Instead of chasing more, I’m chasing better — better experiences, better health, better community, and a deeper connection to what made me fall in love with bowhunting and the outdoors in the first place.
Here’s a quick look at 7 things I plan to do different for bowhunting in 2026.
1. Bowhunt Hogs with Family & Friends
First, I’m bringing the fun back into the off-season. I plan to chase hogs with my bow alongside a few good buddies — the kind of hunts that are more about laughing around a campfire than punching tags.
It’s raw, it’s fast-paced, and it keeps my instincts sharp when deer season still feels a long way off. There’s a special surge of adrenaline that comes with drawing back on hog. And it’s all the better when it’s an off-season hunt and all other hunting seasons are closed.
2. Get Back to My Traditional Roots
A borrowed Bear recurve bow from my bowhunting mentor was the first bow I ever stepped into the whitetail woods with. In 2026, I’m returning to my traditional roots. It’s been a few years too many since I hunted seriously with a stick and string, and I’m fixing that.
I’ve asked my bowyer buddy, Jim Neaves, to build me another Centaur longbow — a weapon that demands discipline, practice, and respect.
No wheels, no shortcuts, and no overpriced accessories – just wood, string, and muscle memory. I’m excited to slow things down and feel the hunt again with my longbow.
3. Bowfishing with the Boys
Few things keep your bowhunting skills sharp in the off-season like bowfishing. I’m getting my old bowfishing boat back in working order and taking my boys out to shoot fish this next year.
It’s messy, bloody and muddy, but it’s some of the best time a dad can spend with his kids. Those spring and summer nights on the water with my crew is hard to beat when it comes to off-season action with a bow.
4. Increase Physical Fitness
One of the biggest changes in 2026 is how I’m handling physical fitness. For years, like a lot of hunters, I’ve crammed my fitness push into the months leading up to deer season.
This year, I’m running consistently all year long, as well as weight training, to build real, usable strength. Not to look a certain way — but to climb hills easier and drag deer farther when the opportunities arise.
5. Hunt More from the Ground
In the fall woods, I’m gonna expand the way I hunt. I’ll be spending more time on the ground, trading treestand comfort for mobility.
Still-hunting, slipping through cover, and adapting in real time takes mobility to a new level.
It’s riskier, harder, and more intimate — and that’s exactly why I want to do more of it in the season ahead.
6. Feed More Families
But the biggest shift in 2026 isn’t about gear or tactics. It’s about purpose. I want to feed more local families and friends with the deer we take each year.
Wild game is a gift, and I want to be more intentional about sharing it with people who need it or would simply appreciate it.
Hunting means more when it blesses others.
7. Host an Archery Event
Finally, I want to give back through local community. I’m planning to host a local archery event with a heavy emphasis on first-time shooters and total beginners.
I want kids, moms, dads, and anyone who’s ever been curious to pick up a bow and realize they belong here. If we don’t grow the community, we lose it.
Just consider the impact that could be made if every bowhunter made a goal to do such in their own community. The archery and bowhunting community would certainly boom.
Challenge for 2026
What about you? What will you do different in 2026? I challenge you to consider the impact you can make, not only for yourself, but for the good of others ready to embark on their own bowhunting journey.
