Chasing Big Muleys and Mental Endurance

[schur7559]

Although not the same, I went through something similar whitetail hunting. I shot “nice” 3.5 year old bucks for three years straight with my bow but by the last one I found myself disappointed with the size class. I decided I was holding out for 4.5+ year olds from then on. I’ve eaten tag soup the last three years now but don’t regret it at all. Once you realize you’d be more disappointed shooting something below your standards than eating tag soup restraint comes easy.

 

[Rich M]

Gotta set your goal and not shoot until you meet your goal. It isn't mental, it is what you are willing to shoot.

You'll reach a point where the smaller bucks won't itch your finger anymore and you'll want bigger. Takes time and shooting a few deer. By getting out and shooting those deer, you're learning and having a good time. Nothing wrong with you.

It might be easier if you have some meat tags around home - either shoot something during archery or know where the meat deer are so there is no pressure for meat.

In my mind - I spent X years preparing for this hunt and know exactly what I want - why would i shoot something i decided i didn't want? I got my BOAL in 2019 and done muley hunting - leaving tag for the folks who want to go.

 

[Bull_n_heat]

I think the big thing for me is just accepting that if you don't fill the tag, it's no worries. That mindset to me really helps. I've actually gotten to the point where I expect to not fill the tag. Cultivating that mindset took some effort. Seems like it took a couple of grinders to get to that point, but it actually turned out to be really liberating mentally to know that you have no expectation from yourself to have to kill something.

 

[Dos Perros]

OP, the one word that jumped out to me in your post was "endure." You want to endure the mountain. Like it's some inconvenient reality and you just deal with it to get what you want.

I don't really think like that. I enjoy the difficulty, the stress, and being tired and sore. It helps me feel alive! The more it sucks, the more alive I feel. I also know I can't get that feeling driving my desk and otherwise being a rather domesticated suburban husband and father, but I need something to hone that grit I might need to get through the rougher patches of life.

Not only so, but we glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. -Romans 5:3-4

I think if you switch you mindset, learn to enjoy being uncomfortable knowing you are preparing yourself for your unknown future, you'll likely get the results you're ultimately after.

 

[WCB]

No diss on anybody but I just don't get how reading a book will open up mental toughness? IMO pretty easy...plan on hunting 10 days, you hunt 10 days. Cold, windy, can't find deer...oh well go out in the cold and wind and find deer.

I understand reading about gear, survival, best practices...but just the mental ability to go do it, makes zero sense to me. #1 is your life in immediate danger due to weather or health. Answer: NO. Action: go hunt

 

[Scoot]

OP, the one word that jumped out to me in your post was "endure." You want to endure the mountain. Like it's some inconvenient reality and you just deal with it to get what you want.

I don't really think like that. I enjoy the difficulty, the stress, and being tired and sore. It helps me feel alive! The more it sucks, the more alive I feel. I also know I can't get that feeling driving my desk and otherwise being a rather domesticated suburban husband and father, but I need something to hone that grit I might need to get through the rougher patches of life.

Not only so, but we glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. -Romans 5:3-4

I think if you switch you mindset, learn to enjoy being uncomfortable knowing you are preparing yourself for your unknown future, you'll likely get the results you're ultimately after.

Dos, pretty sure we could hunt together! You described my mindset to a T!!!

 

[TaperPin]

Everyone is different, so it will be a matter of finding what works for you.

Many people use B&C score as a yardstick - maybe you’ll be able to decide on a minimum and not shoot anything less.

For years I hunted for a certain width - the magical number seemed like what I’d feel good about on the wall. Now that’s not as important as a big boxy rack of a certain gross score.

Some trophies can’t be measured by score, or width. A really old mulie buck past his prime with an extra thick 3x3 rack of good size is a shooter in my book - I imagine these deer as being much larger than they probably were a few years prior. They have an interesting story to have lived so long.

I passed on what I thought was mediocre mulie only to see it running away and was a respectable whitetail - clear up in elk and muledeer mountains. I would still have him on the wall because it was a good story.

What used to really motivate me was scouting. When I see a true monster in my hunt area nothing could get me to shoot a smaller buck. When I’ve seen a dozen moderately large deer before the season starts, they seem no larger than a doe once the season starts.

Finally, you will find hunting until the last hour of the last day will eventually pay off. I hunted antelope hard for a wall hanger to compete with my wife’s, and the last hour of the last day we were in position to take the pick of a large after rut herd - she took a very decent buck and I took the next best - then the biggest buck seen for a few years stepped out of a depression and stood there looking at us. Had I committed to not shooting anything but a wall hanger he would be looking down on me from the wall as we speak.

 

[highcountrymuley]

Seeing a big one or multiple big ones while scouting (when you do not have the tag in hand, no pressure to do something RIGHT NOW) was a big stepping stone in my quest to kill big bucks. You learn alot while sitting and watching instead of blasting after him or stressing /focusing on how to bring him home!

Don't know how to help with mental toughness. If I know I'm in a good area I keep grinding bc I know the probability of seeing something great actually goes UP the more times I am out there and not seeing them. This does not work if you have no faith/confidence/experience with the area.

I killed a nice buck on first day a few yrs ago and took him home then went back out to elk hunt. I was exhausted and worried about it. So I took a whole day of resting and relaxing and enjoying the woods and eating a lot of food. Helped me get back into it mentally.

My brother does not enjoy hunting solo and bailed after a couple days a few yrs ago when I coul not go. I love it but things change year to year as your life has different demands and desires.

I killed buck in my avatar after a grueling hot mz season. Second to last day. Keeping after it. New spot I had backpacked into 5 miles. Saw hunters that had been hunting all week in spot where I wanted to go ..... I just went 180* away from them and found a honey hole.

To me scouting and enjoying the woods and resting and not killing yourself physically has been most important thing to staying in the hunt mentally. Good luck

 

[TaperPin]

Seeing a big one or multiple big ones while scouting (when you do not have the tag in hand, no pressure to do something RIGHT NOW) was a big stepping stone in my quest to kill big bucks. You learn alot while sitting and watching instead of blasting after him or stressing /focusing on how to bring him home!

Don't know how to help with mental toughness. If I know I'm in a good area I keep grinding bc I know the probability of seeing something great actually goes UP the more times I am out there and not seeing them. This does not work if you have no faith/confidence/experience with the area.

I killed a nice buck on first day a few yrs ago and took him home then went back out to elk hunt. I was exhausted and worried about it. So I took a whole day of resting and relaxing and enjoying the woods and eating a lot of food. Helped me get back into it mentally.

My brother does not enjoy hunting solo and bailed after a couple days a few yrs ago when I coul not go. I love it but things change year to year as your life has different demands and desires.

I killed buck in my avatar after a grueling hot mz season. Second to last day. Keeping after it. New spot I had backpacked into 5 miles. Saw hunters that had been hunting all week in spot where I wanted to go ..... I just went 180* away from them and found a honey hole.

To me scouting and enjoying the woods and resting and not killing yourself physically has been most important thing to staying in the hunt mentally. Good luck

It wasn’t until reading your post that it jogged memories when I used to often be miserable while hunting hard - I assumed grinding it out ment suffering in addition to hard work, and that wears a guy down.

Now I won’t hunt without a stove at camp and plenty of food - comfortable sleeping pad/bag, and a good feel for when I need an easy day to recharge. Earlier warmer seasons are also easier for me to stay motivated on. Something as simple as wearing boots often enough before the hunt to not have sore feet goes a long way.

 

[180ls1]

It wasn’t until reading your post that it jogged memories when I used to often be miserable while hunting hard - I assumed grinding it out ment suffering in addition to hard work, and that wears a guy down.

Now I won’t hunt without a stove at camp and plenty of food - comfortable sleeping pad/bag, and a good feel for when I need an easy day to recharge. Earlier warmer seasons are also easier for me to stay motivated on. Something as simple as wearing boots often enough before the hunt to not have sore feet goes a long way.

Yup. I started my career going too heavy, went too light now I am adding weight back in for the comforts I love.

I just got a Zenbivy bed for example. It's bigger and heavier but there is no replacement for quality sleep.

 

[406huntermt]

You can’t kill a big deer when you’re filling your tag on small deer

 

[mn_bowhunter]

Are you a westerner, where you have the ability to hunt for 5-7 days if needed? Do you have a hunting partner? Having a partner to talk to could be a huge help for you.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Are you a westerner, where you have the ability to hunt for 5-7 days if needed? Do you have a hunting partner? Having a partner to talk to could be a huge help for you.

Needs to be a really good partner to be an asset in killing big mule deer. Those are few and far between.

 

[Dioni A]

Find your bucks before season It's really easy to not shoot small deer if you know there's a big one there. People act like hunting is some sort of torturous activity of suffering and endurance. Learn to love the process.

 

[Brucebarker024]

I don’t have a lot of experience concerning big bucks but having killed a few smaller bucks and one large one in 22’. Once I laid eyes on the larger buck I decided unless I killed that deer I wasn’t going to shoot anything else. I put 15 days straight on it and killed it at 17 yards in its bed after 2 failed stalks. This year I wasn’t going to shoot anything I wasn’t happy with and during summer scouting I found a 160ish 4x4 with a kicker and a very old bladed forked horn. I miss a shot on the forked horn on day 12 of hunting and never located him or the big 4x4 again. Had multiple opportunities on smaller bucks but never drew my bow again because I set my standard before hunting season. Went to idaho for a rifle mule deer tag found one deer I was interested in and never had a good opportunity other than a very fast close shot that didn’t connect. Spent 9 days looking for it and never found a deer I liked. I found setting my expectations before season was easier than going in without a standard I had set. It’s resulted in fewer filled tags but equally as “successful” in my book.

Edited to add photo

 

[Schoolhousegrizz]

I haven't read all the other posts but you have to be okay with failing and not caring if you punch your tag. Also the nobody cares keep hammering work harder or grind it out can become just too much nonsense. I have been on hard times that went long and some I didn't get deer on. You are better off taking a break then you are burning out. Take good food have a comfortable camp have someone with you that you love. Make it about learning enjoying the experience as well as the kill.

Also don't compare yourself to others, stay off social media as much as possible.

You may not be to the point where you don't care if you punch your tag. That is fine, keep shooting bucks one day you will get to the point where it has to be something special or you're not shooting.

 

[OXN939]

In the last few years I’ve been taking Mule deer hunting much more seriously. My harvest success is nearly 100% on about 2.5/3.5year old bucks for the last 4-5 years in ID, UT, CO.

Often times my hunts only last 1-3 days. I start with high hopes and “dedication” toward shooting an older buck but after a day or two of steep/long hikes my standards quickly change and I shoot an avg 3 or 4 point.

So for the last 11 months I’ve been hitting the gym religiously thinking if I was stronger I could endure more days on the mountain and be more selective. It certainly helped but I’m learning that my problem is mainly mental endurance.

Other than stop being a baby, any tips/tricks for staying out there longer? Any books that you’ve read that have helped increase mental endurance?


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Start doing cold plunges a few times a week. Your entire body and mind are hardwired to perceive cold water as about the most unpleasant, unappealing thing you can experience. If you can condition yourself to control your response to something like that, the discipline you'll gain extends well beyond getting into cold water. That's in addition to all the physiological benefits.

 

[westonhoma]

Start doing cold plunges a few times a week. Your entire body and mind in hardwired to perceive cold water as about the most unpleasant, unappealing thing you can experience. If you can condition yourself to control your response to something like that, the discipline you'll gain will extend well beyond getting into cold water. That's in addition to all the physiological benefits.

Been doing cold showers every morning for awhile now. Unreal benefits. I actually stopped for a month trying to convince myself it was all in my head, but it wasn't. Started back up beginning of this year and dont plan on stopping.

 

[Scoot]

I think there's a "can't have your cake and eat it too" piece to this, as others have alluded to. You probably can't have a "want to kill a huge one" and a "need to punch your tag every time" kinda mentality. If you hold out for a big one, you will eat the tag sometimes. If you can't handle that, shoot a smaller one and move on with life. If you can, then you'll shoot bigger ones and sometimes have unpunched tags too. It's not very often the first great opportunity happens on a really big buck.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Everybody talks about 7-10+ day hunts but 90+% of folks are ready to call it after day 3-4. It's gotten way worse in the last 7ish years as well with guys calling it early and heading home (I blame social media and cell phones mainly). I think they are enjoying the experience but they let the alone time get into their head and start worrying about "stuff" back at home. It's always some excuse like "work" or "wife" which yes, are legit concerns but... You planned this hunt at least 6 months or more in advance and took the time off, etc. The only real excuse is YOU in almost all instances despite them blaming going home early on something else.

As far as killing bigger deer, you have to learn to let deer walk. Simple as that. Learn from the smaller deer by just watching them and observing them for hours at a time. You also never know when they are going to pickup a big buck depending on time of year and the terrain you're in.

Just remember to take time and be thankful that you have the opportunity to hunt in the first place. There is no replacement for being outside and hunting for your own food. It's how we're meant to live honestly, so take the little time we get to do it and just enjoy it.

Whether you try to kill a big one or simply go for that meat/outdoor experience, at least you're out there and doing it! Some of my favorite hunts I've ever been on ended up with only a tag to eat at the end.