Being great at something is the life goal of many. Whether it be in a career field, in a relationship like being a great parent, in a sport, or you fill in the blank, the desire to be the best is inherent in most people. Typically, no one wants to be the worst at something they care about, or even mediocre at it. When it comes to whitetail hunting, this may not be a goal for some, however, at least they may claim. Some say they just want to spend a day in the woods, have some success, and then be onto whatever is next on their agenda – which is fine. But let’s be honest here. When it comes to hunters, even if we don’t want to be “great”, most do want to at least see great results when they are in the field. So, in effect, most everyone that deer hunts does indeed want to “be great” or at least greater. If this is indeed the deep down desire for most everyone that deer hunts, then it begs the question – just how does one become a greater deer hunter?
But just what is a great hunter, and how does one become greater?
Defining a Great Hunter
First, this is a very challenging task and I won’t claim to be the expert on “greatness.” Many people will have many different opinions on what this means or how to get there. However, I do think it’s beneficial to make an attempt to answer this question due to the implication that we can’t even begin to get there if we don’t dare ask. So, let’s first define “great” in regard to whitetail deer hunting so we’re on the same page for this article. One could say it’s the idea of being at the top of the mountain, with few around, none above, and many below. The top 1% percent or less of hunters possibly. Webster says it’s “of remarkable skill and effectiveness.” All these could work, but I’d like to define it specific to deer hunting as:
Defined: having a consistently high success rate on mature deer that’s better than most, and better than you used to be.
Being great is not an easy task, therefore, and there’s a reason – it isn’t. Deer, especially mature deer, are very adept at survival. Most of us will probably never get to the ranks of the top few as far as whitetail hunting goes, but not because it’s impossible. The reason is because we have a hard ceiling we keep smacking our heads against, and it’s keeping us from rising to a higher level.
So what are these planks in the ceiling, or limiting factors that keep us from being a great deer hunter? In part one of this two-part series, I will identify four of these head-thumpers, and in part two I will look at two more as well as some roof-busting solutions. Here are some of the main limiters I’ve identified in my 30+ years hunting that I’ve seen both in myself, and in others. Some are mental, some physical, and all may seem rock-solid impossible to break at times. But trust me, all can be chipped away at and possibly busted through once you have an understanding of what they are and why they are so restraining.
Ceiling or Limiting Factors
Plank #1 – Ego
I believe one of the worst things that can happen to someone is being too successful too early on in their hunting experience, especially when they don’t fully comprehend what it was that brought them success. This is one reason why I believe youth seasons should be more limited in the size of buck that can be taken, and with more strict regulations on pushing these young hunters into the regular hunting seasons when they reach the age allowed to do this. I will maybe expand on that in a future article, but when big success happens very easily, it can actually be counterproductive. Psychology causes us to naturally think we are the reason for success, and that just by showing up or practicing a tactic that worked one time (which may or may not be the reason for it), that success will magically happen again.
This can quickly digress over years, and turn someone into a “know it all.” And we all know a few of them. When someone thinks they know it all, they are unable to grow any more, and by definition are stuck. They’ve set their own ceiling out of unwillingness to consider that maybe there’s more to learn. This is the stereotypical attitude of “old folks” but can happen at any age. If you consistently find yourself using the same hunting tactics (even if not successful), hunting the exact same stands, aren’t totally sure why you do what you do, find yourself blaming outside factors for failures instead of introspection, or aren’t trying to learn new things from other hunters, then you may be your own worst enemy. Ego has got to go to have a chance to become a greater deer hunter.
Plank #2 – Physical Shape
It’s amazing to me how big a limiter this one is, but how it’s overlooked so much. I guess living in Michigan you don’t have to be in “mountain shape” to deer hunt, and so the mountain can’t starkly reveal who what shape you are or aren’t in. Flat landscape doesn’t do this as well, but our physical shape is still a major factor that keeps many people from being a great hunter. Agility, endurance, and strength play huge roles in what you can accomplish in this pursuit, but it is the first thing your ego will fib to you about. I’ve noticed as humans we have a tendency to get mentally lazy and give ourselves a pass, especially when we can look around and justify this by saying “at least I’m better than them…” But this isn’t helpful.
Do you have the endurance to go any place you want to hunt (that swamp two miles back where you have to work your tail off and backpack a stand and a bunch of gear), or do you shy away from some places or doing some “harder” things? Can you hang a stand with confidence you could hold your own bodyweight if necessary if something went wrong? This is also a safety issue, and some companies are making a killing with this guilt-based sales pitch for safety harnesses. Personally, if I can’t easily pull up and hold my entire body weight, and do this for extended periods, I wonder if I should be twenty feet up a tree. I’m not saying you shouldn’t wear a safety harness, but strength is a safety as well as a limiting factor for many.
Agility, or being light of foot, and having the easy ability to nimbly navigate difficult terrain (brush, sticks, stumps, uneven footing) and athletically manipulate your body in a variety of awkward positions definitely determines your stealth when in a whitetail’s domain. When one false move like a broken branch or little stumble could tip off that big buck to your presence, the days you skipped the gym or scarfed down that extra glazed donut definitely come into play. The deer just don’t care about your excuses, in fact, they are counting on them. Physical shape is a huge board in the ceiling of limitations to your deer hunting greatness.
Plank #3 – Lack of Plans
The older I get, the more I realize that most of success comes well before the moment of truth. You can’t plan for every scenario, but you can plan for most and be prepared to adjust for the rest. Do you know your hunting properties forwards and backwards, and how you will hunt them well before the season begins? Do you know when you will hunt certain places on those properties as far as time of season, the type of conditions, the direction of wind, and how you will enter and exit those locations with those conditions? Do you have backup plans for when what you planned for just doesn’t work out, or some unforeseen variable (like another hunter) throws a monkey wrench into your plans? Is your gear adequately tested and prepared so you can quickly and easily use every component of it (treestands, saddles, backpacks, weapons, blinds, and all related accessories) with confidence under hunting conditions? These things all take planning well in advance of the first day of season, and can really make or break us when it truly counts.
If you find yourself flying by the seat of your pants more often than not, stressed about what you’re going to do next, or lacking general confidence in your hunting setup, then maybe this is a sign to spend more time in preparation. Most of us wouldn’t think of showing up for our dream job interview not knowing about the company, not being able to communicate our strengths and qualifications, and wearing wrinkled clothes, but how many times have we shown up for the hunt in this unprepared manner and somehow expected greatness? Hiring firms are designed to weed people like that out, and so are mature deer. Lack of plans or preparedness can really put us in the ditch well before we’ve even started our journey to becoming a greater hunter.
Plank #4 – Lack of Systems
The great thing about having a system is that once you have it in place, it goes to work for you. It’s a mechanism that streamlines the chaos and produces consistent results with much less work involved once it is set up. It takes less thinking once established, and in effect automates success. All good businesses are run this way, and failing ones many times don’t. So if GM needs a smooth and efficient assembly line to get high quality cars on the road, why wouldn’t we use similar strategies to be greater in our task of outwitting a wild animal? One thing I’ve noticed with hunters I consider to be a cut above is that they have their own systems and meticulously stick to them. I will say they all don’t have the same exact ones, but they achieve the same outcomes and know what works for them. (Having a scent-control system, like the totes and bag system below, puts this to work for you and minimizes chaos)
I’ve also noticed that the more I get hunting systems in place, and the better they are, the more success comes easily to me. So why don’t we all utilize them? Because they are work-heavy on the front end, we just don’t realize we really need them, or maybe we lie to ourselves saying we don’t need them at all. I can say pretty surely though, if you don’t have good systems setup for your hunting, then this is holding you back from being a great hunter. So what exactly am I talking about here? Here are a few examples without going into great detail (as whole articles could be written about each): scent-control system (with many sub-systems), sound-control system, data collection system (e-scouting, trail cameras, boots on ground), data analysis system, hunt-decision system (how to decide when and where to hunt), stand-prep system, shot-prep system, and gear systems (climbing & stands, backpacks, scouting, clothes) just to name a few. You probably have a few of these in place or at least started, but the better these are, the more refined, the more they can help eliminate fatal errors and bust through this sturdy plank in your ceiling.
Next time we’ll look at part two, where we identify two more limiters and then some actionable steps you can use immediately to help on your path to be a greater deer hunter.
HIGH IQ Takeaways and Challenges:
