Raising the Bar

“Write an essay on literature.” My professor told our class last semester.  “Books, genres, magazines, authors, pick something that has to do with literature. ” My brain instantly started churning and as usual I had to write something related to the wild.   There just was no other way I could keep enthusiasm for an assignment.

“Writing and the outdoors, lots of those people around.” I thought.  As my mind steadily drifted off thinking about bowhunting,  There was one guy that came to mind.

When he isn’t in the field hunting, writing and filming, he can be found spending time with his family, working his day job, or preparing for the mountains.  Since 1989, Cameron Hanes has bow hunted all over the world taking game from Africa, to Alaska, and all over the lower forty eight, but he still insists that his favorite place to hunt is still his home state of Oregon.  Hanes has become well known and recognized for his accomplishments as a backcountry do it yourself bow hunter over the last twenty years.  He is not recognized just for the number of trophies taken but also for his incredible work ethic and attitude towards preparing for bow hunting. He also possesses incredible talent as a writer and film producer.  Over the past two decades he has transformed his passion into a career.  He published his first book “Bow hunting Trophy Black tails” in 1999 and “Back Country Bow Hunting: A guide to the Wild Side” in 2006 which sold over 20,000 copies in its first year.  In addition to his writing, he served as the editor for Eastman’s Bow Hunting Journal and has produced DVDs on hunting blacktail deer.   Currently he helps host several shows on the Outdoor Channel such as  Elk Chronicles, RMEF’s Team Elk Tv.

Oregonbowhunters .com describes Hanes as someone who not only has the passion for hunting pure back country terrain but also as having “A serious talent for the written word.”  For several years, Hanes channeled his writing passions by serving as the editor of Eastman’s Bow Hunting Journal.  The Bow hunting journal is a spinoff of the already wildly popular Eastman’s Hunting Journal.  Here in the east we don’t often hear or see this magazine because the magazine is directed more towards the western hunters.   Because of his passion for the wilderness he has the ability to translate his experience into words that for people like me paints a vivid picture of the adventure. “Eastman’s Bow Hunting Journal is the clear cut favorite magazine of hardcore western bow hunters, is something I am very proud of,” says Hanes.  Hanes wrote a column for the magazine called Dialing In.  In his articles, Hanes would not only share his stories but convey knowledge and tips for back country hunting.  Back country hunting is a totally different element than just the quick two hour evening sit behind the farm.  What Hanes does is bring the elements of the back country hunt to life.  He details challenges and undeniable dangers of back country life.  If something goes wrong, you get hurt or sick, it isn’t a quick trip to safety; nobody is coming to bail you out anytime soon.  As a reader and hunter myself I know that Hanes is not bullcrapping anyone with what he writes and preaches.  Hanes hunts public access lands often on do it yourself solo hunts with great success.  This track record gains the trust of harden veterans of the wild like myself.

There is more to his writing than just about the kill, it is about the preparation and the chase.  As Hanes popularity and endorsements grew, he felt unable to continue on as the editor of the Journal and stepped down in 2009 but still regularly shows up on the Eastman’s TV show.  Hanes received endorsements from several leading outdoor equipment companies such as Under Amour, Easton, G5 Outdoors and Hoyt Archery. In October of 2011 he got back into the editors position by joining the editorial staff at “Extreme Elk Magazine” writing a column titled “Sacrifice/ Reward.”  In addition to writing articles and serving as an editor, he blogs on his website http://www.cameronhanes.com/ , writing about his current adventures, workouts and family life.  Although to some, blogging may not be the traditional form of the image of a writer but in today’s technology age, many writers stay connected and up to date with their readers faster and at a more personal level.    One of His frequent blog topics is his legendary workout routines. The way Hanes writes shows every element of not just the hunt but the critical elements of preparation. http://www.cameronhanes.com/video/

Often times, the images associated with hunters are as Hanes puts it, “a bubba character.”  Slow, dimwitted out of shape, lumbering through the woods carelessly with a gun puffing on a cigarette shooting at anything that moves.  Hanes destroys that image and rebuilds it from the ground up.  He describes himself as an athlete who hunts, physically and mentally fit to attack the mountains.  Hanes has said that the mountains don’t care if you’re not in shape and the animals certainly don’t either.   By taking this mentality he never stops training, never a day off.  As I said before his methods of preparation are virtually unheard of, they raise the bar of preparation and mental toughness to an entirely new level. Hanes runs every day sometimes twice a day in order to stay in top cardio vascular shape.  In addition to a strict running schedule, he lifts weights constantly throughout the year and works with a personal trainer to get the most out of his body.  Talk about commitment.   One of the things Hanes is especially known for is running multiple ultra-marathons in the spring and summer.  He uses these endurance races to prepare physically and mentally for the steep demands for the back country.  Through his writing Hanes always pushes  this idea,  “Expecting success, working tirelessly to perform in crunch time, giving nothing less than your very best is the #1 way bow hunters achieve their dreams” says Hanes, this formula goes for everything one does.  In an article called “Boston-Bow hunting and Lance”, Hanes ran in the 2008 Boston marathon.   This fierce mentality pushed him through pain and many miles right to the end when he caught up with, ran alongside, and then eventually beat the legendary Lance Armstrong by thirteen seconds.  To most, this mind set and type of preparation seems a bit obsessive, but one quick look at the animals mounted at Hanes’s home and you’ll be a believer.  I have to tip my hat to Hanes for pushing himself to that level.  I hunted in the same back country of Eastern Oregon Hanes hunted for years in September of 2009.   I can attest to what Hanes writes, you really do have to be at the top of your game mentally and physically because of the sheer tenacity of the mountains.  I was in shape for the hunt and really had no issue hiking the mountains.  However; my father wasn’t (his feet at least) and suffered for it. The mountains are unforgiving and the animals are every bit as tough as the mountain it’s self.  Both will break you if you aren’t prepared.  The way Hanes prepares himself for the mountains ensure that he will not fail when the pressure is on.  One thing I really enjoy about reading Hanes articles is how realistic he is with the reader.  He isn’t going to sell you a bill of goods and make things sound easier or light, no he tells you the nitty gritty .  If you want to reach your goals, sacrifice equals reward, period.   http://www.cameronhanes.com/video/

Cameron Hanes is a man of character and unbelievable self-discipline, there are no shortcuts.   I can fully appreciate his writing, shows, dedication and his intensity because I share that same intensity.    This is where I know Hanes and I are connected in the brotherhood of hunters, the ones who demand excellence from ourselves every season.  That doesn’t mean by number of animals killed, no, that is just the bonus.  The question is; did we hunt harder than we did the year before? Did we push our physical and mental boundaries till our bodies cried for mercy? What drives people like me and Cameron Hanes into the wild is something much deeper that words cannot always fully describe.  It is the primal passion for chasing game that is engrained into our souls that only those who truly have that fire with in them can understand.

Whether or not he will ever admit to it, Cameron Hanes has set a new bar as to what it means to be a bow hunter.  For ever single one of us looking on, in the back of our minds  we all think, “He is doing something right.”

Where Eagles Dare,

Jason