Hi, I’m Baxter Bowman
Like you, I’m obsessed with bowhunting elk. When I’m not hunting I’m constantly researching, training, and planning for when I’m in the field. I love this stuff and I hope that comes across in everything I do.
Other than time spent with my primary hunting buddy (aka wife), I also love upland hunting, fly fishing, spearfishing, mountain biking, backpacking, and basically anything else outdoors. I recently moved to Idaho where I’m even closer to the mountains on a daily basis.
I’m honored and thankful that you’re here to take this journey with me. This site wouldn’t be anything without you, so drop me a comment to let me know how I can improve.
Why should I trust you?
Let’s get this straight: I’m not a lifetime expert at hunting elk and I don’t pretend to be. I’m relatively new to the sport and bring a unique perspective from a lifetime of other outdoor pursuits. I put my heart and soul into elk hunting and was fortunate to kill elk 4 of the my first 5 years hunting (yes, archery, OTC, DIY, in CO+ID, with limited vacation time). Like you, I’m hooked.
Other than elk hunting, God has blessed me with a lot of opportunities to learn the hard lessons that made me a better person and hunter:
- Perseverance & fitness: Finishing an Ironman triathlon (2.4 miles swim / 112 bike / 26.2 run). Winning a mountain biking national championship. Backpacking for over 25 years
- Stalking & Pursuing: Almost 30 years (each) of fly fishing and spearfishing experience. Limiting out chukar hunting without a dog. Marrying my crazy Wyoming princess.
- Research & planning: A career in product development, marketing, and business strategy after a degree from a rather intense institution.
- Self reliance & “Fearlessness”: Repairing and sailing a boat solo from South Carolina to the Bahamas. Surfing waves larger than my house in NorCal. Pulling a 10″ abalone in the red triangle.
Those experiences helped shape me and definitely play into what you’ll read here. I’m all in on the things I love and that mindset will never change.
Independent gear reviews?
Speaking of trust, I intentionally remain independent so I can be honest about the products I test. I have no sponsors, pro staff deals, paid placements, endorsements, etc, since they would limit what I can say and what I can review. To be clear, I have zero problem with those relationships (if they’re fully disclosed, which doesn’t always happen…) but it’s not the model I’m after. My biggest asset is your trust.
Have a product you want me to check out? Don’t hesitate to reach out. While I don’t take compensation, I’d be interested to hear more and love connecting with people in the industry. I’ll be just as transparent about my opinion with you as I am with my readers.
So how do you make money?
Hate to break it to you, I don’t make anything right now. I work a full time day job to pay the bills and do this because I love it. That’s going to have to change at some point down the line (or the Mrs. is gonna shut this thing down), so I’ll be very transparent when it does.
My dream would be to make a career out of writing, reviewing, and/or building products in the outdoor industry. If you like what I’m doing please help me out by telling a friend, subscribing, and shooting me your thoughts!
What’s the best…?
Although we all use it, the phrase “the best” is misleading since there are very few things that are “the best” for everyone. The best product or advice almost always depends on your unique situation and background. That means that what works well for one person might actually be horrible for another. I’m careful to lay out exactly who or what a product works for in my reviews… if you ever have any questions, just drop me a line.