In our 5th installment of Whitetail Deer Hunting Sayings and Quotes, I bring you the motto of the First Light Gear team. It’s a phrase they seem to use more often than not.

And here is the story behind it:

“Individually each one of the guys on Team FLG has been hunting for as long as we can remember. And not just hunting but fishing, trapping, big game, small game, upland game, birds, rodents, shooting trap, target shooting, camping and the list goes on. We live to be outdoors chasing adventure and pursuing game…It’s our passion as it always has been.

So naturally we have all developed the necessary skills and talents required to be good outdoors-men; through our upbringings, trial and error and perseverance. Now I’m not trying to say that we are experts in every field we pursue (except Chipmunk Hunting…we are damn fine at that.) but we are pretty darn proficient.

In our day to day interactions with people that aren’t outdoors-men or those who don’t take outdoor pursuits as seriously as us this usually causes us to be met with a lot of disbelief. You Killed THAT buck? How’d you start that fire so fast? You caught ANOTHER fish already? How many Coyotes did you call in? That Venison is amazing…YOU cooked that?…. the awestruck questions just keep on rolling and so the reflex response simply became. Well Yeah…That’s What We Do! Which in turn is usually followed by “Come here and I’ll show you how to do it”

As an outdoorsman it is almost a validation of sorts to have someone hardly believe what you accomplished when you put your mind to it. It is even more rewarding when you are introducing a newcomer to an outdoor pursuit to see their eyes light up when the realize that their potential and the possibilities in the great outdoors are truly endless.

So next time you are talking to a ‘regular’ person and they look at you bewildered and ask in awe if what they just saw was true. Just give them that cowboy smile and say, Well Yeah…That’s What We Do! Then take that person and show them how they can accomplish the same feat. Help kindle their outdoor flame because as a nation of outdoorsmen….That’s What We Do!”

As I type this, Ryan Shoemaker of Bowhuntquest.com, is a few miles deep into the backcountry of Colorado hunting majestic Elk. Alone!

To him, failure is not an option. It’s a motto he lives by and incorporates into everything he does. Very inspiring!

According to Ryan:

“Webster’s defines commitment as – the state of being obligated or emotionally impelled.

For me, the words emotionally impelled doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. Instead, the words I choose to define me are shoot, train, think, 365 days a year. Out of bed at 3:50a.m. to knock out 12 miles before work, I push to take to chance out of the equation. I refuse to let it define me. There are no breaks, no vacations, and certainly not an ounce of sympathy. It can never be a question of if I have what it takes, but only a question of when.

I’ve always been told that if you believe in something enough you can make it happen. So, I believe. I believe that I will never let my ability, determination, or drive become a stepping stone on the bridge to failure. Simply put, “quit” cannot and will not be part of my vocabulary. Failure Is Not an Option, is my only my option.”