74. Return to Raton: Surviving the Wind at King of Coal Canyon

Mike is back on the mic and back on the firing line. After a wild year of building Phalanx Arms, getting the Ultimate Hunting Experience (UHE) off the ground, and just surviving the chaos of entrepreneurship, Mike finally got back to his roots at the Thunder Beast King of Coal Canyon PRS match.

In this episode, Mike breaks down the mental friction of returning to competition after a hiatus and how relying on a strict mental checklist helped ground him through some of the most brutal, 180-degree wind shifts the Whittington Center could throw at him. He takes a deep dive into the gear that ran flawlessly for him, explaining exactly why he chooses to run a 7 SAW with a Botnia Maxi for the ultimate blend of recoil management and impact visibility.

Key Takeaways:

• The King of Coal Canyon Breakdown: Navigating the mentally exhausting, constantly switching valley winds in Raton.

• The Power of the Checklist: How leaning on standard operating procedures can save a stage when the wheels start to fall off.

• Gear Talk: Why the 7 SAW is a cheat code for spotting trace and impacts, and a breakdown of Mike's Lone Peak/Foundation/Kahles setup.

• PRS Updates: Thoughts on the influx of suppressors on the line and the new 50/50 PRS scoring system.

• Data Management: A Kestrel sector hack to manage extreme wind angle changes on the clock.

• Archery Updates: Fixing a stubborn shoulder alignment issue in the draw cycle and teasing the new professional-grade at-home bow shop build.