5 Things Hunters Should Practice—but Don’t

This is why you suck at hunting. As a hunter, I think I've cracked the code as to why some people, including myself, have been so bad at hunting. My leg! Ah! It's a good thing I practice. Things hunters don't practice but should. Look! Look at the pink! I got it. The first thing that hunters don't practice but they should is shooting game time shots. That means replicating the scenario as best you can as to what you're going to be doing. So if you're a tree stand hunter, shooting from a tree stand, shooting from an elevated position. If you can, shoot from the tree that you're going to be shooting from. If you're a backcountry elk hunter, shooting, kneeling, shooting out of breath, laying down, working out, creating high-stress scenarios to replicate an actual hunting situation. You may want to do some push-ups or some pull-ups as you're shooting your bow to replicate that high-stress scenario. You may also want to build up the scenario in your mind where you have one shot to get that animal. Not multiple shots. You've got one shot. The next thing that some hunters don't do is shooting with their exact setup that they're going to be hunting with. And by that I mean the exact broadhead on the exact arrow with the exact amount of clothing you're going to be wearing and with the exact amount of arrows in your quiver that you're going to be using. Sometimes people will practice with no quiver all year long and they put the quiver on and the bow feels a little different. Or maybe they'll try a broadhead on one arrow but on a different arrow it flies a little bit differently. So shooting with the exact setup that you're going to be hunting with, super helpful. The next thing that hunters could benefit from, especially beginner hunters, is simulating a game time experience mentally. And by that I mean actually putting the pressure on yourself to perform under that pressure because we know sometimes that we think we're good but we're really good at practicing. We're not good at actually performing. So what I'm going to do right now is simulate an experience that could actually happen and put pressure on. So I'm going to have one shot at this deer. If I miss the vital zone I have to go clean the bathroom right now. I don't want to clean the bathroom. If I hit the vital zone then I get to scoot back and go again and hopefully I won't have to clean the bathroom. Let's go! I got the 12 ring just like you asked. I know this might seem silly to like mentally put yourself in that space but I really do believe this helps practicing like really making it real. Like imagining a deer actually walks out. Your brain doesn't know the difference between your imagination and reality. I heard that quote once, like 30 seconds ago. Shoot him while he's down! Quick! The arrow! He's not moving! The next thing that some hunters don't do is practice ranging and then shooting. Especially if you're hiking through the woods, hiking through the mountains, doing a quick range and then being able to shoot quickly can be very helpful but it can be really awkward if you're not practiced at it. The final thing that hunters don't do, especially when you're going out for a hunting trip, is practice nutrition and gear. So what food are you going to eat? What boots are you going to wear? Have you broken them in? What tent are you going to set up? Testing all of your gear and also how you're going to feel. How much water are you going to drink? How are you going to electrolyte? What food makes you feel good? What food doesn't make you feel good? Where are you going to find water? How are you going to purify that water? All of that stuff can be super helpful, can help you be 10 times better hunter than someone who doesn't do any of that stuff. Things hunters don't practice but should. Are you kidding me? I hit the antler of the deer.