Evan Williams Tagline

[robby denning]

Evan, I've noticed your tagline since Rokslide started and been meaning to ask you about it.

"The greatest hunter is the one who knows his own limitations!"

For what it means to me, I can't agree more. In this day and age of climb further, hunt harder, spend the most on gear, your statement stands in contrast.

As I've gotten older, I've learned to accept my limitations (money, physical limits, ability to move slow) and try to plan my hunts with them in mind instead of hoping they go away.

Example, when I was 25, I'd spot a buck 4 miles away and tear after him like my arse was on fire. Almost every time they got away either because I couldn't physically get to them or moved to fast and spooked them. I now try to contemplate things more, sometimes not even going after them that day. When it works out, I'm able to approach the buck more mentally & physically ready for what may happen. More often I've got the drop on them and went home smiling.

Or I'd plan hunts that turned out to be so expensive that they left a bitter taste in my mouth, especially when I was unsuccesful, which most of the time I am.

I don't know what exactly you mean by your tagline, but that is what it means to me. Thanks for that nugget of wisdom. What does it mean to you?

 

[Evan Williams]

Robby,

I actually started that tagline a few years ago. I was (at the time) spending most of my forum time on Primos' Cabin Chat and I just remember guys always jumping on each other about this or that. I finally remember stepping in for a guy and ended my post with: "The Greatest Hunter is the One Who Knows His Own Limitations"

I don't even remember what it was about now but since then I have truly started thinking about what it means to me and the way I hunt. Especially after I torn both of my quads and the physical limitation that that can have on me.

My best example:

During the 2011 Colorado archery Elk/Deer season I had both tags in my pocket for the same unit. On the way back to camp one night I was walking down a trail around the peak instead of over. As I was strolling along I noticed fresh elk sign and 15 yards later as I rounded a turn there stood a GORGEOUS OTC Bull!!! 275-280 class 5 point on his left and on his right was a 12-14" Spike, 10" hooking tine and a 15" drop club!!!!!! 43 yards, perfectly broadside, head down feeding behind a beetle kill pine with the wind in MY FACE!!!! The archery hunters dream scenario!!!! Biggest issue...my archery set-up:

I had built a light weight arrow set-up to maximize my speed for longer range shooting and tipped it off with a mechanical head.

I drew back and buried my 40 tight to his shoulder wrapped my finger around the trigger and then removed it and let down. I know that I could have made that shot any day of the week under worse circumstances BUT I know that if 1 thing could have went wrong it would have and I was dreading the situation where I center punched one of his ribs.

I knew that I could make the shot but I also knew the limitations of my equipment!!!

Not everyone can hike in 7+ miles and stay for 7+ days alone in the backcountry because of this or that. And others shouldn't even attempt it b/c of health, etc when they could do more harm to themselves and to those they are hunting with.

We all want to push ourselves. To be the strongest hunters and the smartest hunters we can be...PUSH THE ENVELOPE. The time to do that isn't when you hit the trailhead its when you are preparing. Learn your limitations and the limitations of your equipment. That is what will make us all the strongest and the smartest hunters that we can be THE GREATEST HUNTERS WE CAN BE!

 

[7mag.]

Well said, very smart outlook. I too often get stubborn and suck it up, when I should be trying to be smarter instead of tougher.

 

[robby denning]

Great story Evan and good example of knowing limitations. Thanks for elaborating.

That is what is funny about chat rooms. Egos get bigger and bigger to the point others expect to see superman if they actually meet the guy. I happen to know a few of the chat room posters on internet. Brad Paisley says it best in his song "Online"


"I work down at the pizza pit
And I drive and old Hyundai
I still live with my mom and dad
I'm 5'3 and overweight

I'm a Sci-fi fanatic
Mild athsmatic
Never been to 2nd base
But there's a whole nother me
That you need to see
Go check out MySpace

Cause online I'm down in Hollywood
I'm 6'5 and I look damn good
I drive a Massarati
I'm a black belt in Karate
And I love a good glass of wine

It turns girls on that I'm mysterious
I tell 'em I don't want nothing serious
Cause even on a slow day I can have a three way
Chat with two women at one time

I'm so much cooler online
So much cooler online"

 

[billy molls]

Evan, Very well put. As hunters, particularly men, we all have egos, but the guys who hunt to prove something will never get anything from hunting. I went to Alaska at 19 to become a guide. I wanted to shoot every animal in the state. Especially a brown bear with my bow. Fifteen years later, I haven't shot one single animal in Alaska. I don't see the need. I love "the hunt." When I "need" to kill an animal in Wisconsin (to eat) I do, but otherwise nothing could be better than to make sportsman dreams come true, and show them the wilderness that has become my passion.

My trophy room fits into a medium sized box. It has about 2,000 photos in it. There are pictures of mountains, rivers, horses, mules, hunters, pilots, cooks, camp fires, crashed airplanes, animals alive and dead, guides, outfitters, sunrises and sunsets: My memories,,,,,,, my life.

Hunting is so parallel to life: The longer, and the more you do it, the less you have to prove. You have obviously done quite a bit of both to pass up that shot on that elk. Very few would have. Kudos my man,,,,,,

Evan, I've noticed your tagline since Rokslide started and been meaning to ask you about it.

"The greatest hunter is the one who knows his own limitations!"

For what it means to me, I can't agree more. In this day and age of climb further, hunt harder, spend the most on gear, your statement stands in contrast.

As I've gotten older, I've learned to accept my limitations (money, physical limits, ability to move slow) and try to plan my hunts with them in mind instead of hoping they go away.

Example, when I was 25, I'd spot a buck 4 miles away and tear after him like my arse was on fire. Almost every time they got away either because I couldn't physically get to them or moved to fast and spooked them. I now try to contemplate things more, sometimes not even going after them that day. When it works out, I'm able to approach the buck more mentally & physically ready for what may happen. More often I've got the drop on them and went home smiling.

Or I'd plan hunts that turned out to be so expensive that they left a bitter taste in my mouth, especially when I was unsuccesful, which most of the time I am.

I don't know what exactly you mean by your tagline, but that is what it means to me. Thanks for that nugget of wisdom. What does it mean to you?

 

[billy molls]

OOPS!! I was responding to #2, Evan's reply to the thread. I am an idiot.

 

[robby denning]

billy,
very well said and neat to know about you as a guide. That attitude alone sets you apart from much of hunting industry.

Keep it up,
and share some of those photos!

 

[Doj4Whlr]

Wow, what a great read (interaction). Life's echoes...

 

[billy molls]

Thanks Robert, Most of them are too high of res to put on here, and I HONESTLY don't know how to reduce the size of them. You can check out my website www.billymollsadventures.com. I have a fair number of pics on there.

I just finished writing a book. I hope to post a chapter or 2 on here in the near future.

 

[alecvg]

Thanks Robert, Most of them are too high of res to put on here, and I HONESTLY don't know how to reduce the size of them. You can check out my website www.billymollsadventures.com. I have a fair number of pics on there.

I just finished writing a book. I hope to post a chapter or 2 on here in the near future.

I would love to buy a copy!

 

[billy molls]

I will be sure to get a note out as soon as it is ready. I am dealing with a publisher now....? If I self-publish, it will be ready by Oct. this year, with the publisher, it should be ready by early Dec.

thanks

I would love to buy a copy!

 

[Pond]

Another way to look at your tagline is that most people don't seem to know where there limitations are cause they have never pushed past the simple or easy....never getting anywhere close to what they could do (limitations).

 

[Evan Williams]

Billy,

Loved your website!!! Saw some of your stuff on First Lite can't wait to read more.

As men and especially backcountry hunters we all need to set aside our egos in my opinion. I am no Cameron Hanes when it comes to being in shape, although I do hope to get back into the best shape possible with my legs the way they are. All an ego is going to do is make me push to far to fast and cause injury which is only going to set me back farther than I already am and that's not worth it.

 

[bearguide]

love the thread. i would like to hear more about the book billy

 

[billy molls]

Well, my grandfather was a professional trapper and farmer. He would leave his farm, wife, and kids for up to 6 months, to go to Norther Wisconsin to a small log cabin and trap beaver, wolf, bobcat, weasels for the winter. About the time he was 50-55 he would just trap around home. He dreamed of Alaska, but never made it there. Not going to Alaska may have been the biggest regret in his life.

I went there after high school looking for adventure, and to become "a great hunter." Fifteen years later, the wilderness of Alaska has humbled me and enriched my life beyond belief. My knees and the rest of my body, are past their prime, but I still improving as a "guide." I no longer even think about any type of label in regards to my hunting ability. By not actually shooting an animal, all I think about is the "hunt" and not the kill. When you do that about 150 times in the most remote areas of The Las Frontier, sooner or later, it all comes together. You realize that you are part of something of an infinite scale that is incomprehensible and you realize that it is not longer about you, but rather, the things you might be fortunate enough witness or experience.

I have been a registered guide in Alaska for 8 years, which is basically an outfitter, but I don't contract my own hunts, I just guide for four other outfitters. The reason being, very few "outfitters" actually guide in the field. They are usually the pilot or the logistics manager. All of them that I guide for are in their 60's, and I am pretty sure none of them have guided as many hunts in the field as I have. I love to hunt and live in the wild. When the season is over, I can go home and leave "work" behind. In 2005, I did get my plots license and my own area, but after less than 2 years, I knew it wasn't for me. I wanted to be on the ground, in the bush. I guess staying a guide was my "limitation" as Evan put it.

My book is about 10% autobiography, 80% short hunting stories, and 10%,,,, maybe some would call it inspiration....? I haven't done anything great, I think I have seen and experienced some pretty amazing things, and above all. In our current world of concrete, internet, corrupt politics, and lawsuits, I hope show people a "real world" where none of that exists. In Alaska, it is just the basic principles of life: Water, food, shelter..... That's what I love about it. I think my target audience is people who have either never hunted Alaska, or maybe once or twice, to show them what I believe to be why Alaska is such an incredible place.
It is funny, when I talk to people and their hunt is going to be 10 or 15 days, they often say "WOW! That's along time!" Truth be told, I have spent about 5 years of my life hunting in the wilderness(mostly in Alaska, but some of it in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho), and feel like I'm just now beginning to appreciate and understand it. A couple 10-day hunts, just isn't enough.

Sorry to get long-winded. I guess showing people all the benefits of living, and guiding in Alaska, has become my passion, and perhaps an obsession. I know I am very lucky to do what I do. I know most people can't do that, but I hope to be able to produce the next best thing to being there.......????? Time will tell,,,,,

 

[mattstanton]

this thread nailed my scenario. I am a big dude. 6'4" and 290lbs. I plan my hunts according to my ability and pace now. there is not a hole I will not hike in or out of but I make sure I allow enough time. I look at an area and realize that It will take me x amount of days to cover it properly at my pace and get out on time. I used to kill myself trying to keep up with guys that were half my size but now I hunt alone and at my own pace and am more successful and enjoy my hunts more.

 

[Evan Williams]

I'm glad that so many guys are weighing in. Billy I loved your stuff. Thanks for sharing and being a part.

 

[Brandon Pattison]

I would have taken the shot, only because I lack what Evan has. I get so excited I am almost a danger to myself and others although my level of success isn't hinged around a punched tag.

 

[Evan Williams]

That bull is the reason I built the set-up this year that I did! I drew my elk tag and not my deer tag so its all about the Colorado Elk this season!!!