The "I'm gonna make it happen this year" mentality..does it work?

I understand focus in life is what it is all about in terms of achieving your goals. But I believe sometimes that too much focus in the deer woods can be detrimental to one's success. I can remember some years where the entire year I told myself, "I'm gonna make it happen this year" in terms of killing a nice big buck. Other years I was more relaxed mentally and didn't focus so much on killing a big buck, and most of the time when I had that mentality I had greater success in the woods. I try not to get too worked up about too much of anything before, during, and after the hunt so that I can remain mentally flexible. Do any of you guys feel you do better in the woods when you put less pressure on yourself...I mean we all need to work hard scouting, preparing, and hunting, but not getting too caught up when you haven't been succesful for a long stretch of the season or for multiple seasons.

How do you keep yourself balanced mentally when pursuing a large buck?

 

I used to over-pressure myself.

But not so much anymore.. years in the woods have taught me that it's more of a long distance race than a short sprint.. just relax and be smarter than the whitetail... even more importantly.. be smarter than yourself. Your own preconceived notions are often your worst enemy.

I work hardest at hunting when its not the hunting season.. this I believe allows me more time to focus on the big picture rather than having to work so hard when the season is in full swing.

For every 1 hour I get in the tree.. I have about 3 or 4 hours on foot in the off-season... so when the season is in.. all my focus is on executing the plan I already laid out for myself.

Hope this makes some sense. Maybe?

 

"For every 1 hour I get in the tree.. I have about 3 or 4 hours on foot in the off-season... so when the season is in.. all my focus is on executing the plan I already laid out for myself."

This is becoming more apparent to me each year. I am a slow learn. I have really stepped up the scouting over the years and it is slowly paying off. More buck sightings, more encounters, and less running around in a frenzy during the season trying to find good hunting spots. That being said, I have a lot to learn about scouting.

 

I usually put alot of pressure on myself especially as the season goes on without seeing bucks. I have been trying to not do that but after being lucky enough to kill a few big ones, people I talk to are expecting big things. I know that's not what it is about, but it is tougher when you have a few big ones and expect it from yourself every year. I really want to learn to relax again and not have such high expectations. But every single time out I imagine or think this is the hunt I get the big one.

 

Jeff, I love the set-up and all the work that goes into hunting. I am still very focused throughout the year, but I try to switch my brain off of hunting the "big buck" to just hunting...I am still using my tactics to kill a big buck but just rewire my brain to think I am "just" hunting. I feel that gives me the mental endurance I need to last the entire season. I might not see a buck for weeks so I have to train my brain to just relax. I played in a lot of intense team/individual sports that required a lot of pre-competition build up and began using that approach when I first started hunting, and even up until 4-5 years ago. I found that to be the wrong approach for me.

 

I do not put any pressure on myself. I may have in the past, in the early years, but now I'm out there to have fun. I do some winter scouting and some mid summer looking around then glass in the evenings during mid to late summer. I hang a few stands late summer then hang the rest on the day that I hunt them. During the season, I see what unfolds then make my plan accordingly and hope for the best. I try to do my best during the game. Win or lose, it's how I play that makes it fun for me.

 

I recently had a friend ask me how I would feel if I ate tag soup this year. He's observed me no miss a step of intensity even to the point of hanging/moving a stand 48 hours after the close of the season last year. I have no problem with tag soup, as long as I know I have given my best. That said, it's boiled over into a full time obsession. But the real fun for me is the prep. Food plots, hanging, scouting, etc. I know that I need to hunt smarter this year as I will have less tree time available, but I am liking the way that the season is looking. I think positive thinking is number one in hunting and in life.

 

I stay positive and keep plugging away. I always think the best in terms of a succesful hunt, but I temper those thoughts with the fact that nature is ultimately in control, not me.......and oh yeah, "It" WILL happen next year

 

You really feel pressure to tag a nice deer because you're worried about what other people will think or say about you??

 

I would say the big difference comes into play based on your reaction to not achieving your goals. If you go out into the woods obsessed and on a workman like mission and get more and more irritated as the days pass without success you are only setting yourself up for more heartache and dissapointment........besides hunting for all the wrong reasons (just my opinion).

If you set goals and do your best to prepare and reach them but don't make your whole life revolve around them there shouldn't be any pressure.......just a calm, confidence knowing that it may take 1 day or 100......but your day is coming and when it does you will not fail.

I do think a positive outlook/confidence helps............although I have had some of my finest success when I was about to crack my weapon in 10 pieces on the next tree or rock I saw and see if the golf courses were still open

 

I think you just have to have fun while your out there. I look up to the people who do it just have blast like Micheal Waddell and the Primos guys. To them it dont matter if they kill a booner or a barely pope and young deer or there best buddy gets one. There always happy and are havin fun and enjoyin every minute of there adventure.

I agree with BEN/PA, if you give it everything you got and you don't get what your after, big deal. What else could you have done. This will just get you motivated to try a little harder next year. I ate my archery tag this year and am so motivated to get on one this coming year but yet I'm makin sure i keep it fun. Because if your not having fun, why are you doing it?

 

I remind myself what I have waiting for me at home. I keep everything in perspective and most of all, I simply have fun hunting for big whitetails, its never a grind, it's a blast, exciting just being out there trying to beat his defenses.

 

For me, I just want to have fun and enjoy being in the woods,encounters, other wildlife, putting meat in the freezer, etc... Will I go into every season trying my best to kill a nice buck? Of course.. Will I be upset if I dont? No way.. While I'm always trying to learn more about deer behavior and how they use my property, its mostly just about making memories with friends and family for me.And thinking about what marinade to use on the deer steaks.

That said, I think every deer hunter has a fascination with antlers, I sure do. But I just don't understand when people hunt for the sole reason of chasing giant antlers.. I just don't get it. Sure I want a giant deer, but if they announced tomorrow that Indiana and Ohio would be antlerless only in 2009, it wouldn't kill me. I'd still be excited for the bow opener all year long. I try to keep my mentality at: "Happy to be in the woods". Im not disagreeing with any big buck hunter, I admire them. For people that already have a wall full of big buck mounts, I totally understand the reasoning in only chasing the big one, and the pressure that probably goes with it. At this point in my life, I'm not gonna put pressure on myself to only shoot a 150" deer. Thats not why I hunt.

 

That's about as well as it's been summed up!

 

I really believe it's important to believe you will be successful. I also believe that putting time limits on it will add unneeded pressure. Instead of " I'm going to get one this year" I like " I'm going to continue to improve each day and success will come"

 

I think the best appoach is to try to do things which will make you more successful over the long haul. Most of us are not gonna shoot a buck of a life time every season.

 

I started to get caught up with putting "pressure" on myself.
Then I reminded myself that I do this for fun(and to fill my freezer) and putting "pressure" on myself was stupid. Go out, scout, decide where to hunt, then hunt. If things work out. GREAT. If not, well that is supposed to happen sometimes.

 

Shed, I too remind myself that I have a great family at home. My focus on whitetails has been extremely high and more efficient than ever the last few years....and I have stopped wasting time worrying about things that I have no control over.

 

I am way too obsessive about my hobbies. First few weeks of the season is ok, then I start getting that old feeling and before I know it, I'm in that win or lose, do or die mentality. My wife has been hunting for a few years and she's good therapy for me, she has fun no matter what. I'm working on it, but it aint easy.

 

i like to be confident, i practice, make sure i'm clean, i try to pick good stands, and pretty much after that it's up to the man upstairs