This week I’m joined by Kolton Schenker, and we spend some time talking through what it looks like when hunting starts to shift from something you do… to something you really commit to.

We get into his background—years behind a compound bow, time spent out West, and what came with finally stepping into land ownership. But where the conversation really settles in is around his move to traditional gear. What that transition felt like, the frustration that comes with starting over, and why he stuck with it anyway.

He shares a few stories along the way—close encounters, missed chances, and the one that finally came together with a stick bow. And like most guys who make that switch, it wasn’t about making things easier. It was about slowing things down and paying attention in a different way.

A lot of it comes back to the same idea: the longer you do this, the more you realize it’s less about the outcome and more about how you go about it. The work, the reps, the time in the woods—and the people you get to share it with along the way.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM PODCAST 489

Long-term reps build intuition 19 years in, Kolton still finds new ways to learn.
Trail cams show you what’s there, but observation sets teach you how they move.
Getting lower, tighter, and uncomfortable often leads to more real encounters.
Switching to traditional gear forces you to slow down and truly focus.
Misses aren’t failures, they’re part of the process that makes you better.
The reward isn’t just the shot, it’s the encounters, the moments, the grind.
Hunting becomes more meaningful when it’s shared, with land, with family, with purpose.

SHOW NOTES AND LINKS:

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—Waypoint TV

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EP. 489: Why I Chose the Harder Way to Hunt