Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down for another Gritty Bowmen podcast with my good friends, Brian Call (Gritty Bowmen podcast) and Jordan Harbertson (MTN OPS). Brian has been kind enough to invite me onto his podcast several times in the past couple of years, and we’ve had some GREAT discussions about elk and elk hunting. However, the most popular podcast we have done (and the most-downloaded Gritty Bowmen podcast) was the one we did earlier this year on “Extreme Ownership”, which was our version of a Gritty Bowmen “Book Club” review of the book (Extreme Ownership) by Jocko Willink. And while we did relate some aspects of the topic to elk hunting a couple of times, the theme of the podcast was more relative to business and entrepreneurs. If you missed that podcast, definitely check it out (the link is at the bottom of the page).

The responses from that podcast were insane, and it opened our eyes to several things.

First, we aren’t the only “nerds” who read books. Second, there are a lot of hunters who dream about being an entrepreneur. And third, there are multiple topics that apply to hunting, life, and business. So, we asked our respective followers what books they would like us to do a podcast about next. And while there were SEVERAL great recommendations, the topic we chose for our most recent podcast is based upon the book, Ego Is the Enemy (written by Ryan Holiday).

I would urge you to listen to this podcast. The book has been life-changing for me, and having the opportunity to discuss Ego with my good friends Brian and Jordan was really awesome. Again, the topic can be applied to so many aspects of life: business, family, friends, and elk hunting.

[CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE PODCAST]

In addition to sharing our thoughts and experiences (and struggles) with Ego, I used the podcast as an opportunity to announce the giveaway of some Bully Bull EXTREME bugle tubes with the new Sitka SubAlpine covers (amazing pattern, by the way!).

Several years ago, my wife cut a sleeve off one of my Sitka Optifade shirts and sewed it to fit snugly over one of my bugle tubes. Since that time, I have received hundreds of requests from elk hunters asking where they can buy the Sitka bugle tube covers. And until now, they have not been available at all. However, to help promote the launch of Sitka’s new SubAlpine camo pattern, I convinced Sitka to have a handful of the bugle tube covers made up, and I connected them with Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls to package them with my personal favorite bugle tube – the Bully Bull EXTREME. Several of the bugle tubes with the new SubAlpine covers were given out by Sitka last fall, and last month, they gave me the remaining tubes and covers to giveaway!

When I mentioned I was going to be giving some away on Instagram a couple weeks ago, I thought I might need to find a secure storage facility to house them in…people were emailing, messaging, and calling me – begging (and threatening me) to get their hands on these new tubes. Unfortunately, there are only so many of these custom covers, and I can’t play favorites.

If you listen to the “Ego Is the Enemy” podcast, I share the details of the first giveaway – and your opportunity to win a free bugle tube with SubAlpine cover – at the very end of the podcast. But, since you are on my email list, I’m going to give you preferential treatment, and several additional opportunities to get your hands on one of these awesome tubes.

• First – Be sure you are following Elk101 on Facebook and Instagram. We will be doing multiple giveaways on both platforms this month.
• Second – Click Here for a chance to win a “Bugle Tube a Day” for 10 Days!
• Third – Sign Up for the University of Elk Hunting Online Course during the month of March…I will be randomly selecting 10 people who sign up for the Online Course during the month of March to receive free bugle tubes. Click Here to Sign Up Now. (If you are already signed up, watch your emails for more opportunities for you to win).

And stay tuned for several more giveaways in the coming days…

OK, back to the topic of Ego. I took 8 or 9 pages of notes while reading “Ego Is the Enemy”, and I compiled those notes (and quotes from the book) into a PDF. If you don’t want to read the book, but want to get an idea of what it’s about, you can click here to Download the PDF of my booknotes.

I first listened to the book on Audible, and then bought a hard copy of the book so I could highlight it and take notes. About halfway through my initial listen to the audiobook, I found that I had been thinking about all the people I knew who struggled with each of the different aspects of Ego that were being discussed in the book. It was then that it dawned on me…the very fact that I was mentally assessing the egos of others was pointing a pretty accusatory finger right back at me. I was the one I needed to be concerned about. It is my Ego – not theirs – that is my problem. The second time reading the book, I was able to apply the message directly to myself, and it made me realize how much Ego affects every one of us…oftentimes without us even realizing it. And that can have a very negative effect on every aspect of our lives.

(If you missed our insanely popular podcast on “Extreme Ownership”, you can Check It Out HERE)

I know that this post and this topic are not 100% related to Elk Hunting. But I found several areas in each phase of Ego – aspiring to success, achieving success, and failing – that are applicable to Elk Hunting. Beyond that, I truly feel that this book, and the introspective look at our own egos, will make us better people in general, and that in turn can only help us become better elk hunters!

[AGAIN, HERE IS THE LINK TO THE PODCAST]

Heck, let’s giveaway another Bully Bull EXTREME Bugle Tube with the Sitka SubAlpine Cover….just leave a comment below about how Ego has affected you (in life, business, elk hunting, or otherwise). I’ll pick a winner for another bugle tube randomly from the comments…