "eliminates all odor" was false as a matter of law. An appeals court said carbon blocks 96-99% of odor compounds in a lab. Both are true, and neither one is...
29 July
Whitetail Hunter's First Elk: What's Different
Your whitetail rig will probably kill an elk. Your whitetail habits will probably cost you one.
28 July
The Mechanical vs Fixed Debate Is Mostly Wrong
Two camps argue every August and neither one is arguing about broadheads. They're arguing about tune, and they don't know it.
25 July
Picking a Broadhead for the Animal, Not the Marketing
Bigger the animal, the smaller the head I pick. Smaller the animal, the wider the cut. Here's why that rule is the opposite of what's printed on the package.
24 July
The Real Difference Between Match Grade and Standard
You pay double for Match Grade shafts. Here's what you're actually buying — and the two cases where it's a waste of money.
22 July
The 4mm Shaft Argument: Why Most Hunters Should Switch
I wrote the neutral explainer on skinny shafts. This isn't that. This is me telling you most hunters should be on a 4mm and aren't.
21 July
Building a Hunting Arrow That Costs Less Than $100
The arrow doesn't know what it cost. Six hunting arrows, real component prices, and the one place I will not let you save money.
20 July
Every Tool in The Forge, Part Two — The Bench, the Body, and the Fine Print
Part one covered the seven tools that build and true an arrow. This is the other half of The Forge — the bench wizard, the tools that sharpen the archer, the catalog under the...
20 July
Every Tool in The Forge — and the Two Shots It's Built Around
Seven tools, one arrow, two shots — the 20-yard chip shot that happens in a second and the long send that lives or dies on a number. Here's what each Forge tool is for,...
20 July
Western Hunter's First Whitetail: What's Different
Your elk skills don't transfer the way you think. The whitetail game is shorter, faster, and a lot less forgiving of movement.
17 July
Why Your Quiver Picks the Worst Arrows (Selection Bias on the Bench)
You benched arrow #7 on three shots of evidence. That wasn't data. That was a coin flip with a Sharpie number on it.
16 July
The Practice Routine That Beat My Target Panic
Six weeks, a blank bale, and one drill where you never fire the shot — the routine that rebuilt my release after three years of punching the trigger.
13 July
Hunting Pressure: Why You Need a Backup Stand
Deer don't leave when you hunt them. They just stop using the piece of woods you're sitting in. Here's how to keep hunting them anyway.
12 July
Feather vs Plastic: When Each One Wins
Feathers and vanes aren't rivals — they're different tools. Here's where each one wins, and the rear-weight math nobody runs before switching.