9/19/2010 12:06 Mountain Time:
My name is Adam James Lee Minic. I was born April of 1977 in Boise Idaho. My mother was single and decided to pass my care onto my grandparents in 1980. My real grandfather had passed before my birth and my grandmother re-married Milton Torfin (who has for all intensive purposes been my grandfather my entire life). Milt is a tough Norwegian farmer from North Dakota who fought in Korea and was honored with the purple heart. Needless to say he is tough as nails. My grandmother provided for 3 children on her own for years until she met Milt. Of course my grandmother is tough as they come as well. In 1983 Milt was transferred from the Nampa Idaho railroad to Bailey Yard in North Platte Nebraska. We all moved to Nebraska where I grew up on a small ranch. From the time I was little I fascinated with guns. I received my first bb-gun by age 6 and would shoot these huge grasshoppers that seemed to plague grandma's garden. By the age 8 I was gifted by my grandfather a bare bow. I used to wake up extra early and go shoot my bow in the pasture next to our corrals. By the time I turned 10 I was stalking the only water hole around and limiting out in doves daily. I shot a single shot 4-10 and earned every shot. When I turned 12 I went on a rifle deer hunt with my grandfather. I had scouted this area a ot and there was good population of white tails but on this day we saw nothing. The next day my grandfather had to go back to work so I decided to go on a hunt alone. I loaded up my 3 wheeler (which are not even legal anymore) and headed out. I pulled up to my spot and there they were. A small heard of about 6 deer. I was shooting my grandfathers remington 700 22-250. I misjudged the yardage of course and hit low which took the small bucks front left leg. Needless to say a 3 legged deer is still fast as you could imagine. I finally tracked the deer to some small brush cause keep in mind its Nebraska (no trees hardly). I shot the deer again and he piled up. Its hard to tell this story but I sat there and shed some tears. It was the first large animal I had taken and I was not proud of my first shot. I was raised to live with honor and not to enjoy pain and suffering but to fight it. I sat there and wondered if I had the strength to be a hunter. Part of my emotion may be wrapped up in my past with a feeling of abandonment from the time when I was young. Either way I decided then and there if I was going to continue to hunt it would be under the most ethical standards. I did harvest the deer and thankfully it was winter so I tarped him and dragged him home. Going forward though my mind had changed about hunting.
In 2000 I met some friends that were heavy into archery. Their father was a state champion a few times over and they were well accomplished archers as well. As any archer will tell you it takes countless hours and real dedication to become great at archery. Their first recommendation was to go buy a new compound bow. One friend shot the Fred Bear, another the Mathews, another the Hoyt. They all had certain reasons why their bow was the best. I read countless articles on design, user reviews, etc. So I headed down to sportsman's warehouse in Boise Idaho and asked to shoot a few off the shelf. All in all they were all compare able but I settled on the Hoyt Vortec. It shoots a clean 290 ibo but with a 29 1/2 draw length it shoots as flat as any with the correct arrows. I headed down to the Fort Boise Archery Range and began to fling arrows. In the beginning I struggled pulling 65 pounds. There are stabilizer muscles that have to be built. My goal was 100 arrows a day with accuracy. As time went It was suggested that I start shooting 3-d archery shoots in Oregon at Anthony Lakes ski resort. (See Picture) 3-d archery tournaments are absolutely crucial for learning to judge yardage and the fact that you are never on level ground which is exactly like the real deal. There are 3-d shoots all over the state of Idaho including in Idaho City, Garden Valley, Lowman, and of course Stanley. Each year I traveled to Le Grande Oregon to scout with my friends in the Water Shed south of Le Grande Oregon. I did this for 3 years without my bow in hand. I just felt it would be great to learn to scout from guys who grew up chasing and scouting rocky mountain elk. During these scouting trips we saw 400 class bulls, and a non-typical buck that was Boone and Crockett standards all on public fair chase land. Granted the majority of the public land is over pressured but that is another reason why I took up archery. It got old rifle hunting because of the sheer volume of hunters.
What Archery In Idaho Means To Me: Scout areas year after year that are known migratory game routes for that species you are hunting, never underestimate the power of good calls, scent is and always will be a factor in success, be ready the second you step foot in your hunting country, be a good steward of the meat god has blessed you with! Don't make unethical shots ever!
Take the time each hunting season to sight in your bow. A good foam 3-d target is a must. Each time you head out camping pack your bow and target to practice in real settings. If you have the ability make sure you go to the 3-d archery shoots accross the state of Idaho. These really increase accuracy I can attest first hand. http://videos.idahostatesman.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=1575760&genre_id=1869
My name is Adam James Lee Minic. I was born April of 1977 in Boise Idaho. My mother was single and decided to pass my care onto my grandparents in 1980. My real grandfather had passed before my birth and my grandmother re-married Milton Torfin (who has for all intensive purposes been my grandfather my entire life). Milt is a tough Norwegian farmer from North Dakota who fought in Korea and was honored with the purple heart. Needless to say he is tough as nails. My grandmother provided for 3 children on her own for years until she met Milt. Of course my grandmother is tough as they come as well. In 1983 Milt was transferred from the Nampa Idaho railroad to Bailey Yard in North Platte Nebraska. We all moved to Nebraska where I grew up on a small ranch. From the time I was little I fascinated with guns. I received my first bb-gun by age 6 and would shoot these huge grasshoppers that seemed to plague grandma's garden. By the age 8 I was gifted by my grandfather a bare bow. I used to wake up extra early and go shoot my bow in the pasture next to our corrals. By the time I turned 10 I was stalking the only water hole around and limiting out in doves daily. I shot a single shot 4-10 and earned every shot. When I turned 12 I went on a rifle deer hunt with my grandfather. I had scouted this area a ot and there was good population of white tails but on this day we saw nothing. The next day my grandfather had to go back to work so I decided to go on a hunt alone. I loaded up my 3 wheeler (which are not even legal anymore) and headed out. I pulled up to my spot and there they were. A small heard of about 6 deer. I was shooting my grandfathers remington 700 22-250. I misjudged the yardage of course and hit low which took the small bucks front left leg. Needless to say a 3 legged deer is still fast as you could imagine. I finally tracked the deer to some small brush cause keep in mind its Nebraska (no trees hardly). I shot the deer again and he piled up. Its hard to tell this story but I sat there and shed some tears. It was the first large animal I had taken and I was not proud of my first shot. I was raised to live with honor and not to enjoy pain and suffering but to fight it. I sat there and wondered if I had the strength to be a hunter. Part of my emotion may be wrapped up in my past with a feeling of abandonment from the time when I was young. Either way I decided then and there if I was going to continue to hunt it would be under the most ethical standards. I did harvest the deer and thankfully it was winter so I tarped him and dragged him home. Going forward though my mind had changed about hunting.
In 2000 I met some friends that were heavy into archery. Their father was a state champion a few times over and they were well accomplished archers as well. As any archer will tell you it takes countless hours and real dedication to become great at archery. Their first recommendation was to go buy a new compound bow. One friend shot the Fred Bear, another the Mathews, another the Hoyt. They all had certain reasons why their bow was the best. I read countless articles on design, user reviews, etc. So I headed down to sportsman's warehouse in Boise Idaho and asked to shoot a few off the shelf. All in all they were all compare able but I settled on the Hoyt Vortec. It shoots a clean 290 ibo but with a 29 1/2 draw length it shoots as flat as any with the correct arrows. I headed down to the Fort Boise Archery Range and began to fling arrows. In the beginning I struggled pulling 65 pounds. There are stabilizer muscles that have to be built. My goal was 100 arrows a day with accuracy. As time went It was suggested that I start shooting 3-d archery shoots in Oregon at Anthony Lakes ski resort. (See Picture) 3-d archery tournaments are absolutely crucial for learning to judge yardage and the fact that you are never on level ground which is exactly like the real deal. There are 3-d shoots all over the state of Idaho including in Idaho City, Garden Valley, Lowman, and of course Stanley. Each year I traveled to Le Grande Oregon to scout with my friends in the Water Shed south of Le Grande Oregon. I did this for 3 years without my bow in hand. I just felt it would be great to learn to scout from guys who grew up chasing and scouting rocky mountain elk. During these scouting trips we saw 400 class bulls, and a non-typical buck that was Boone and Crockett standards all on public fair chase land. Granted the majority of the public land is over pressured but that is another reason why I took up archery. It got old rifle hunting because of the sheer volume of hunters.
What Archery In Idaho Means To Me: Scout areas year after year that are known migratory game routes for that species you are hunting, never underestimate the power of good calls, scent is and always will be a factor in success, be ready the second you step foot in your hunting country, be a good steward of the meat god has blessed you with! Don't make unethical shots ever!Take the time each hunting season to sight in your bow. A good foam 3-d target is a must. Each time you head out camping pack your bow and target to practice in real settings. If you have the ability make sure you go to the 3-d archery shoots accross the state of Idaho. These really increase accuracy I can attest first hand. http://videos.idahostatesman.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=1575760&genre_id=1869
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