For some people, traditions mean superstitious and vice versa. When it comes to archery hunting it’s just traditions. The very first year I went hunting with my boyfriend, Matt, kept telling me the same things over and over again. Garth Brooks. John Wayne movies. Road soda. (Side note: if you hunt or camp then you know what I mean by road soda.) “Yeah, yeah, I get it.” Well, I really didn’t “get it” until my second year hunting. I’ll tell ya I understand and respect the traditions my boyfriend and his hunting group has.

I guess I never really understood the whole playing Garth Brooks music while traveling in between hikes until we saw nothing. Matt said, “It’s time for some GB.” I am pretty sure I rolled my eyes as I pushed in a CD. We cranked up the music, had Rodeo blasting when he goes, “I think it’s time for a potty break and a road soda.” 11 AM? Sure….

We each had a soda in hand with Rodeo ending and Baton Rouge starting when we spotted some elk running up the road ahead of us.

Awesome! Finally some action. Oh crap! What I do with my soda? I attempted to put it on the dash, nope…. Tried setting it on the floor…nope. Well the window it open…? I tossed my FULL soda out the window and got ready to jump out of the truck. We stopped at a Y, and I scurry out of the truck trying to be quiet and honestly not so graceful…. I was so nervous, but the adrenaline was kicking, and I was ready! So I thought. My heart thumped so hard I swear the elk noticed.

By the time we started walking out where they disappeared it was too late. We heard the crashing with tree branches and sticks breaking.

Well crap. Oh well. It was getting dark anyways, and I wasn’t looking forward to trying to track blood in pitch black.

We headed back to camp with a new story to tell the group. Seems like that happens a lot, eh? But as any bow hunter will tell you, sometimes a good story and the memory is all we get and need.

You may ask when does the John Wayne movies come in? Well, when we get back from the morning hunt we normally get some lunch and pop in a Duke movie just before everyone falls asleep.

I’m not superstitious or anything, but now I completely understand their traditions, and they have reasons for it too. Every time G.B. and road sodas are in play the elk come running. Now, I think I added another tradition…cupcakes! Read Hunting Flops posted March 28.