Hunting Hungry - Archery Season Update

Archery season is nearing a close for me and a lot has happened in the last month and a half. The short story of my fall hunting season is that I haven’t filled a tag. We’ll get to that later. But I was able to help packout two outstanding mountain bulls for buddies of mine. That’s as rewarding as killing a bull myself, hands down.

Brandon (@durango.boone) packing out his 2020 archery bull. He put a Havalon through his hand during field processing the bull.

The first came when I heard that Justin Helvik had arrowed a “stud” bull and was 7 1/2 miles deep. I instantly offered to help. After the rough elk hunting I had been having it would be good to see a dead bull, help carry some heavy weight, and get to snap the sometimes elusive “packout” photo.

Justin’s (@jhelvik) bull was a true once-in-a-lifetime caliber bull. What dreams are made of.

As a content creator myself and also working to manage content creators, I know to never miss a chance to be part of a big bull getting packed out. Unless your in a very elite class with lots of time to spend hunting, the chances of you being on 340+ caliber bull kill is few and far between. So lesson 1 go and shoot it. I would have helped regardless but the XL antlers also make for some pretty solid photo opportunities.

As an added benefit on this hunt fellow photographer Jordan Gill was there with Justin when he killed his bull. It was cool to shoot alongside him and get a chance to snap a few photos of a Hunting Photographer at work in their element.

Jordan (@jordangillphotography) “getting the shot” even with 7 more miles to the truck and a full elk quarter plus camp on his back.

This brought to mind a solid point that needs to be addressed for all hunting photographers. The point being that if you want to document serious mountain hunting, then you better be in better shape than the hunters you want to document. I’ve seen 4 photographers show up on hunts this year and their physical fitness either ended the hunt entirely, severely diminished the hunter’s plan/pace, or pulled their main mental state away from being focused on content and was ultimately focused on their hurting bodies. For Jordan this was no issue as he’s a true professional when it comes to shooting images on any hunt. So if you want to document backpack elk hunts then be prepared to carry some heavy ass weight all while running around shooting photos off two camera bodies with camp, food, layers and other gear on your back. It’s hard ass work but the long and short of it is if you want it and can do it well, you’ll find work as a hunting photographer.

Doing Work

I’m blessed to have a day job that gets me outside and allows me to work with lots of photographers. It’s great to finally implement things from the brand side that make the photographer’s jobs easier and it’s also great to work alongside them and try to help mentor their skillsets to the next level. After Helvik’s bull I was working with Calvin Connor on an elk project when Brandon text me bull down. So again I got to work a packout with Calvin and help give him some guidance and let him run the show. So on that front this year has been super rewarding.

Calvin (@calvinconnor) working the camera while helping pack a bull out. Calvin always has a great attitude and works hard every time, things every photographer should have as part of their kit when they leave the truck.

Steven Drake (@stevendrakephoto) practicing what he documents. Being a mountain hunter yourself helps immensely when it comes to being able to photograph serious hunts.

This year my main focus has been killing an elk with my bow. I’ve failed miserably at the end goal despite seeing and/or hearing bulls every day I’ve went into the mountains. The elk have just been on point and are getting the good hands on each encounter. I’m glad to say I haven’t made any dumb mistakes, just haven’t seemed to get all the stars to align and get a good arrow in the air. I don’t feel any closer to filling my tag on a mature 6 point but the struggle and experience is so much a part of why I hunt. But at some point you need to feel like sealing the deal needs to be a priority so I’ll continue to push on and stick the course. It’s like all things in life, do the things that lead to success and put in the time and it will all come together.

Zack (@zackboughton) hustling ahead to grab a shot while packing a quarter and cape.

So my season rolls on. Drake killed a great bull recently so congrats to him, he puts the time in and it’s always super cool to see it translate into filled tags. Good luck out there to everyone and remember life’s too short not to chase your dreams.

-Zack Boughton