Is Hunting Your Idol?

October 2023 Blog

Outdoor Redemption Blog – October 2023

Bible Reading

Matthew 22: 34-36 & Matthew 23

Bible Verse

And he said to him, ^g“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. – Matthew 22:37

Monthly Blog

Hunting, in its truest form, is a past time unlike any other. In simple concept, it is man placing his natural hunting instincts against an animal’s natural survival instincts. Hunting, in complex form, is sleepless nights, sacrificing time with friends and family and it is a constant presence in the minds of hunters.

Hunting, in reality, is an addiction.

Like all addictions, hunting often takes priority over our lives. It is all we think about. It is what we spend our money on, and it is the reason we skip out on the priorities of our lives.

Hunting can even become our god, an idol within the lives we lead that is placed above all others.

There is nothing we wouldn’t sacrifice for the opportunity to hunt. Our families, our friends and even our God is placed below our addiction to hunt.

We skip kid’s soccer games, school activities, holidays, and many other important family events.

So very often, we skip church and fail to maintain our focus on Christ. Instead of placing Christ at the top of our lives, hunting and the animals we pursue become our sole reason for being. They are all we think about and dream of pursuing.

Hunting is a gift from God. A blessing that offers us the opportunity to pursue and enjoy his creation. But, like all of God’s gifts, we can squander them. As fallen creatures, we often make His gifts our own and place them before our Creator.

This season, make sure Christ lives above your love of hunting.

Monthly Outdoor Activity

Archery

Fall is a great month to get outside and introduce yourself to the world of archery. If you are already an avid archer, the fall is also a great time to hone in your archery skills and increase your confidence in your bow.

For new archers, almost any bow on the market now-days has enough technology behind their design to offer everything you need for a new bow setup. Even the most economical bows are a great choice to enter the world of archery.

Many areas around the country are also hosting 3-D shoots. 3_D shoots are awesome events that allow hunters to converse with other hunters and a great chance to enjoy the outdoors with a full day of realistic archery practice.

Additionally, many local conservation areas or shooting ranges have designated archery courses that the public can access. A simple google search can find these areas to go and practice archery.

Archery takes time and practice, but the enjoyment of pure archery is difficult to top.

Monthly Outdoor Tip

Properly sighting in your bow and getting your sights dialed in takes time, so be patient. Here are a few simple tips to help you sight in your bow.

Follow your arrow. This directional tip may be difficult to grasp at first, but it remains true. If your arrows are hitting the target high, adjust your sight up (follow your arrow). Doing this allows you to aim lower as you are looking through your peep sight onto your pins. The same goes for if you are shooting low, left or right. If you are shooting low, adjust your sight down (allowing you to lift your arrow). If you are shooting left, adjust your sight left (allowing you to bring your arrow back right), etc…
Make sure your bow is balance. Most bows sights have a level indicator attached to their bracket. When shooting, make sure your bow is level. If your bow is not level, this may throw off your arrow trajectory, especially at longer yardage.

Maintain a constant anchoring point. An anchoring point is the location your bow string (and in some way – peep sight) anchor to your face when drawing back and taking aim. Many archers focus on having an anchor point on their chin or cheek. Other avid archers will even have what they call a “kisser-button” to make sure their anchor point stays constant. Maintain a constant anchor point is key to accurate archery shooting.