Garmin Report post Posted February 2, 2016 We sat down with extreme bowhunter, fitness enthusiast, and apex predator Cameron Hanes to get to know him and hear what itâs like to prepare for some of the most intense hunts on the planet. Garmin: What are your favorite species to hunt for? Cameron Hanes: Elk have always been at the top of my list. Shooting a big bull elk with my bow is what I dreamt of when I was young and itâs still right up there. Second to that is dangerous game. I like the adrenaline rush of hunting grizzlies, Cape buffalo, and in general, anything that can hunt you, too. G: What do you love about bowhunting? CH: I love the challenge of bowhunting. Becoming proficient with a bow is a challenge that has basically defined my life. G: What do you do to prepare yourself to go on a strenuous and physically demanding hunt? CH: I pretty much train every day, year-round. I never miss a day of training and the whole reason I train is so I can bowhunt. My goal is to become the âUltimate Predator.â I donât even know if thatâs achievable, but if I want to be that, I know that I need to work harder. There are a few other things that keep me motivated. I like doing endurance races and my motto is basically this: âI donât get ready for a season, I stay ready.â Iâm pretty much ready every day of the year and when that ultimate hunt comes, Iâm ready to give 100%. G: Do you feel like thereâs a direct correlation between your training and the success youâve had? CH: Definitely. The success of my hunts absolutely is because of my intense training regimen. The last time one of my hunts was not successful was in 2009. In 2015 I only bowhunted 10 times. Of those 10 hunts, I harvested 10 animals. Seven of them were in an âany weaponsâ season, so I could have used a rifle, but I decided to use a bow because thatâs all I ever use. I just like the challenge and preparation, and because Iâve prepared so hard, Iâve been successful almost 100% of the time. It goes hand-in-hand. I donât feel like Iâm a great hunter or overly talented. All I do is work very hard and it pays off. G: How does being physically prepared for a hunt help prepare you mentally? CH: You can be physically strong, but if youâre mentally weak, you wonât be successful. You need to balance them both. I work so hard in training, that when Iâm on the hunt, Iâve already sacrificed so much, so Iâve got to be mentally strong. Because Iâm mentally strong when Iâm physically training, Iâm like, âOK, Iâve got to do four reps,â or âIâve got to run further.â You canât have one without the other. To get that mental strength, thatâs where I test myself with the 100-mile Ultra Marathons and other marathons in back-to-back days. I want to make myself miserable. I want to be at my best on my worst days. Many times, hunting is just that. You get so rundown and beat down; youâre grinding it out and youâre not at 100%. Thatâs when you get the chance. When that chance comes, Iâve got to be able to take advantage of it, so I train for misery and when it comes time for the hunt, it pays off. G: How does the Garmin fÄnix 3 smartwatch help you while hunting? CH: Knowing where youâre going, how high you are, what the weather could potentially be doing; all of those things are a big deal to the mountain hunter. The more information you have accessible to you, the more successful youâll be. People want reassurance. They want to know if a big storm is coming, so thatâs where knowing the barometric pressure pays off. It makes a huge difference knowing your elevation if youâre reading a TOPO map. That information gives people peace of mind. So thatâs where I think electronics like the fÄnix 3 pay off. Itâs just a good tool to use. Any tool thatâs going to give you peace of mind or help you become successful, youâve got to add to your repertoire. Follow Cameron Hanes on social media, and be sure to check out his website. Also be sure to check out Garmin Fish & Hunt on social media and share your fishing and hunting photos with us using #FishGarmin and #HuntGarmin. Facebook Twitter Instagram View the full article Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
