Most people want to be great at something they care about or put a large amount of time into. Deer hunting is no different. In part 1 we looked at four factors keeping people from achieving this, and in part 2 we’ll look at two more and some actionable steps hunters can take to “be greater” if they so desire. It might not be the goal of all, but I argued in part one that it is for most, even if subconscious. Make sure to check out part one HERE to get caught up, but here are some things to help for now.
First we defined “great” as the top 1% percent or less of hunters possibly, and according to Webster “of remarkable skill and effectiveness.” I defined it specific to deer hunting as having a consistently high success rate on mature deer that’s better than most, and better than you used to be. I also stressed that 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 or that we shouldn’t try. 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. The first four planks in the ceiling, or limiting factors that keep us from being a greater deer hunter are: ego, physical shape, lack of plans, and lack of systems. Now, let’s look at the rest.
Plank #5: Location, Location, Location.
Realtors know this, but sometimes deer hunters overlook this or can’t quite seem to figure it out. Ego again? Possibly so. The reality is that different areas of the country, and even the state of Michigan, are much better for deer hunting than others. I’ll go a step further and emphasize, again, this is for mature deer and killing them consistently. There are a lot of factors to a prime location, but the main ones are climate (harshness of winters), soil nutrient levels (for body and antler growth), food quality and availability (related to soil – usually areas with at least some agriculture are better), and human intrusion. For example, if you look at the Boone and Crockett national map for whitetail entries, and compare this to the USDA soybean map of the nation, you’ll see something very interesting – they are almost the same exact map! My interpretation is that the same good soils that grow these crops translates to growing good deer too. These areas have high protein foods (soybeans in this case) that can grow big deer as well as the land to allow deer enough cover to reach a mature age.
You’ll also notice that the southern third of Michigan has many more mature buck entries in the CBM book than counties to the north. I’m not saying that being a “great hunter” just has to do with where you hunt, though. It may be harder to shoot a two year old in Northern Michigan or highly-pressured public areas than a four year old deer in a low-pressure setting in the lower third of the state. What I’m pointing out is that the consistent success relates to areas – those with healthy deer herds and the landscape to grow healthy, older deer. The hunters that have consistent success on mature deer know this, and concentrate on those areas. To continue to bash one’s head into this plank and expect a high-pressure, low-nutrient area to produce consistent mature deer success isn’t a reality. The deer have to be there, or be capable of being grown – meaning the food, soil, and management of a large area that allows for this.
Plank #6: Lack of Education.
Having a doctorate doesn’t make you a great hunter, nor does being a school dropout doom you to be a poor one, but your Deer IQ does matter. Think of this as “street smarts,” or “working knowledge” in this area. The more you know about deer in general, hunting tactics, proper use of gear, and a whole grocery list of related things, and more importantly the more you apply these and learn in the field, the better off you are. Because of the internet and social media, there are many out there now that think listening to a podcast or having the popular gear makes you somehow a great hunter. It does not. This takes years of application, personal experience, analysis, and success as well as failure to obtain. You can shortcut the process though through good education and focused application of what you educate yourself with.
We all learn in similar ways, and failure to learn comes by removing a step in the tier of growth. I’ve boiled it down for hunters to keep it simple, and I’ll also add it is a circular growth pattern that spirals upward. The cycle is: Educate (through learning resources and in-the-field experiences), Grow (through application of this education and analysis of your successes and failures), and Share (teaching of acquired wisdom to others to cement it in our minds what we’ve learned and to ready our brains to receive new education). Any break in this cycle will stunt or stop growth altogether and acts as a plank in the ceiling keeping us from being a great hunter. For example, if you stop inputting good educational material, or stop having new experiences in the field, you obviously cannot possibly apply them and process these new experiences into new long-term hunting wisdom. You’re stuck. Or, if you never share by teaching anyone else from your vast knowledge, it doesn’t mean you can’t learn more, but it somehow slows down the process, much like trying to overfill a cup with water. There’s no room for the new stuff, the proverbial plank in your ceiling is firmly in place.
There may be others, but these are some of the biggies. Now let’s look at a few things anyone can do to break through these barriers and raise your ceiling of potential. They are challenging, but also challenges from myself to you, to hopefully help you continue in your upward growth spiral.
Busting the Barriers:
1. Find Yourself … on this chart
First, you really have to sit down and reflect on your experience, knowledge, and be honest about where you are on the “deer hunter growth continuum” pictured here. Notice these are stages of development, not actual physical age, and a continuum is not steps, but a continuous sequence or flow. Also, you’ll have some areas of strength, and some that are weaknesses, so try to break it down into smaller categories.
For example, do you know a lot about food plots but very little about hunting public land? These two may be two very different stages for you. It’s hard to judge, but this chart should help. So take some time, get out a journal, and grade yourself on the above six areas (ego, physical shape, planning, systems, location, and education). Once you’ve done this and you see where you are, as well as key areas of weakness, you can start to devise a plan. (Download the FREE Deer IQ Journal HERE to help!)
2. Work Your Physical Shape
By doing this you’ve just accomplished tackling #1, your ego. Now, the easy next step is getting a workout routine that focuses on strength, agility, and endurance. It’s important to have all three, and also important that you can sustain this routine over the long haul, just like anything else new that you implement. Also it’s important that you see yourself as an athlete-hunter, and get away from the weekend warrior mentality. Make a workout routine part of your schedule and part of your lifestyle. I suggest a plan that allows for five days a week of a half-hour minimum. You can decide how much is concentrated on strength, agility, and endurance based on where you need the most improvement. Then, once you reach a certain fitness level, it’s much easier to maintain and sticking to it becomes fairly automatic. Not that it’s ever easy, but it will become less of a struggle and just a part of your overall hunting lifestyle.
3. Plan Your Hunts
Next, plan out your hunts – how you will hunt your areas (whether private or public) and prepare the land as much as possible far in advance. Winter and spring are great times for this, and summer can work too. The main thing is to get detailed about your strategy for every spot you will hunt. Make a spreadsheet and set rules for yourself about what time of year each spot hunts (early season, pre-rut, rut, post-rut), best winds to hunt and winds you won’t hunt them, and exact entry and exit routes you will take based on conditions. If private land, start to educate yourself about land improvements you can make to encourage the deer to do what you want them to do that will also help keep them on your land as much as possible. Set short and long term project goals and begin to implement these, keeping track of what’s working and what isn’t for future reference and quicker future improvements. There are a ton of resources out there for education with this, just be careful to listen to true experts.
4. Set Your Systems
Regarding systems, you need to identify your top one or two and start to get these systems going or refined to perfection. Pick off others as you finish these. I’d personally start with a scent control system if you’re lax in this area or don’t have one at all. Just being “downwind” is not enough, so learning about ozone and activated carbon, proper washing of clothes and gear, getting a scent-free storage system, and figuring how you’ll maintain this throughout a long season is a great place to start.
Think about this, as the hunting season wears on, your endurance tends to wane, and odors tend to rise on your gear from use. Also, the alertness of deer is increasing due to general hunting pressure from you and others at the same time. So having a system in place that you can stick to religiously throughout the season is critical. There are many other systems as I mentioned in the previous article, but with limited space I think you get the point.
5. Get Better Spots
Now start looking around for other places, both private and public that you can hunt – that hold the type of deer you want to kill. This requires effort, yes, but is a key component to being a great hunter. You simply have to have great places to hunt, so start keying on areas of notoriously good hunting, with low pressure, that have good agricultural/food sources in the neighborhood, and especially ones that contain thick cover to hold deer. I’ve observed that hunters with the most luck usually have large sanctuaries on or nearby the properties they hunt, so keep this in mind. Lastly keep the education cycle of Educate, Grow, Share going. Find some good mentors and resources (my new website deeriq.com will soon help with this), apply this knowledge and analyze your outcomes, and then share this with family, friends, mentees, and anyone else who will listen. I believe these things, applied consistently over time, will truly help any hunter break through these unseen barriers, and become greater deer hunter.
HIGH IQ Takeaways and Challenges:
- Honestly identify where you are at on the “Deer Hunter Growth Continuum.” Why did you place yourself here?
- List 2 things you will focus on to start busting through your planks.
- Begin a journal like the DEERIQ Journal (a free download HERE to help you begin busting through these limiting factors to be a greater deer hunter).
