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Precision and Purpose: The Mindset Behind Archery and Hunting - Chris Webster
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In this episode of the Tricer Podcast, host Drew Miles sits down with Chris Webster, national coach for USA Archery and accomplished hunter, for an in-depth look into the world of competitive archery and bowhunting. Chris breaks down the intense training, mental focus, and global reach of the sport. Chris and Drew dive into how competitive discipline translates directly to success in the field, emphasizing mindset, process, and preparation over expensive gear. They also explore the deeper connection archery fosters with nature, the therapeutic rhythm of shooting, and the primal satisfaction of the hunt. To close, Chris shares a memorable hunting story and offers practical advice for anyone looking to get started. Whether you’re a seasoned archer or just picking up a bow, this episode delivers valuable insight and inspiration.
CHRIS WEBSTER
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jchriswebster/
TRICER USA
Website – https://tricerusa.com/
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Transcript
Introduction and Prayer
00:00:01
Speaker
You are listening to the Tricer podcast, where we talk all things hunting, gear, and the great outdoors. Before we begin, let's start things out right and put God first. Lord Jesus, I thank you for Tricer, and I ask that you can use this podcast as a way to bring joy to all of our listeners.
00:00:17
Speaker
We lay Tricer and this podcast at your feet. Amen.
Meet Chris Webster: Archer and Coach
00:00:22
Speaker
What's up guys. Welcome to Tracer podcast. I've got my buddy, Chris Webster here. just all time world athlete, archer, awesome dude and a hunter. He's involved with the U S Olympic team and he does own archery program in North Carolina.
00:00:35
Speaker
Chris, I, I can't really do you justice to describe what you are. You're so unique. What's up, Chris?
Diversity and Inclusivity in Archery
00:00:43
Speaker
Very kind words. Pleasure to be here. Um, yeah. Uh, one of the national coaches for USA archery.
00:00:49
Speaker
Um, basically travel all around the world and help people achieve some of the highest level shooting that, you know, the world is seen. And so the thing with me, like, cause I've been now, I live in San Diego, right? So obviously Olympic training centers here and like, I've gone down to a few events and I'm like, man, what a bunch of dorks.
00:01:09
Speaker
Right. um No offense. Right. Cause like, I'm like a tack guy. I'm like a 3d archery guy. yeah and then here comes Chris who is a hunter and is in this field. Like it's pretty, it was pretty cool to have. There's, it was very um strange to me to see this group of people who the majority of them have never put pins on an animal.
00:01:32
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, that's kind of the beauty of archery though, is like whatever style you're into it, like you can get into it, whether you're, you're into hunting and have that hunting background, or it's something that you just picked up, you know, an archery in the schools program.
00:01:45
Speaker
Olympic archery in the schools program and that's, that's, or scouts or something along those lines where it's the first time you've had that exposure and you just enjoy the flight of the arrow. Right. um That's kind of the beauty of it is all inclusive. It doesn't matter, you know, like what, what your background is, you can get into it.
00:02:02
Speaker
Yeah, and so so like
Global Popularity of Archery
00:02:03
Speaker
I never really understood that until – do you know – you follow Bo Disciples at all? James Visser, he's in SoCal. Yeah, tracking. Yeah, so James has like 100,000 subs, and the majority of his people aren't really hunters.
00:02:15
Speaker
They're just archers, right? I'm like, wow, I didn't – I've never really caught on. Like, there's like – that's a thing, right? But I guess the same thing with but shooting. I mean, the majority of people who own guns don't hunt. They just have guns go shooting at the range.
00:02:26
Speaker
So I never really – like, I never really put two and two together until I went to some of these events and saw – how hardcore these guys are at shooting archery. Yeah. It's, it, there's the recreational level and then there's kind of what, what I do and what my athletes do, which is at the world level. Right. I mean, we're going to world cups, world championships, Pan Ams, Olympic games. Like it is the pinnacle of the sport, right? Like you could equate it to, you know, um, in, in shooting, you brought up shooting, right? I mean, that's it. Look at any of the long range stuff. Look at it the
00:02:57
Speaker
the Hunter series, all of these things, right? You brought up TAC, right? Like there's a lot of people who like that type of format, want to see how they can progress, want to push themselves. And then ultimately we're all pretty competitive, right?
00:03:09
Speaker
So we want to dive in and see really where we sit amongst everybody else. Yeah, it's ah it's next level with you guys. I don't know if I could do it. like The mental side of it is just unreal. And I didn't realize it's such a like worldwide sport. like It's South Korea's like biggest sport. I didn't realize at like what a stronghold has across the world, archery.
00:03:30
Speaker
Oh, absolutely.
International Competitions in Archery
00:03:31
Speaker
I mean, to your point, in in Korea, they absolutely televise it. um They've got like Hyundai has teams. like yeah but Teams that compete against each other.
00:03:41
Speaker
And these people are paid like professional athletes. Um, I mean, it's a, you're just flipping through. i was just there for worlds a couple weeks ago and legitimately there's just archery, not even specific to the event that we were just at, but just archery playing on the regular TV.
00:03:58
Speaker
Um, I mean, it's in all their media, all of that stuff. These guys are pros, they're celebrities. It's just like any other professional sport. It is interesting how there is a bit of a disconnect when we come to the States and it doesn't have that same level of validity that, you know, like a tennis or a golf or something along those lines do.
00:04:14
Speaker
But in other countries, it absolutely holds that. Yeah. uh, actually had to shoot with
Mindsets in Hunting vs. Competitive Archery
00:04:19
Speaker
some of your athletes out here, some of the Olympic guys, I guess remember his name, but he was, I think, didn't guys just go to Beijing here recently too, for some other tournaments too? I mean, it's not just Olympics. If you guys do tournaments all over the world.
00:04:30
Speaker
ah Yeah. I mean, uh, this, this year, you know, i like we, we typically travel around, we'll end up going to Turkey. We'll go to Spain. We'll ah sometimes go to France. I mean, it's everywhere.
00:04:44
Speaker
um And ah you truly have the best in the world there. um i want to say like for compounding, easy example out of a 720 round. So you're shooting 72 arrows, right? For a total of 720 points. um i mean, if you're not, you know, a like you're not in the like the top 20 almost like it's nuts. I mean, the depth is really there and that's from all around the world. I mean, shooters from France, shooters from, you know, Italy, Spain, all over.
00:05:17
Speaker
And they all shoot at that level. See, that's hardcore.
Precision and Competition in Archery
00:05:21
Speaker
Like I was just telling you that I'm going to go chase deer with my bow tonight after we get got off this podcast and I'm going to pick up my bow, uh, shoot probably 10 arrows before I leave my driveway. And I'm to hunting.
00:05:31
Speaker
like the level you guys are at is insane. Cause like, like i like I'm kind of like a, it's a dead kind of guy, right? Like I know I can make something dead under 60 yards. Like I'm pretty good at that.
00:05:42
Speaker
And like, I'm good with that. But like, you guys are like, like you're saying tense, like 10 ring and 71 out of, out of 72 is unreal. Yeah. I mean, the, the current world record is a seven 18 that's missing two shots.
00:05:57
Speaker
Now the distance for compound is 50 meters. And then you're shooting an 80 centimeter face. I mean, in your 10 rings, roughly about that big. So what's 50 meters in yards? Like they roughly 55 yards.
00:06:08
Speaker
So 55 yards shooting a softball, essentially maybe a little smaller, smaller. And this guy's basically 10 in every single one. Yeah, pretty much. Especially when you get into match play, when it's the one verse one, right?
00:06:23
Speaker
You've got, you know, you really can't miss. You kind of got to shoot perfect to be successful. That's wild, man. And then, like and then the the crazy thing to me is these guys just, they do it for fun. And then a lot of them don't transcend into the hunting side of it.
00:06:40
Speaker
um True. I mean, there's
Skills and Preparation for Hunting
00:06:42
Speaker
a compounds a little bit different when we're talking recurve, they shoot 70 meters. So 77 yards, they shoot a one 22 centimeter face. um It's roughly the 10 rings, roughly the size of a a CD in the world record. There's a seven Oh nine.
00:06:56
Speaker
right? Like that's pretty nuts. That's counting in wind, you know, lighting conditions, all of these variables, right? Um, it's, it's a different level of commitment to do that. Right. So a lot of them do hunt. There are a lot of folks, especially from the U S that do hunt because that's normal cultural thing for us.
00:07:14
Speaker
But when you go to France, that's not a thing for them. Like hunting, isn't a big deal there. yeah it's It's not the industry, right? Like it is here in the States. Um,
00:07:25
Speaker
And fortunate for us, we have this luxury or, you know, this, in my opinion, a God given right to be able to go out and hunt and, you know, provide for your family and, you know, experience nature, right? A lot of places don't have that. So we're extremely fortunate to have our situation. But to your point, I mean, a lot of folks just aren't exposed to it. I mean, that's that's kind of why you see hunting kind of doing this, right? I mean, with the pandemic, all of that stuff, there seemed to be a resurgence,
00:07:53
Speaker
Um, but it's tough to go out there and hunt, you know, they call it hunting for a reason. It's not just going out to kill, right? Like you got to put some time and some effort and some energy into becoming proficient with a vertical bow, um, rifle, a little bit different story, right? You get that thing dialed in, you can feel pretty confident taking those, you know, 100, 200, maybe the 300 yard shot for most people.
00:08:14
Speaker
Right.
Mental Focus and Visualization in Archery and Hunting
00:08:15
Speaker
And they spend some time with that rifle and they feel confident on, let's say, you know, a deer size plus animal. Um, Archery is a different game. You know, you you're sitting there saying 60 yards. I mean, to me, in my mind, I want to sit there. and Yeah. I want to think that I'm a good hunter and I can close that gap.
00:08:31
Speaker
And, you know, but at the same time, I'm going to take my bow and I'm going to shoot that at a hundred. And the only reason why I'm doing that, I'm not going to shoot an animal at a hundred unless I already have an arrow in them, but to be truthful, it's to gain that level of proficiency. So when that 60 yard shot comes up and my heart's beating out of my chest, right.
00:08:50
Speaker
and and And you're just taking it all in that I'm still confident and in my equipment and in my technique and my execution to be able to put an ethical shot on that animal. And that's what i want to talk about, right? So like I hunted, I got to shoot 3D at a local shoot for James Visser. And some of your guys were up there. I need to look up his name. It's on my phone.
00:09:08
Speaker
I've talked to a few times since and he's never hunted before. And I'm thinking to myself like, dude, this guy is a stud, but what if I put a bull in front of him? What happens? And let's talk about that. Cause like, like I just like, I mean, I personally have missed multiple, many times on animals, right? Like, I'm like, i'm like, how in the heck did I miss that? What did I, and most time for me, the problem isn't, it's me guessing versus me knowing, right? Like, oh crap, the animal moved.
00:09:34
Speaker
It's gotta be 60. And then you shoot over his back you're just like why did I do that? Why didn't I take the time to range? Like what I spent. all day or even let's say all week to get this opportunity and then i blew it because i rushed it right so like let's talk about target pack let's talk about hunting and like those fundamentals and like because you've got these guys who are going 72 out of 72 basically 10 rings yeah but you put an animal in front of them and things change like what's going through your head to get to that know perfect score in archery to keep yourself from not messing up it's it's such a mental game archery it really is 100 right once
00:10:09
Speaker
Once you have a fitted bow, you put some time, you've developed yourself physically to be able to shoot that bow and execute a shot the way that you want to consistently. Right. Then it's all mindset mentality because all of us just draw back. We look at our target and we hope that we hit.
00:10:23
Speaker
Right. Now, when you're dealing with the elite level and the pressures of world championships or an Olympic Games, it's all process driven. And it's something that I absolutely would encourage people to implement when they hunt.
00:10:34
Speaker
Take that time. What is your process? What do you do? Yes, I get there's an animal right there. It's a different level of intensity because of what you're about to, you know, experience. um But really being a lot more systematic. Yes, I'm nervous. Yes, I feel this, but I'm still going to follow that process. Whether that's, hey, my grip feels good. My release is good.
00:10:52
Speaker
You know, making sure that your people alignment is there, the right distance range finding, all of those things, talking yourself through that process all the way to the finish of the shot. And understanding that, I mean, really, at the end of the day, you're still shooting your bow, right? The desired result will only happen if you actually execute.
00:11:10
Speaker
You know, how many guys have you seen sit there and they just get up on and they just violently shaken and they just dump a shot. Worst of all, they wound an animal in some instances. But I mean, just flat out miss and miss out on that opportunity that they put so much time and money and effort into.
00:11:25
Speaker
Right. Everybody likes to shoot their bow. Everybody likes to train. Everybody loves gear. Right. We all do. I mean, come on. Right. Everybody plays that game, but that's not what's going to make you successful in the field.
00:11:36
Speaker
And the same thing is true. That's not what's going to make you successful on the tournament. Right. You have to think about it. What is my ultimate goal is to execute that shot to the best of my ability. And you have to talk yourself through it.
00:11:48
Speaker
Right. Hey, I'm nervous. I feel this, but that's OK. I'm still going to finish my step, my shot. I'm still going to execute. That's the mindset. That's the mentality that I think has really helped a lot of people progress over the last few years, at least in tournament archery.
00:12:01
Speaker
And with talking
Primal Aspects of Hunting
00:12:02
Speaker
with some elite level hunters, um you know, that same type of mindset exists, right? Like you're not looking at the rack, right? You're looking at that tuft of hair. I want to hit right there. I want to add that grease. I want at that point.
00:12:13
Speaker
um and And really shifting your focus and having the fortitude to hold yourself accountable in that moment. You know, these, these are the things that you have to just think about. You have to cultivate, you have to vividly imagine those scenarios and what process you're going to implement through that.
00:12:29
Speaker
And everybody's process is going to be a little bit different because we're all different people and well perceived and, you know, analyze information differently and situation dictates to some degree, but truly understanding, talking through yourself, literally getting from that point of drawing the bow all the way to that finish and being focused on the execution.
00:12:49
Speaker
Like, it's a It sounds overly simplistic, but it's extremely hard to do. And it really is that easy. Yeah. And, and, I'm friends with the with Joel Turner a little I'm playing out him few times and Bodie and those guys. And he's very processed, right? Processed. And he'll like walk himself through it.
00:13:07
Speaker
Squeeze. e And I'm a puncher. Like I punch the pit. It's not off triggers. Like I do. Like if people, every time there's a YouTube video of me, it's like, I'll choose a puncher. I make it work. But like, I have to imagine like that process is,
00:13:20
Speaker
Like it almost has to become like muscle memory, right? like you're doing it over and over and over again. Like I'm goingnna draw my bow back. I'm going to see my, check my bubble. I'm going to make sure my grip is correct. I'm going to loosen my hand. I'm going to make sure my, you know what I mean? and for some reason, when an animal gets in front of you, like some of the best archers I know fall apart.
00:13:43
Speaker
But see, this is, this is the real crux of the issue is because you're outcome oriented, your outcome for focus. The whole focus is at the animal, right? you have to be able to recognize that, Hey, I need to focus on me, bring it back.
00:13:59
Speaker
Right. Hey, I'm aware of this. Like I might feel a certain way. I might be nervous. I might be losing it, whatever, but I have to bring it back to me. I feel this. I understand this, but I still have to go through my process.
00:14:11
Speaker
And once you get to that level of proficiency, you're not sitting there, oh, this, this, this, and going step by step by step. You know how to draw your bow. You know how to get to full draw. You know what that sight picture needs to look like. It's that last second. Yes, everything's good. Everything feels as good as it's going to feel right now.
00:14:25
Speaker
I still need to execute that shot to the my best ability. And that's, that's where you've got to get to, but vividly imagining it. Your subconscious can't tell the difference. It's something I have my elite level archers do as well as they can vividly imagine standing on the line, the pressure in their feet, pulling an arrow, knocking that arrow, feeling the click, feeling the grip, feeling the hook, all of these things. They can vividly imagine it, right?
00:14:50
Speaker
They're not actually doing it, but subconsciously they don't know the difference.
00:14:55
Speaker
You can go a lot off of just doing that, preparing yourself for the event. It's ah a little similar to what Joel, you know, kind of talks about is, you know, stepping through that threshold, making that decision, right?
00:15:09
Speaker
Commanding it. It's very, very similar. But if you've never been in that position trying to do it on the fly and you've never rehearsed it, that's a rough place to be. Taking in that time and really thinking about what I would do
Archery vs. Rifle Hunting
00:15:20
Speaker
in that situation.
00:15:21
Speaker
How does it feel to me? Right. And you'll find is the more vividly you imagine it, the more detail you put into it, the more your blood pressure will rise, the more you'll have that little feeling of like, Oh, like that's different. it It's kind of like watching ah ah fight MMA, right? All of a sudden everybody gets kind of amped up. You feel it.
00:15:42
Speaker
You're not fighting. You're watching it on a TV, but you're aware of what's happening. You're understanding. Right. So that same type of thought process applies to this because, to be honest with you, like I've shot tournaments it at a very high level.
00:15:56
Speaker
I've never felt the way I do when I shoot at an animal in a tournament ever. It has never been to that level. like i I wouldn't have been able to shoot if it was right. To be able to consistently have that same feeling for every single shot. That would be nuts.
00:16:12
Speaker
It would wreck you. Yeah. i mean, there's this weird feeling when it comes like to kill time, right. Where it's like, I don't want, it just sounds super spiritual. Like you could almost feel heartbeats. Like you like when it gets down to it, it's just like you and the animal, like you go in the zone, like there's nothing like it. Right. That's what tell people all the time. i'm Like once, that's why a lot of people, once they've, you know, put crossers on the animal first time or pins on animal first time, like they never go back. It's just like, they're hooked because it's just like, there's something carnal about it.
00:16:40
Speaker
Right. When you do especially with a bow. Primal. I mean, it it, I mean, we've been doing it for millennia. Like there's, there's nothing you can just go out and do recreationally. other than hunting that has that level of intensity, at least for me. I don't know, that like you could go jujitsu, you can go ride bikes, you dirt bikes, all of that stuff. That's all well and good.
00:17:01
Speaker
But there's something special and there's something unique. And I think you kind of hit on it, the spiritual edge to it, right? primal piece to that. Like it's it's something that we've gotten away with or away from with technology, with being able to just go to the store. Like we don't have to provide ourselves with anything.
00:17:20
Speaker
We just ordered it on Amazon. And I think there's a large portion of the population that realizes us being in nature and us experiencing, you know, all of that is is something that we need.
00:17:30
Speaker
I don't know about you, but I always feel better after a hunt, whether I'm successful or not. Right? There's nothing... nothing better. Like I got out Friday by myself. I've had a cameraman and we filled, we've had five tags. We filled every single tag so far. It's been a, it's been a banner year, about in a thousand.
00:17:46
Speaker
There's always a cameraman with me or always another hunter or an influencer or my kids. And like, what about myself? probably just going hunting coyotes. yeah I just, rejuvenating killed killed a couple dogs like it was just like this is awesome no one's filming no one knows it's out there calling being a predator something about it where you're just like i was meant to do this right especially like just it's just don't know man something about just so cool really is And then the the other side of it is like providing food for your family. Right. And like giving deer, like, like my son's about to have a girlfriend. He's giving their family the deer he just killed. Cause we have so many deer and like, they're like, well, how's it going to taste? And I was like, dude, you guys are meant to eat this. just Just trust me. Just try it. You know what i mean? Like it's just, it is strange. And we have this society that just like is so disconnected from it.
00:18:30
Speaker
And it's not that far removed. i mean this is like a whole new experiment, right? What we're doing right now. ah A hundred percent. I mean, think about it. People buy steak. they don't know how to process that animal they like we put let alone harvest an animal right i mean it just all all of these things that our forefathers and everybody dealt with and and did that that were just normal things everybody did it it was completely accepted and we've transitioned to this point where you know people don't know where their food comes from like i love the fact that i can go and harvest a deer or an elk or an antelope or whatever it may be
00:19:06
Speaker
And I know that I'm providing the best, highest density, nutrient rich food that I can for my family. Like there's, I can't go buy anything that's close to it. Nowhere near. Nowhere near.
00:19:17
Speaker
Yeah, man. It's a, it is intoxicating. It does, it does consume you. And the bow does add to it, right? Like I can say like the rifle, like i been, I enjoy rifle hunting. The bow hunting now, because I've gotten a lot better at hunting over the last 10 years, like the bow hunting just it adds a challenge to it that's just so much more fun. like That's why I'm going out tonight with my bow. Even though in San Diego, like I'll probably shoot a doe if I get a chance. but There's just not a lot of deer here. if You know that. You live here part-time.
00:19:43
Speaker
um just The opportunity like to get in close and do it and then have to... Like with a gun, i don't want to say there's more room for error, but there kind of is. It's like, long as the crosses are there, you're good with a bow.
00:19:55
Speaker
It really is all on you. i mean, your bow could be off. Trust me. I've had bows go off. I've had sites go off, but like, if you miss, it's all on you. And I swear every time I miss on an animal, I know 10 out of 10 times afterwards, I could have hit it.
00:20:09
Speaker
Right. Like it's, you're
Systematic Processes in Hunting
00:20:10
Speaker
just like, why did I do that? Like what, what, what went through my mind that I lost it? And that's kind of what gets me is like when I lose, when things kind of fall apart, let's say you spook it, it jumps back 10 yards and you start rushing. Like that's where it gets me, right? Or you punch or you try and slip it in there. Like my, uh, the guy who runs my company is in Pennsylvania.
00:20:27
Speaker
He missed a deer at 20 yards the other day. Yeah. yeah He didn't look and there tree. He hit a tree, with a branch, right? the And he's just like, dude, like such, like it just came in. I lost my mind. I've been trying to kill this buck behind my house for two years. The buck comes in 20 yards. I put it at his feet.
00:20:43
Speaker
Yep. You know? And that, that, that all goes back to that idea of having that process, being aware of what you're feeling, calling yourself out on it. Hey, I'm amped up right now. Let's try and focus, right? And focus on you, not the target.
00:20:58
Speaker
Being systematic about those thoughts, those feelings, like making sure, ticking all the boxes, everything's good. Everybody knows how to shoot. Everybody knows how to, you know, group and all of that. It's 20 yards.
00:21:09
Speaker
But being aware of the whole situation, right? Not trying to rush. When you catch yourself in those situations, having the due diligence, hey, relax, right? Literally talking yourself through it.
00:21:21
Speaker
It's hard to do. And it's a skill set that all of us have to learn. Just like the first time you picked up a bow, you weren't proficient with it. You know what I mean? Like you're just figuring stuff out. This feels weird and wonky and some shots good and man, some are off the mark. And, you know, it through that, through the continued iteration of it, you start bringing everything together and you have a different level of confidence and ability.
00:21:42
Speaker
And that's what we're ultimately trying to cultivate with, you know, having the mindset and mentality to, to hold yourself accountable. when you're shooting at an and
Therapeutic Benefits of Archery
00:21:50
Speaker
or anything to be truthful It doesn't matter target, whatever. I mean, uh, I truly believe if somebody can sit there and shoot a solid group at 60, they could shoot at a hundred.
00:21:59
Speaker
There's nothing stopping. Um, does that give you a higher level of understanding of what your body should feel like, what motions, what that sight picture needs to maintain, right? Like it, there's a lot of benefit to pushing yourself in practice to be successful in the field.
00:22:15
Speaker
So my first time i traded for an old bear compound bow, I traded a rifle four from a friend. He was left-handed. was left-handed. So we traded to give me a left-handed bow and he brought it to my shop and I drew it back and I'm like halfway back, hit the trigger. That arrow freaking shot through the parking lot. I'm lucky I didn't kill somebody. Right. Like I had no idea what I was doing.
00:22:35
Speaker
Right. But man, i'm like once you start doing that, once you start hitting and you start getting it, it's like, I would say archery is probably the most therapeutic thing you could do in my opinion. Like for me, like if i'm if I go outside and I shoot 10 arrows, I'm like,
00:22:51
Speaker
I feel better. Totally agree. Because at the end of the day, it's just you. Like there's no other element to that. It's just you. Everything you feel, your body positions, your thought process, your sight picture, when you fire a shot, when a shot breaks and before you even lose that arrow, like, you know, it's good. Oh, hundred percent.
00:23:09
Speaker
Feeling that the, like, where else can you get that? Where else can you cultivate that? You know, like rifle shooting to some degree, right? Um, but even then there's, you know, you're relying on the platform with a vertical bow. Like you have to have your ducks in a row or it doesn't matter how good the shot felt.
00:23:26
Speaker
If you didn't set it up properly, you're going to miss your mark. Yeah, I don't get the same feeling with the rifle and I shoot a lot long range stuff. I just don't. like I just don't. like It's like you said, like like a lot of times you know it's just trucks and equipment. I've got a Kestrel. I'm calling the wind. Okay, I've got 10 miles per hour. I can dial it in Elevation has become nothing anymore. Elevation is the easiest thing in the world for anyone to dial.
00:23:46
Speaker
um It's fun. But with a bow, like it is, i like what you said, like, you know, like when I shoot a 60, like 60 is kind of where things start going wrong, right? Over 50 things, you know, things really, and you just know when it's bad, you're like, that's gonna be low, right?
00:23:59
Speaker
like you just know when you you let go too early, right? You're not focused. And, but it just feels good, man. Shoot your bow. I'm
Role of Gear in Hunting
00:24:06
Speaker
actually excited. We're going to move to Yuma in January. And my goal is to get a place with like, you know, two to five acres I can,
00:24:12
Speaker
Bill shoot bows, like long range and stuff. Yeah. yeah But the cool thing about archery is you can do it in your yard and it's relatively, and don't want to say it's inexpensive, but it's relatively inexpensive, right? Like i definitely think you shouldn't buy the beginner bow, the $500 bow. You should step up one size.
00:24:28
Speaker
I'm actually going to do it anyways. Budget-only, right? I mean, you're you're missing out on a lot of performance, right? A lot of the ability to really tailor the boat. But at at the same time, I mean, archery is unique because, yes, there's the initial pop. But, okay, to go and buy, you know, a decent rifle right now, you're going to be $700, $800 for a bare rifle. You're going to need to get rings for it, a scope for it. It's 2Gs no matter what. You're $1,500 and 2Gs.
00:24:56
Speaker
now And now factor in ammunition. I mean, hopefully, you know, uh, ammo is really good right now. you can just off the shelf and, you know, nine times out of 10, a rifle is going to shoot pretty damn good with, uh, with, with just regular off the shelf ammo. You don't got to build rounds and, you know, loads and play that whole game.
00:25:15
Speaker
But archery is unique because you use that same arrow over and over and over. Unless you're me, cause then you just break them. But yeah. Yeah. Well, but yeah. but yeah Even then, I mean, you, you have the ability to sit there and you can shoot to your heart's content, right? You don't got to worry about your pro. You don't got to worry really about a safety core. You can it in your yard.
00:25:33
Speaker
In most yards, you do it in your yard. mean, long live in an apartment, you could pretty much shoot a bow. Pretty much every yard has 20 yards in it 15 yards in it. And you can go shoot your bow and be proficient. Honestly, and what's that?
00:25:46
Speaker
You can get the reps in. And that's, that's what truly matters, man. We spend all this time and money on tags, travel, frigging it. whatever, man, ah just the gear, backpacks, clothes, but optics, right? We throw all the tripods, we throw this stuff together. Right.
00:26:02
Speaker
And then we show up and it's like, did I really train or did I just gear up? Oh dude, it's the worst. Like I, um, cause I mean, I just got down at the gym right now. Right. Like I go to the gym five days a week. I trained for hunting.
00:26:14
Speaker
Right. And I shoot my rifles all the time. I shoot my bows, but I would say like, I talk about all the time. The number one thing people could do is use their products, use their gear before they get out. And most people don't.
00:26:26
Speaker
Correct. They don't, they show up and they can't hike the bridges, right? They can't make it. So then, then you're screwed in that sense. Like physical, I think the physical side of it's more important than almost anything. I tell people all the time, like, dude, I would much rather shoot a Ruger American with like a Leopold freedom on top of it.
00:26:42
Speaker
Yeah. and, and have the money to go get tags and go hunting and and train, then show up overweight with a $6,000 gun works. You know what I mean? Like it's just, and i mean, I actually did all of last year shooting a 30 out six, right? There's a Woodstock 30 out six from Browning and it killed everything I shot at. And this year we did lever action, lever action rifles, open sites in, in, in, um,
00:27:05
Speaker
Alaska, right. Just kind of prove a point. Like you don't need to have all the crazy gear coming from a guy who owns a gear company who wants to sell you you, know, a thousand dollar tripod set up. Right. But like, it's not what makes it.
00:27:16
Speaker
It really isn't. The gear isn't what makes it. And I feel like with gear, the one thing is like you could buy gear all year long.
Practice and Fitness in Hunting
00:27:24
Speaker
i think people like to buy gear for the illusion of the hunt.
00:27:27
Speaker
Right. right Like I, like I've got one friend, I just, I don't know. Whatever. i You know people who buy rifles, right? $5,000 rifles, and they never they haven't even done it with it. I'm like, dude, like this guy bought this rifle. don't want to see what Calibre's. This is the podcast.
00:27:40
Speaker
He bought this rifle seven years ago. He hasn't killed an animal with it. And I'm like, dude, like what? Like, why? Like, you know what mean? Like why buy that gun? Why not just use the gun your grandpa gave you and then buy some tags or go hunting? You know what i mean? But we get so caught up in the gear and buying things, you know, the top of all time. It's like, you got to buy the best weightboard boat. Dude, your kid's just as happy going to play on the shore.
00:28:03
Speaker
Oh, a hundred percent. A hundred percent. But this is, this is kind of the illusion and what marketing's done as well, right? Is, oh, you have to have this gear to be successful. yeah Do I believe in good gear? A hundred percent.
00:28:14
Speaker
Because if I sit there and I'm on a caribou hunt in Alaska, I don't want anything failing. You know what i mean? Because you're in there, you're 80 plus miles from any road, right? Or more depending on where you're hunting.
00:28:27
Speaker
um If I sit there and I go to South Africa, right? Like it's hard to find stuff in some places. Like you got to be going with the quality kit for the level of hunt you're going on. Right. So quality kit matters, but it it's not going to make you a better hunter. If you don't know how to use it, you're not proficient with it.
00:28:43
Speaker
Right. It's, it's shiny. It's new. That's great. But you got to know what you're doing with it. It's the same thing with GPS. I see guys with a GPS and they don't know how to plot anything on it. They don't know how to use it. Like, cool. You got this thing. It's got a little SOS, you know, an in-reach or something along those lines.
00:28:58
Speaker
But it's like, how are you using it to the best of its ability to maximize your hunt? You know, and the same thing is true with a bow. If you don't train on it, just, just like a rifle. How many guys do you know that shoot a rifle two weeks before a hunt sighted in? It's good to go. And then they take it on the hunt. Maybe they shoot, maybe they don't.
00:29:16
Speaker
And then it just gets put up and they never touch The same till next season. And then the same 20, 20, same 20 rounds of ammo. Yeah. I mean, my kids, I make my kids shoot hundreds of rounds a year. Like we go, you know, big thousands rounds, but if we go the range all the time, we shoot, we shoot, we shoot, we shoot.
00:29:30
Speaker
for preparing for that moment. So that way when it happens, they get those, those, they already have those reps there. they know what they're doing. They know the rifle, they understand the dials, all that stuff. But I think it's one of the problems with gear now too. That's kind of why i went on that whole like traditional rifle kick the last couple of years is just being on some hunts and having some very out of shape people just shooting 30 nozzles over a thousand yards. You know what i mean? Just going back to the side by side for more ammo.
00:29:51
Speaker
You what I mean? you're like, good even if you hit that thing, you're not going to get it you know what I mean? Like people just get this gear and they think, oh, I can do anything. But I will say on the gear front, because I do spend, i i don't even know, 120, 150 days a year in the field now. i i so I have the
Importance of Quality Gear
00:30:05
Speaker
coolest job in the world, right, Chris? I hunt all the time.
00:30:07
Speaker
um Multiple days. Every week I hunt. Gear is nice. Like I've gotten to point now where like I joke around all the time that I'm part-time homeless because I sleep, live in my truck like all the time is camp.
00:30:19
Speaker
But like having like a nice sleeping pad, having the nice tents, having the nice pants. um It's nice. it's it It is nice. And I mean, I'm not going to, I'm not going to knock it. I do like having gear.
00:30:32
Speaker
Oh, a hundred. I've got plenty. I promise you, right? Like I, I played this game too. And this is, this is one of those things where when I say that I'm, I'm really gearing that more towards somebody who's getting into the archery, right. Getting into hunting in general, you know, kind of to touch back on the number of folks who actually don't participate in hunting within tournament archery, let's say somebody getting into it though. It's like at the end of the day, the reps on the equipment is what's going to make the difference.
00:30:59
Speaker
whether it be a bow rifle, whatever, whatever method to take, right. You've got to understand what your body is dealing with in that instance. You've got to know what a good shot feels like to be able to go back to what we talked about before talking yourself through that moment and really being able to manage the situation in your mind to be able to have a success at the animal, man.
00:31:21
Speaker
I'll tell you what, like, as you're talking about this, talking about reps, I bet you I can make like 90% of hunters better just by putting them through like a one day a week glassing, forced glassing session.
00:31:33
Speaker
Can you imagine these guys went out and glassed? Like, you know, glass, I'm a psychopath, right? Can you imagine you went out, if you went out twice a month and glassed before season, you know, for the whole year, like whatever your local parks, I think about San Diego, like go to Queer Mac or go to mission trails, wherever, you know, you can't hump, you can find deer.
00:31:49
Speaker
Like, dude, you do that. You're going to kill so many more animals, but if I know the reps, know the stuff. How many times have you heard guys? Oh, we didn't see anything. ah yeah Oh, dude. We just went and killed a bull in, just went and killed a bull general unit.
00:32:02
Speaker
And we ended up only seeing two bulls. We did see ah probably eight cows throughout the trip. Almost every person we talked to did not see an elk. Yep. A single elk. And I'm like, how are you not seeing animals? Like it's, it's wild to me.
00:32:15
Speaker
ah it It really does boil down by the best glass you can afford and put it on a damn tripod. plain and simple
Glassing and Spotting Techniques
00:32:22
Speaker
and that's that's a shout out to cody nelson who you know i used to work for um appreciate that guy he's he really opened my eyes to um optics glassing the things that you really need to do to be more proficient more successful hunting um but it it really is that simplistic by the best glass you can find uh afford and then put it on a good tripod tripod mount it you know optics mounts like binocular mounts
00:32:48
Speaker
they're very prolific now. It makes a difference. It truly does to be steady versus having those things slung around. You're throwing it up on your cam. You're trying to look, uh, you're winded, right? Whatever the case might be. And you're missing an ear flick.
00:33:01
Speaker
You're missing, you know, a little glint on a hoof, something crazy, depending, you know, maybe you're hunting coos deer or something like that. Right. I mean, there's, there's so much out there moving around. And if you just take the time,
00:33:13
Speaker
to glass it up, grid that thing out and put a little effort into it, right? You're going to see animals. You will absolutely see more animals. And then, you know, you kind of got to make that choice. Okay. What's the plan to get to them?
00:33:25
Speaker
Dude. Uh, I do want to put a shout out to Cody Nelson. He's both. He's our mutual friend. Have you seen how much weight he's losing right now? He's a stud right now. He's, he was out chasing elk last week. I mean, I ah don't quote, I know it's more than 50 pounds right now He's dropping pounds and hiking every day. And like, he where he hat he's looking good.
00:33:43
Speaker
Yeah. looking Good. I'm, I'm super, super stoked for him. Really proud of him. And yeah, I hope he keeps it up. I know. we I'm going to try. I have a late, so my father knows a late season bull tag over there and I'm to try and get him out with us. Come steal him from glasses for a couple of days up there. That would be awesome. Yeah.
00:33:58
Speaker
So yeah, dude, yeah, that guy is like by far like, the guy who gave me the shot in the industry, the guy who like, when nobody wanted to talk to me, would take my stuff and talk to me and tell me why it sucked. I talked to Cody
Mentorship and Personal Stories
00:34:10
Speaker
probably weekly. He's just such a mentor to me.
00:34:12
Speaker
Uh, I appreciate him. Appreciate the snot out of him. But, uh, yeah, man. Um, let's talk a little hunting before we get out. I know we're going to wrap this up a little bit early today, you guys, cause Chris has to get to jujitsu with his kid. He's, uh, he's raising fighters. Apparently MMA is your daughter, right? That's you that's my daughter.
00:34:30
Speaker
Yeah, I should have my daughter do it. My daughter has like 15 dudes around her all the time. I need to ensure some and MMA. it Probably not a bad idea. You're probably in the mecca of it right there, man. Oh, dude, everyone out here is MMA. Everybody out there, yeah. with for the navy It's kind of like Jocko, like the old Navy SEAL thing right there. Victory, all that stuff, yeah.
00:34:49
Speaker
Yeah. I think it's all the military guys out here, but it's, yeah, it's huge out here that, and you know, moto BMX, all that stuff for kind of like soak our SoCal stuff, but do Chris, we always, ah end with a hunt on this thing. So, uh, give us a hunting story. Just give your campfire hunt. doesn't need your biggest animal. Just give us a cool hunting story, a fun one. And then we'll talk about what where we can find you do and, uh, lot stuff.
00:35:11
Speaker
Yeah. Um, we'll go back to an antelope hunt I did in God.
00:35:20
Speaker
So a couple of years ago, um, was in five B in Arizona, uh, 15 points. You drew it. Yeah. oh dude No way. There, it's awesome there was only eight tags for the unit.
00:35:31
Speaker
Um, I didn't realize how pocketed that unit is as far as, you know, but public private. Um, and there's only a few access points, um, ended up meeting up with a guy, kind of chatting with him and everything. And,
00:35:46
Speaker
He's like, ah, I've been hunting over here. Great. Cool. Um, I'll try and stay out of there. Um, came across probably one of the largest pronghorn I've ever seen in my life, like easily well over 75 inches.
00:35:59
Speaker
Um, you know, obviously seen bigger, right. But hunting, um, and this guy ended up killing them. Great. Um, ended up going in the next night and it just,
00:36:12
Speaker
somebody had camped right where I had set up, right? yeah Super dry. eight there's eight tas There's eight tags bags in this whole unit. and there's three of you guys here Not the biggest unit.
00:36:24
Speaker
I ended up meeting seven of the eight tag holders because I'm the eighth. Literally everybody in the unit met, talked to them.
00:36:35
Speaker
You know, I think three were successful. of The guy I first talked to myself, I was fortunate enough to shoot one. um And then another older gentleman. But I mean, it it it was really interesting to see how open and how supportive everybody was because everybody knew how difficult the hunt was.
00:36:51
Speaker
right And with those tags too, it's like a, it's a once in almost a once in a lifetime tag now with these analog tags over there. And like, no one's over there. It's almost like drawing a sheep tag when it comes to Arizona. So everyone's kind of helping each other out. know what I mean? It's not like, not the competition of like, gosh, you go to Utah, man. It's like,
00:37:08
Speaker
it's a war zone for some of these general units for elk and for deer it's, or even Colorado. i mean, it's just, it's no one's helped each other out. It's people are cutting each other off on these tags, a little more respect. Like, Hey, we've all been waiting, you know, 50, 15, you probably drew on the random, honestly, if i didn't even draw it on the points.
00:37:24
Speaker
So, I mean, the 15 seems like low to me. So, uh, yeah. Yeah. So yeah. going Shout out to go hunt. Cause yeah, everything I look at is through there. it's like, this is the highest level odds. We'll put that as first choice. Use code tricer. Save 25% at gohunt.com. I get nothing for that other than i have been GoHunt member since 2016 and it changed my life. So use code tricer. Save 25% at GoHunt.
00:37:47
Speaker
So yeah, I ended up being fortunate, being able to shoot a younger buck. He ended up measuring out right at just a little shy of 65. And I'm actually super stoked with him because it was a tough hunt. This was on the eighth day of the hunt.
00:38:01
Speaker
Yeah. He was out there feeding and it's just completely open. You can run at antelope, right? I'm sitting there low crawling. Just, it just, I've got one of those. Oh, I forget the name of it, but it's. Yeah. it goes, the decoy goes in front of your bow. but Yeah. But it actually mounts to the bow.
00:38:17
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. it velker I have one of those ones, the pig ones. Yeah. Fantastic. Because then I could always have that bow in front of me to kind of cover obscure. um i was able to get to 65 yards of them Take that shot.
00:38:29
Speaker
He went 20. Um, super fortunate. Um, pretty windy actually ended up hitting them a little bit further back than I wanted to, but that's hunting, but he still went 20 yards. I think because when I shot, he turned and it just went straight up into the vitals.
00:38:44
Speaker
Um, but yeah, man, one of those hunts where it's like, uh, I was on that eighth day, I was leaving out the ninth. And it was just like, it's now or never type of a thing and was just super fortunate to be able to harvest, you know, a mature animal, which is typically what I hunt for.
00:39:01
Speaker
I'm not, you know, a trophy guy, so to speak, if I see something big, absolutely. But as long as it's a big mature animal, I'm, I'm all for it. So that's, that's my hunt story. It was fantastic. Absolutely encourage people to put in, um you know, ah getting drawn is hard, but when you do, man, it's, it's absolutely worth it.
00:39:21
Speaker
That's awesome, dude. Yeah. That little, that liver shot kind of does, does number on those, especially the smaller ones. as on like dare you know if I see them not go far to get that blood going in there. ah
Engagement in USA Archery
00:39:32
Speaker
I mean, that's awesome, Chris. So where can we find you at? What are you guys doing? Do you want to be found do you on Instagram? What do you got?
00:39:38
Speaker
Yeah. It's just J Chris Webster on Instagram. That's I don't do Facebook or any of that stuff, but and then yeah, if anybody wants to check out USA archery, If they're interested, there's a tournament series there. You could come out, fling arrows.
00:39:54
Speaker
I mean, there's ah there's some unique opportunities there to maybe get to that next level. Very, very similar to, you know, like long range hunting, ah those types of events, right? You know, at Attack is great. Love those things. But there are things that that you can learn and do um with tournament archery that are absolutely applicable to kind of refining your setup, really being able to push out to distance um and talk to a lot of really nice folks who are absolutely you know just advocates for training.
00:40:23
Speaker
for archery and and the sport. It's a very tight knit community. Everybody's willing to help everybody. um So, yeah, I mean, if if if you got kids, it's a real easy way to get them into it. Archery as a whole is extremely safe.
00:40:36
Speaker
um But yeah, our our junior Olympic archery development, our JOAD programs, all of that for the kids. I mean, we've got, you know, US national JOAD nationals. I mean, it'll be over 800 kids shooting this event.
00:40:50
Speaker
too while it's, it's a good environment. it's a good place to be. And a lot of like-minded individuals too. So if anybody's interested there, or check out USA archery. Awesome, man. Chris,
Hunting Experiences in Africa
00:41:02
Speaker
anytime, man. That was an awesome pod.
00:41:04
Speaker
Appreciate it, man. Let's do it again. was We got to do some archery hunting together. Let's go to Alaska or something. That'd be fun. You know what? My, my biggest thing right now is I'm trying to get back to South Africa. I just went this year for the first time.
00:41:16
Speaker
yeah And you love it. Don't you? Oh, dude, I was like, I'm... Now we're going to keep going. I was like, I don't want to go Africa. going to suck. Dude, I went this year and I'm like, I want to go back every single year. it was... When we got to hunt was like... went with tallies. went with mountain owls, baku, half-faced blades, this big industry collab thing. And it was like millions of acres of private land, but it was like public land, in the like Western big game hunting, stalking animals. I mean, like...
00:41:43
Speaker
Dude, it was, it was awesome. It was like, like you're and then you see like a giraffe and a freak, there's an elephant over here and there's a rhino and there's like, dude, it was cool. I'm actually going to Kenya next week, but for missions work, I'm taking my, my daughter, and my son over there. So we'll be over there for 17 days, being on the 20th.
00:42:01
Speaker
But ah yeah, dude, I want to go back to South Africa. It was, it was so fun. It's such a target rich environment. I mean, that's the good thing. That's the cool thing. You want to, I mean, it, seven species in five days is what i did um you know a really nice kudu warthog and paula um brush buck um shot a baboon that was pretty dope um first baboon that they've ever had killed with a bow which is kind of like dude those things are skittish but those things are wicked or like yeah they're skittish nuts they're
00:42:35
Speaker
they'll actually kill, you know, fawns and all of that stuff. Like they rip out wires. They're just, they're terrorists. They want them gone. Like they, they absolutely hate them there. But, uh, I ended up going with, uh, it's Lou Fontaine lodge.
00:42:49
Speaker
Um, the guy's name is, uh, Patrias and he actually shot for South Africa at the world cups. So the guys, oh no way all all of that stuff was shooting. That's how I know him.
00:43:00
Speaker
Jimmy Lutz, Danelle Lutz, like that whole group, if anybody knows who they are, um you know, professional shooters. And we were able to go there and I absolutely fell in love with that place, man.
00:43:12
Speaker
Like that's effectively just a whole different ballgame when you're putting a stock on an animal like that. And it's like, Oh, there's another one. There's, that's the thing is like, you could, it's like the target rich like as an archer. It's like, like normally it's like, you have seven days, day six, you blow a stock, your hunts over over there. It's like, Oh, i blew a stock, but Hey, there's a cuda over there.
00:43:30
Speaker
no it's war you know, like, god yeah, like it's just, that's one of the cool things about it. And it was just, I was so my misconceptions in Africa. Like I regret what i used to say about it. I was like, Oh, shoot.
00:43:43
Speaker
It's not, it's such a cool experience. Like if you haven't done it, go do it. It's actually not that expensive, especially you're prepared to hunting Texas. I mean, once you're down there, problem is there getting them back, but man, go do it. But, uh, yeah, we can do that. and That'd be fun to go do that.
00:43:57
Speaker
Totally, totally down for that. I've, Once again, I've got a guy, um really just a gorgeous place. You know, ah I mean, giraffe, all all of that stuff. I mean, I shot a red heart of beast and an Impala within 15 minutes of each other. Really? You got a heart of beast too? that's That's awesome. That's a good animal. Yeah, we got a, I shot three. I got a kudu, a zebra and a wildebeest. My son, i took my 12 year old. He shot a...
00:44:22
Speaker
Impala, Blesbuck, and an ostrich. Oh, that's rad. The ostrich was sick. It was like shooting a balloon. like He shot it and the thing was deflated to the ground. So we're going to turn that into a purse for my wife. So they're going to make a custom leather ostrich purse for my wife. And it was like, dude, 200 bucks. And they make some custom. It's crazy. I was like, it's going be a thousand bucks. They're actually nice. like Really nice. after all of that like ah Jimmy actually ended up shooting a Cape Buffalo.
00:44:49
Speaker
which was nuts at 35 yards. I filmed it. No way. I go back. I'm absolutely shooting the Cape Buffalo. Like that's how those are gnarly. Those are gnarly for sure. But awesome, dude. Thanks, Chris. Let's do it again, bro.
00:45:01
Speaker
Yep. Sounds good, man. Appreciate you. Thank you for listening to the Tricer podcast. Do us a favor and like and subscribe on whatever platform you're listening on. Give us a follow on Instagram and Facebook at TricerUSA and go and check out all of our innovative gear at www.tricerusa.com.
00:45:18
Speaker
Until next time, shoot straight, have fun, and always put God first.