The Psychology of the Deer Hunter…

Psychology is an academic and applied discipline that involves the scientific study of mental functions and behaviors. In this case, the deer hunter.

Deer Movement Update: Last week I was able to have three great encounters with main frame 10 points, two of which had extra abnormal points and would have scored in 140-160 inch range. I had one 18 yards away at full draw, but he never gave me a clear shot. Heartbreaking. These occurred when the temperature was below 25 degrees. Once the weather warmed up mid week, deer movement vanished and all trail cam pictures moved to after dark. After sitting several more times without any deer movement to speak of, I found myself pretty burned out. This brings me to the point of my new blog post.

The examination: I have been pondering while in the stand and have come up with mt theory for the psychology of the deer hunter, and it's simple: in order to maintain a drive and desire yo deer hunt and to ultimately give yourself the chance to consistently harvest mature whitetails, you must maintain hope!

Hope: Within the heart of the deer hunter, you must believe that you have the ability and will have the opportunity to see and possibly harvest a mature whitetail. Hope is the single most important mindset that must be maintained in order for the hunter to remain sane. After sitting 125+ hours in the stand this year, this is the first week in which I got burned out and began to lose hope. There are several strategies that I have come up with to help myself build and retain hope before and throughout the season.

• Trail cams: Running trail cams is probably the best way to build hope and anticipation. Run them early and often, and the more cameras you have, the better. Place them out in late summer over bait (in a spot you won’t be hunting as it is illegal to hunt over bait), and try to take a survey of the bucks that might be out and about. Continue to use them throughout the season on heavy trails and scrapes once the bachelor groups break up.

• Scouting: Spend time in the preseason watching fields to get an eyeball on some deer. Use your trail cams to locate core areas for bucks, and set up stands on the perimeter downwind from prevailing winds. Continue scouting during season. Watch deer movement and adapt. Don’t be afraid to move stands and change strategies. You must adapt with the deer, and if all else fails, hunt the does during the rut. The bucks will come.

• Develop a “hit list”: Using your sightings and trail cam pictures, develop a hit list—an ordered list of the bucks you would like to harvest. Once you continue this for several years, it is cool to recognize repeated encounters with the same deer and to be able to track their growth. Naming the bucks on your hit list can be fun, and it will help you keep track of them.

• Practice: Get out your weapon of choice and practice often. Become confident and consistent with it. Learn your effective range. Get to the point where you never have to worry about the shot. Be able to trust your ability. (I go for runs to get my heart racing and then shoot 25 arrows trying to simulate adrenaline) Practice every angle and posture you might encounter so nothing surprises you in the deer stand.

• Scent control: Take control of scent, and use it in your favor. I wash my base layers in scent killer soap, take a scent killer shower, and use scent killer deodorant. I keep all my outer layers in a tote full of leaves and use scent killer on them as well. Also, play the wind and stay on the downwind side of probable deer locations. Go slow, and don’t sweat walking to your stand. Find the route that is least likely to bump deer.

• Hunt the right time: Don’t waste time hunting bad winds or other times when deer aren’t moving. Save yourself and hunt prime-time. Sitting and seeing nothing is what completely shoots down your hope. This is the big one I struggle with. Sit in that stand 6 times in a row without seeing a deer, and guess what happens? Burn out. And burn out = no hope.

• Hunting location/concealment: Choose stand locations that offer movement concealment. Use full camo, if legal, and create a backdrop and foreground to break up your silhouette and minimize movement.

So if you want to have and keep hope alive, take these steps. Know your targets and relish the encounters with them. Develop your skills to take away their strengths. Don’t just go bumbling around in the woods and hope for some luck. Become the predator and enjoy the challenge of you vs. the whitetail. The more work and effort you put in, the more powerful your experience will be because of all the anticipation you’ve built up. I have taken this week to brush up on these points and rebuild my hope while also waiting for the weather to cool down again. Next week those three big 10's better watch out!