Positive thinking helps bow hunters

Never take bad shots; Wait for a broadside or quartering-away shot
photo courtesy Dave Richey Outdoors ©2012

It's difficult to do things that require skill without having a good attitude. A problem I find with some hunters is they lack drive or motivation, and this usually comes from not having a proper attitude.

There are good attitudes and bad 'tudes, and a bad one isn't conducive to being an effective deer hunter. Hunters with a bad 'tudes are constantly griping about the weather, the lack of deer, too many does, too many hunters, and on and on.

Can't remember the name of the guy but years ago he held classes that praised the power of positive thinking. He believed that thinking in a positive way made a big difference, and I completely agree.

The power of positive thinking works while bow hunting

Think of deer hunting this way. You climb into a tree stand or ground blind, feeling good about yourself and your ability to sit still and shoot straight. You know you can shoot that buck if it comes your way.

This positive thinking attitude doesn't work every time. If it did, we would all soon tire of deer hunting, rolling a 300 game while bowling, or clobbering two home runs in the local softball game.

What this positive thinking does do is allow a hunter to do everything else right. A buck starts heading your way, and you spot it immediately. You sit still and don't wiggle around, and you've got the wind in your favor at all times.

Stay alert and pay attention to your surroundings; Don’t move

Turn this whole scenario around, and head into the woods with hope in your heart, and a good feeling about hunting. There is a feeling that you sense more than feel, that today will be a day when a nice buck will offer a shot. You can sense that buck, and you sit tight with bow at the ready, and when he shows up, you are fully capable of shooting it.

The power of positive thinking is something that many people rarely acknowledge. They might be thinking about a beer after the hunt, and be thinking of that brew when they should be thinking about a deer.

This is a mental concept that is very difficult to explain, and in all honesty, hunters must have a few bucks under their belt. They must know their way around the deer woods, and must learn to think like a deer. If I was a deer, where would I enter this area from and why? You study the terrain, figure it out, and sure enough, on many occasions the deer will travel the trails you've puzzled out.

Hunters with a positive attitude have their game face on whenever they enter a stand. They are out there to hunt, not just spend time outdoors, and they are constantly running the angles through their brain. They are, without knowing it, trying to will a buck to them.

Now, that is a bit of a stretch, and although I'm not saying a person can will a deer to them, I believe the hunter with the right attitude will do more things right than hunters with a different mind-set.

Hunters often refer to those people who always shoot a nice buck to be "lucky." They are not lucky in the normal sense of the word; instead, by having the proper attitude, and the willingness to think things through and do everything right, they can make their own luck.

Hunters who always take a buck with a bow are prepared for a shot

This positive attitude allows hunters to scout more efficiently, pinpoint key buck areas, and to be in the right spot at the right time. This occurs because they believe in themselves and what they are doing.

Hunting means you must believe in yourself, your abilities and hunting skills. If you think negative thoughts, chance are good you'll be daydreaming about the boss you intensely dislike, and a buck will sneak past and be out of range or back in thick cover before it is seen.
You've blown an opportunity.

I can't teach you or anyone else how to develop a proper deer-hunting attitude. You either have it or you don't, and those who do, know what I'm talking about.

Those that don't will never know unless they put this column aside and read it every day before they go hunting. Then, maybe with a tiny bit of common sense and the right attitude, a buck may walk within range of a hunter who is mentally and physically prepared to shoot.