Perhaps a repeat of information found thoughout our sport, I feel this is a subject worth repeating since it is too often learned later in your hunting life. If memory serves, there IS an issue or two of TBM with a couple articles on this by recognizable hunters with far more experience and better advice than my own.

For those at the Trailhead of their hunting path, I feel it is indeed something to consider, try, and live by in the woods for a great and successful list of memories.

Thoughout life, too often we GO GO GO, HURRY HURRY HURRY.

It becomes a HABIT and taken with us into the field and woods is normally a NON productive one.

Have you found yourself tearing around “late” and drive to your hunting spot only to tear out to your stand?

Hunting goals will be reached faster by slowing down. Phyically and mentally.

When hurrying, we are noisy, more visible and sweating profusely. (whew!) None of these are “good things” if our goal is to be PART OFF your hunting area and more easily get within range of the animals we hunt.

Are you guilty of doing so? I was for YEARS!! I’ve too many memories of deer snorting and blowing, running off, “flags” waving! Confidence goes to pot and deservingly so.

Don’t get me wrong. Slowing down from the normal fast, rat race pace of life is not easy. The most important thing I can pass along from experience is it is a LEARNED trait.

The first thing we must realize, to learn, is to realize we are doing something nonproductive to our goals. Beyond that it’s our mind in charge, thinking out ALL of our hunt like a well placed bow shot.

Arriving at your place to hunt, gear down. Sit in your truck listening to a radio station and have a cup of coffee. Whatever works for you to SLOW DOWN.

Something I like to do and MUST force myself to do at the start of every single fall is to get out of my truck and walk out about 50-75 yards and stop, sit down. BREATHE, notice the wind direction, listen for anything near or far. Tune your senses towards the woods, the animals and the weather.

Slow down. Stalk your stand, if using one. STAY in the “slow mo” mode till back in your truck. FEW humans are capable of going TOO SLOW in the woods and the slower you go the more your senses will pick up. In the stand or out, you must, MUST see the animal BEFORE it sees YOU. You pick up the animal moving…..the same way HE FINDS YOU.

The only thing moving fast in the woods is from something they are excited from. Fear, from pursuit. Chasing does. Fighting another buck. In all those cases they are NOT concerned near as much, if at all, with not being noticed.

We, on the other hand, are not ever part of any of those emotions and are mentally in control of our own movements.

Slow down and be a part of the surroundings for faster ( or POSSIBLE) results in our quest of hunting with traditional equipment.

That starts when we leave our vehicle or camp, not just when we get to our stand.

God Bless!
Steve Sr.