It’s all in your head

The author shot this nice buck by practicing what he preaches.

There is an art to sitting still. It means much more than being  motionless; it means being still without making a sound.

This may sound easy but it is a very difficult thing to accomplish for more than 10 minutes. Everyone who bow hunts for deer will fidget, move around, or easing that tree stub that sticks you in the back.

Think about this: we watch a musical and our foot taps to the music. We think, and our fingers and head moves. The trick to sitting still still without noise.

To acquire such needed skills it’s important to practice.

Sitting still is an acquired talent. Not everyone can do it, and I can still set as motionless as a statue at the age of 71, but it’s nothing like I could do 20 years ago. Age brings with it knowledge for those willing to learn. It also brings more aches and pains that can affect our ability to remain still.

The knowledge of how to do it is what allows me to tune out the sore back, hips, legs and other aches and pains where many injuries occurred years ago. Knowledge is a key to becoming a successful deer hunter, and sitting still is just one part of it.

Many years ago my back was broken, and a  full-body cast was attached. Any movement took time to do, and the movements were like waving a flag.  It did make me learn to sit still because I couldn’t move my body easily. Accepting that was the first step to my success, and once I got out of it, I continued to practice sitting still.

Don’t think that my sitting-still philosophy means going out and breaking your back. That’s no fun. If you can follow this anecdote and understand why I couldn’t move, it may  help.

Anyone who has ever studied deer should have learned two things quickly. Stay downwind of the deer, and  learn how to sit still.

Sitting still is a matter of mind over matter.

Sitting still is not easy. Those who think they are being motionless and silent often are moving too much and making some noise. Camouflage clothing is not a cure-all for your hunting ills.  Deer spot movement regardless of whether you wear camo or blaze orange.

Don’t move? A person’s nose itches so they scratch it. A tree stub pokes them in the butt or legs, and they try to ease the discomfort. A leafy branch blocks their view so they move their head to see more clearly. A rustle in dry leaves sets their head in motion to see what created the sound. Boredom sets in, and people become twitchy.

Many hunters feel they are motionless, but in fact, all parts are in motion. Any movement will catch a deer’s attention, and if that happens, it will stand in cover until they identify what spooked them. If they determine it was caused by a human, that hunting spot will be blown for the immediate future.

How do you sit still while hunting? Sit in a tree or a ground blind. See how long it takes before a deer is spooked by hunter movement. Pay attention to what triggers fear in deer.

Many sportsmen seem to feel that only spooked deer will blow and snort. Many antsy deer simply disappear, and slowly leave the area. They are spooked but will not snort.

Study deer during summer months and learn to relax around them.

Watch deer, and see how often they stop to the terrain. I've watched many deer stand motionless for 30 minutes to an hour after detecting the presence of a hunter in a tree stand. They do not move a muscle, ear, eye tail or anything will move it they've  been alerted to possible danger.

A hunting buddy used to hunt a funnel leading out of a cedar swamp and into open woods. This swamp was a thick waterhole, and it was easy to tell where deer came from. Those that were wet up to their belly were coming through the swamp. Those deer could be heard coming for 15 minutes as the water sloshed around as they moved. Those deer attracted the attention of any nearby hunter.

Once he spotted a buck moving slowly, and then it stopped. It was 200 yards away but there was an open spot he could see through with binoculars, and he knew there was a hunter upwind of the deer. That animal stood  in cold November water for over an hour without moving. Dusk came and went, and the buck still stood in the water, as motionless as a statue.

This begs the obvious question: how do you sit still? Part of it comes through practice but much comes from a total state of mental relaxation. Put your mind at ease, forget about aches and pains, and that stub in the rump. Relax your brain and body.

Tune everything out of your mind. The more you think about an ache or pain, the more it bothers you. The same is true of bugs early in the bow season, and motionless hunters are seldom bothered by insects.

Mentally put all of your thought into something calming and pleasant. Put your mind in a relaxed state. Forget about missed phone calls or upcoming doctor appointments. Clear your mind of anything and everything, relax and simply do not think.

Purge your mind of extraneous thoughts, and picture yourself at peace. A spot where you feel a gentle sense of security, and where nothing bothers you.

Time seems to pass slowly, and almost as if from a haze, out steps a calm buck. The animal is upwind, sniffing and looking for danger. Sensing none, he steps forward two or three more paces, and stops to check his surroundings once again.

Relaxed, the deer turns around and watches his back trail. As the deer looks away, the hunter slowly and quietly comes to full draw, aims and kills that animal. It really can be that easy.

The hunter was totally relaxed. A laid-back and relaxed sportsman doesn't move and never makes a sound while on stand.

It takes practice but so do many other things. Sit in the woods during the summer, and practice the art of sitting motionless and silent. You’ll soon learn the secret to sitting still is all in your head.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors