Most Competitive Outdoor Pursuit: Archery Tops Them All

When it comes right down to it, which outdoor pursuit is the most competitive?

We do it all here: hike, camp, hunt, and fish. With that in mind, we've tried to come up with a list of things that bring out the competitive nature in all of us that love the outdoors. Once we get good at one pursuit we usually try another and another until the only left to do was to see which one we were best at.

Then we had to see if we were better at it than our outdoor friends.

It seems to be a part of our own human nature to try to outrun, outgun, and out hunt like-minded people just to see if we can. The only trouble with a little friendly competition is that sometimes we get our ego bruised a little.

Let's look at some of our favorite pastimes to see when and if we just have see who is the best and why. Just remember fellas: these outdoor pursuits are very gender equal and the ladies are amazingly good at them too!

Shooting Sports

Somebody please explain to me why there are still men's and women's specific Olympic shooting teams? Outdoorswomen crave the competition as much as the men and are just as good if not better at shooting than any of the guys.

Even better, placing the best women shooters with the best men could quite easily be the difference between placing and winning on a shooting team. Women are very detail oriented creatures and could probably teach the guys a thing or two about sweating the small stuff that the fellas sometimes overlook.

And the guys can teach the ladies to use their natural strength for grip, stance, and overall confidence. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved and it should be starting right in the school systems nationwide.

Fishing

Again, we have or have had men's and women's fishing teams and leagues in the United States and abroad with prize money and bragging rights for all. There's no telling why women and men cannot compete against each other except that the guys might not like the result!

Honestly, fishing may be the number one most competitive outdoor pursuit just for the reason that anyone can learn to do it and be successful. The only issue is that some folks, whether they are guys or gals, are so good at it that they have become household names.

Angling, whether saltwater or freshwater, is one of the great equalizers in all of the outdoor pursuits. The best part is that we think that we are the best at it, and we're all correct!

Deer Hunting

Sure, this could come under the simple heading of "hunting" but there is no greater or more competitive outdoor pursuit than the hunting of the whitetail deer. This is the one pursuit where the men equally share in the same detail oriented concerns over the gear, ways, and means of fooling and shooting big bucks.

Women hunters are such a source of strength and vigor that can't be denied. It should go without saying that those who do take part in the pursuit can easily climb trees, pull back bows, reload rifle rounds, and just plain shoot deer with anyone out there.

The guys are fanatical about stand placement, scent control, wind direction, and especially practicing with their favorite firearm that it's a wonder why anyone ever misses. The men who hunt deer do so with the idea in mind that while hunting alone, they sure aren't going to remain silent when they score their target buck!

It's just that she might get to him first fellas.

Archery

Above and beyond the pursuit of all things deer, elk, moose, and any other game animal with our bow is the fact that it doesn't come without some serious practice. Certainly strength plays a big part in competitive archery, giving the guys a hand up over the ladies or the kids based solely on draw weights. However, when it comes down to seeing who can get closest to the bullseye, more often it's anybody's game.

Put a target on the ground at 30-40-50 yards or more away, hand out some bows and target tips, and let's see who is the competitive one out there. That line will always be a long one.

Final Thoughts

You can make a valid argument for all of these outdoor pursuits being the most competitive. It's too close for us to pick just one. We always have one rule when we go fishing: take heed of who catches the first, the most, and the biggest. After that, it's simply about having fun. It's just that eventually we're going to keep track of those three things because we still want to know who has bragging rights this time around.

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