Mental Models and Mature Bucks

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funderburk
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Mental Models and Mature Bucks

Unread postby funderburk » Fri Apr 22, 2022 1:24 pm

As my day job revolves around leadership development, I’m always looking for ways to help business leaders grow in their ability to become more effective and more efficient in day-to-day life and their overall business ventures. I’ve recently noticed how I constantly find myself coming back to certain mental models, like First Principles, Inversion, Second-Order Thinking, and Circle of Competence to name a few.

All that said, I figured I’d share a few thoughts around how I use those same mental models in my pursuit of mature bucks. Disclaimer: I don’t have it all figured out. But, I’d love to share how incorporating these methods of problem-solving and strategic thinking have helped me capitalize on mature bucks.

First Principles
When considering first principles, you are concerned only with the most basic truths of a problem or situation. Essentially, you’re focused only on what you know to be completely true. From there, you develop your reasoning by building up from those simple truths. The opposite of first principles reasoning is to blindly trust what others say to be true, and simply do what has always been done, trusting that it’s the best way because everybody else has been doing it that way for so long.

Anybody else guilty of that? Just me? :lol:

When it comes to hunting mature bucks, I’ve found that using first principles reasoning is a great way to make sure I’m not doing something “just because.” It reminds me to ask myself, “What do I KNOW to be true in this situation?” This doesn’t mean everything you’re doing is wrong, but it certainly exposes the “why” behind each choice you make. When you begin to incorporate first principles, you’ll quickly find yourself going against the grain as you’ll be doing what most other hunters are not doing. When you consider some of the most successful mature buck hunters (emphasis on “hunters”), they all reason from first principles whether they realize it or not. In other words, their knowledge, strategy, and tactics are built upon the truths they’ve learned from the purest of teachers: the woods and the whitetail. They aren’t doing something because they assume it’s true. They’re doing it because they know it’s true.

Inversion
I’ll cover one more mental model in this post, and it just so happens to be my favorite. The whole idea of inversion is to think of all the ways you could sabotage a situation - and then avoid those things! In business, this is sometimes referred to as the “Kill the Company” exercise, where you list all the ways you could destroy the business (lower sales, ruin the customer experience, destroy team culture, and so on). Then, instead of focusing on becoming smarter and more advanced than everyone else, you focus simply on avoiding stupid mistakes.

When it comes to hunting, incorporating the mental model of inversion has saved me SO much time, money, energy, and heartache. Rather than asking myself, “How am I going to kill a mature buck this year,” I ask the opposite: “What will prevent me from killing a mature buck this year?” Asking that question allows me to identify certain hurdles that would prevent me from killing mature bucks. Instead of trying to become the smartest and deadliest hunter in the woods, my goal is to simply avoid stupid mistakes, like poor access, bad evening thermals, poor tree selection, sitting over mediocre sign, and so on. By decreasing my odds of failure, I increase my odds of success.

Again, consider the habits of mature buck killers. Are they consistently successful because they are so much more innovative, and forward-thinking, and basically whitetail wizards? Or is it simply because they are better at avoiding the simple mistakes that plague so many of us on a regular basis? I vote the latter.

So, whether you’re just after some clean meat for the freezer, or if you’re chasing that antlered phantom of the wild, I hope this post helps you out in some way or another.


“I’ve always believed that the mind is the best weapon.” John Rambo
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Stingray713
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Re: Mental Models and Mature Bucks

Unread postby Stingray713 » Fri Apr 22, 2022 1:38 pm

I like it! I think about going after old bucks an unhealthy amount. Nice to have some fresh thinking exercises.

Where was this Inversion deal before I got married and had 3 kids?
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Re: Mental Models and Mature Bucks

Unread postby Chuck B » Fri Apr 22, 2022 1:51 pm

Great post. Keep ‘em coming.
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Re: Mental Models and Mature Bucks

Unread postby DaHunter » Sun Apr 24, 2022 12:06 am

Interesting approach and it's amazing how these can apply to all situations in life. I feel like most novice hunters should focus on the first principles, but don't. They don't know or think about all the little details that mean so much and are typically the difference in success and failure. After you've been in the game awhile and have some woodsmanship, I think inversion comes into play and you know more about what you can't (or shouldn't) do. Again, the details and the "why" of it all.
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Re: Mental Models and Mature Bucks

Unread postby funderburk » Sun Apr 24, 2022 2:18 am

DaHunter wrote:Interesting approach and it's amazing how these can apply to all situations in life. I feel like most novice hunters should focus on the first principles, but don't. They don't know or think about all the little details that mean so much and are typically the difference in success and failure. After you've been in the game awhile and have some woodsmanship, I think inversion comes into play and you know more about what you can't (or shouldn't) do. Again, the details and the "why" of it all.


Agreed. Whenever I find myself getting frustrated and at a loss as to why things aren’t coming together, reverting back to first principles and inversion have always helped me get back on track.
“I’ve always believed that the mind is the best weapon.” John Rambo
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Re: Mental Models and Mature Bucks

Unread postby Hawthorne » Sun Apr 24, 2022 2:26 am

Good read. Thanks
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Re: Mental Models and Mature Bucks

Unread postby dan » Sun Apr 24, 2022 2:56 am

great post
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Re: Mental Models and Mature Bucks

Unread postby Bogle » Sun Apr 24, 2022 12:08 pm

Great points! As a small business owner, I'm constantly reminded of things I have learned from hunting; Scouting vs. hunting, prospecting vs. writing accounts. Letting small bucks walk vs. shooting big bucks. Wasting time on small accounts vs. spending time on large accounts. Doing something different vs the norm. Sitting seeing nothing for several sits vs. sitting and seeing a bunch of little deer. You cant kill, what isn't there. You can't write profitable accounts, unless you are prospecting profitable accounts. Preparation is crucial, both in hunting and in business. Dedication year round, increases your results. Hard work pays off, both in hunting and in business. Sticking to the game plan regardless of the results.
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Re: Mental Models and Mature Bucks

Unread postby Hookslinger » Sun Apr 24, 2022 12:28 pm

Good stuff in here. I'm making a point to work on the mental side of things with hunting. It's a big deal for someone in my shoes that spent many years "stuck in the mud" so to speak, not even having hardly any encounters with mature bucks, let alone killing them. It's easy to begin to think it's never going to happen. How does one change his mind set and start to overcome those mental blocks in order to kill big bucks? That's something I'm figuring out, and I think it starts with simply believing in yourself.

This is an interesting thread because I just finished the book Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink. It's a great book and basically teaches how their lessons learned in Navy Seal training and combat can be used in business and everyday life. Of course while reading it I also would think about how I could apply some of the lessons to bowhunting.
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Re: Mental Models and Mature Bucks

Unread postby Huntress13 » Mon Apr 25, 2022 12:33 am

Great post. Sounds like what Dan has been teaching, without the business spin and title.
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Re: Mental Models and Mature Bucks

Unread postby greenhorndave » Mon Apr 25, 2022 9:35 am

Killer post Mike!

Don't often hear of mental models on a hunting site, but that's what makes this place great.

Thanks and looking forward to more.
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Re: Mental Models and Mature Bucks

Unread postby Dellingerj » Thu Apr 28, 2022 12:46 pm

Awesome post. I think one of the biggest changes I have made in my hunting habits is to change how I approach the hunt mentally. What I love about the HB site is how selfless people are with sharing info on how to be successful, but is is often followed up with needing mental toughness. This doesn’t mean you hunt in an arrogant or overly confident manor, but instead think about what you are out there doing. With work, and now hunting, I choose to not over complicate the process or use a method to use a method. Instead I try to break down the situation and use the tactics needed, not the latest craze or popular fad. Keep them coming.


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