While deer hunting this week, an opportunity arose for a shot on a mule deer. As I drew back, calmer than ever, waiting for him to step into a gap, I went through my shot process - my closed loop system - and a thought ran through my mind: “Argentina. It works. Reps.”

The contrast couldn’t have been clearer. My first few years hunting in Oregon, I can still remember shaky hands fumbling to find the loop to clip my release. My vision was blurry, I’m not even sure I looked through my peep sight. Seeing an animal in my sights twice in a week would have been exceptional, and each rare opportunity came with overwhelming nerves.

Then years later came Argentina. In one week, I released eleven arrows. Eleven chances to feel the nerves, go through the steps, and learn from the outcome. On the first stag I drew on, my heart rate hit 170. By the last animal of the week, it was down to 110. Same country, same bow, but the difference was reps. Years of growth condensed into days. So when I stood in Oregon this week, drawing on that mule deer, my hands were steady, my vision clear, and my shot process complete. The “buck fever” that used to rattle me never showed up.

That’s the power of opportunity. Practice at home matters - building systems, shooting in the yard, thinking through scenarios. But if you only get a shot or two in a season, the learning curve stays steep. No one expects to play golf once a year and then walk onto Augusta or Pebble Beach and shoot par. Why would we expect that in hunting or fly fishing?

I see the same thing with guests on hosted trips. That’s why I like to fish with someone on day one and again on day six - to watch the growth. On the first day, they’re often standing on their line, tangled and nervous, taking three or four casts before the fly even reaches the fish. Hook sets get missed, and timing is off. By the end of the week, after dozens of shots per day, they’re calm and collected, spotting fish on their own, making quick efficient casts, and landing fish with confidence. The difference isn’t luck. It’s reps.

You can practice your cast in the park. You can think through your process in your living room. You can visualize how it all might unfold. But without real opportunities - real fish sliding into range, real animals stepping into sight - you only learn so much. Reps are what make growth real. They steady your hands, slow your heart, and give you the calm to see the shot for what it really is: just another chance to get better.

So the question is - are you ready for some reps? Ready to steady your closed loop, sharpen your skills, and become more than you were last season? Let us help you pick the right location, whether freshwater or saltwater, and put you in the best position to grow.