Staying Positive in the Deer Woods

[VA5326]

I'm not really one to have a need to say this because of my season this year. On the other hand, one of my best hunting buddies I've known for 20+ years took off the same amount of time I did(two weeks) but his last day is tomorrow and he hasn't see anywhere near the amount of deer I did this season. He's been getting skunked. Well tonight I just got a text. He just put down one of the biggest elusive bucks on our property earlier this evening. We have been after him for two years. He is a BRUISER 8pt with a ton of trash. I'm working unfortunately so I'm not there to see it. I guess the point I'm getting at is that earlier this week he was telling me he that he was having the worst season ever and he wasn't seeing a thing where we/he had put stands that have a tactical advantage on specific winds. I responded to him by saying, my man, you have to stay confident/positive out there as your season can change in a matter of seconds. Well it did tonight for him. I think your attitude in the deer woods means alot to the prospects of your season. The minute you get down on yourself, thats when the one you've been looking for all year shows himself and you may not be in the right mindset. I've been thinking alot about the emotional roller coaster psyche of the hunter for awhile now, specifically because I made a bad shot on the 10pt I killed, but it took me close to 24 hrs to find. Those amount of hours were an emotional roller coaster for me. Not the same as getting skunked, but it's still the same general feeling.

[wmihunter]

Dan has said it before. You gotta stay confident! I finally saw a decent buck on a property I've hunted for 9 years it was the first good buck in 6 years!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[dan]

Attitude is everything.

[Stanley]

Never give up.

[xpauliber]

I think this is one of the most important traits to have and I have personally experienced what having a positive attitude can do for your season.

I always told myself that if I hunted hard & put to use the knowledge that I've gained season after season, I SHOULD always get at least one shot at a buck I was happy with in a season. This year, I hunted as hard as I ever have and on the last day that I was able to hunt, I hadn't had a shot at a buck that I wanted to shoot. Half an hour before my season was over in Pennsylvania, I shot a buck that followed a hot doe that had just ran through. My whole season changed in a matter of minutes. I left the next morning for Ohio, ended up missing the biggest buck I've ever had the opportunity to shoot at that evening. I went back out the next morning and scored on a nice 9 point, my first out-of-state DIY buck.

That's another thing that irritates me....when guys say: "it's gotta be this big before I even think about getting it mounted". When I look at my mounts, I see so much more than how many inches of antler are there. I see the culmination of all the hours in the stand that led me to that buck, or the countless hours shed-hunting in the spring or shining in the summer/fall or pouring over maps & drawing maps illustrating wind directions that would work, or how my positive attitude kept me in the game and put me in a position to score when other guys would be home on the couch. My father-in-law & some buddies of mine don't hunt and they just don't get why I mount most of my kills.

[Bucky]

"You gotta want it".... just like anything else in life.... you typically get out, what you put in!

[ Post made via Android ]

[Liberty-Hunt]

Never give up.

X2

[dirt nap giver]

I know how your friend feels, but it helps when our hunting buddies put us in check and keep us focused. Everyone gets frustrated at times while hunting. Another reason our support group is so important. Being there to help drag them out is important, being there to drag the attitude out is important too.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Redman232]

I've got one friend in particular that helped me keep it together this year, I hadn't missed or lost a deer in almost 10 years, I missed two shooters this year and he just said " your a good hunter on good ground, keep at it"

[ Post made via iPhone ]