My buddy Nick Viau mentioned starting a podcast many months ago and at the time I honestly did not think much about it. I had a full plate with work, maintaining this website, making strings and arrows and preparing for hunting season. Mostly I felt I did not have the time to do it but secondly I just did not feel I had a lot to offer with so many “Traditional Archery” or “Traditional Bowhunting” podcasts already being produced. So, I put it out of my mind.
Our deer season here is Georgia started in September and this would mean a lot of time sitting in a stand or a blind with a lot of time to think and reflect. At some point along the way I started to realize that I was spending a lot of time thinking about the same thing; the negativity I was constantly encountering around hunting, archery and pretty much any activity I could think of that involved spending time in the outdoors. While there are a lot of great people that I have met due to social media, the negative encounters tend to outweigh the positive encounters by a factor of 10 to 1. It seems, collectively speaking, we sometimes are cutting off our nose despite our face. Constant bickering, boasting, complaining and bashing of ourselves seems to have become the accepted norm. This would be the focus of many hours of silent contemplation while looking at the world from 20′ high in a tree.
Somewhere along the way, I started thinking about my path to hunting with traditional archery gear and the positive individuals I have met along this journey. I began to reflect on what made those individuals special and about the positive traits they embraced that made them the people they were. It then dawned on me that in many ways being “Traditional” was as much of a lifestyle or an attitude than the choice of weapon. Sometimes this is referred to as “old school” but it is a attitude of embracing the simplicity of an activity. As I began to listen to people both in the traditional community and in other communities from fly fishing to bushcraft I started noticing that it was easy to identify the people that were not only passionate about what they were doing but that these same people wanted to spread that passion to anyone who showed interest. I realized “Traditional” means more to me than just a weapon, more than a tool. It is an attitude.
So, the idea for “Traditional Outdoors” was born. Soon after I realized that a podcast would be a great platform to discuss and introduce others to all kinds of outdoor activities. At the same time I believed I could share my passion for all things outdoors and hopefully listeners would see that there is more to spending time hunting, fishing, camping or other activities than posting on social media and hashtagging to get a sponsor or as many “Likes” as possible. I want people to return to what is most important when spending time in the field or on a stream: the experiences and the memories.
We live in an age of QDMA, hashtags, scores, competitions, sponsors, pro-staffs, and the like. The commercialization of hunting that is the product of hunting’s own version of reality TV has created and inspired a generation of hunters that I find myself unable to relate to. Fist pumps, high fives, screams of triumph and “Smoked him” have replaced the solemn feeling that I still feel after taking an animal’s life. Yes, that is the reason I am out there, to take an animal but it is as much for the experience of pitting my skills against a wary whitetail as it is for blood. I know there are a lot of people that feel the way I do, I know there are still more that may look at the outdoor world a little differently because of something I might say, or an experience I may share. That is ultimately my goal for the Traditional Outdoors Podcast, to relate my stories, my experiences and the experiences of other like-minded individuals. Whether we are discussing a failed stalk on a muley buck, avoiding the 6th sense of a wary whitetail, lightly presenting a dry fly for a wild rainbow or perhaps reaching the top of a snow-covered mountain. Our triumph is the experience of having tried, having learned something and most importantly about the quality of our memories during the attempt.
Please join Nick and I along this journey and subscribe to the Traditional Outdoors Podcast. We hope to see you there.
Steve
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