Western Hunter Magazine May/June 2020 #75 | Page 6

Keep Calm and Carry On
“Drama, combat, terror, numbness, and subservience
– every day these things wipe out your sacred
principles, whenever your mind entertains them
uncritically or lets them slip in.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 10.9 circa 170 A.D.
On March 17th I was in Salt Lake City recording a
podcast. I was determined to not let COVID-19 impact
my life (I still thought I had control over this at the time)
but literally every hour there was some breaking news.
That night, I talked to my wife on the phone and she asked
me what my plan was for the rest of my trip. I commented
that I did not know since every morning I woke up to a
new reality that I didn’t predict when I went to sleep.
The next morning was no different; I woke to find
that all restaurants had been ordered to close their dining
rooms and many non-essential businesses were closing
their doors until further notice. Everything was changing
and uncertainty owned the day, and then at 7:08 AM, a
5.7 magnitude earthquake shook the entire SLC basin.
By earthquake standards this one was not a big deal,
but with the world in full panic mode, having the ground
move under my feet was concerning to say the least. On
March 31st, an even larger quake centered in Idaho, shook
the northern Rockies from the Oregon coast to as far
north as Montana. Millions of people, including many of
our readers, felt the same way I did a few weeks before.
The reality of “keeping calm” has become increas-
ingly difficult. But we have to, and when I say “we”, I am
specifically talking to western hunters. We have surveyed
our readers and I’ve met thousands of you at trade shows,
archery shoots, rifle ranges, or in the field. You are the kind
of men and women that other people look up to in a time
of crisis. It is now time for this nation to “carry on.”
We chose Thrive as the topic of this issue late last fall,
before any one of us knew the term “novel coronavirus,”
so we had no idea how appropriate this content would be.
In fact, before I wrote my article on gardening (page 70),
I was concerned that it was too hippy for Western Hunter,
but now it seems more relevant than ever. The same goes
for my Ageless Hunter article (page 86).
Regardless of what we see from the media, the vast
majority of deaths blamed on COVID-19 occur in folks
over age 60 with underlying health conditions including
Type-II diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and pul-
MOUNTAIN HUNTING
IS WHAT WE DO
monary issues (think smoking), all of which can be mini-
mized if not completely prevented with diet and exercise.
Late last year, Lindsay Niestrath was diagnosed with
brain cancer. I’ve known Lindsay and her husband for a
few years through our participation in Train to Hunt. They
are legendary within the TTH community due to their
passion and endless support of each competitor. They
are literally two of my favorite people in the world. After
enduring brain surgery and the effects of chemotherapy,
Lindsay took the time to tell us her story in Train to Fight
(page 90). Her ability to find joy each day in the face of a
terrible diagnosis makes her one of my heroes.
Hunting season will happen, so now is the time to
put in the practice to be ready for the moment of truth.
Bowhunters will want to read and re-read Nate Simmons’
article as he sums up years of mental and physical tech-
niques he has developed to become a better shot on game.
For rifle hunters, Colton Bagnoli covers off-season train-
ing tactics. From cover to cover, you will find content that
will help you thrive, not just in the field, but in life.
Take care of yourself and your families, protect the
elderly, and carry on.
Chris Denham, Publisher
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ANNULI COLLECTIVE | STEVEN DRAKE
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