Managing stress/anxiety around a LE Elk tag

[brimow]

Greetings everyone,

Here I sit a week and a day from the opening of my "dream" elk season. Colorado LE unit that took me 15 years to draw. I have been working on the physical, logistical, and skills (shooting & calling) parts of this hunt since early this year. I feel really good about where I am at with those. Mentally/emotionally I am feeling very fatigued. Stressing about being successful and feeling the pressure of the tag quite a lot right now. I don't know why this is because I truly don't have trophy ambitions and the unit is well known to produce opportunity after opportunity if you put in the work. Several members here have given me great advice in regards to this unit but here I sit in a stress induced funk. I am really hoping that getting out there next week and being in the woods will make it all melt away.

Has anyone else felt this? How have you dealt with this kind of stress/anxiety? I have never experienced the "weight" of an elk tag before.

Take care,

 

[cnelk]

Try a Once in a Lifetime Colorado bull moose tag.

Now that’s some anxiety

 

[brimow]

Try a Once in a Lifetime Colorado bull moose tag.

Now that’s some anxiety

Brad you have had a few incredible tags. Probably just the norm for you now!

 

[cnelk]

Brad you have had a few incredible tags. Probably just the norm for you now!

Yeah, Ive been fortunate to draw some good tags over the years.

I would recommend that you have a good solid buddy along to bounce ideas off of during the hunt.
You can be your own worst enemy when it comes to daily decision making.

If you dont have a buddy that can come along, have some sort of communication device you can at least talk/communicate to a buddy. It will definitely help the stress/anxiety

Good luck

 

[Pacific_Fork]

I'm going through this right now, leaving in 5 hours for a Nevada elk archery tag for the last 6 days of the season. Most likely my only NV elk tag I will ever have. I think the bottom line is to have fun and not get excited until after/if you have a bull down. I had a gila elk tag once and it almost got the best of me...

 

[Vids]

Tell me about it. I'm two weeks away from my bighorn ram hunt, once in a lifetime. It's been a crazy summer - I wasn't in great shape after Covid, got laid off and started a new job, very busy life as a single dad, all the while stressing about how I didn't have enough time to prepare or get in shape for this hunt.

I decided a month ago to stop worrying about it and focus on the adventure. If I don't kill one I'll live, but I'll leave it all on the mountain trying. A lot of people will never draw a sheep tag so I need to be grateful for the opportunity.

 

[brimow]

I'm going through this right now, leaving in 5 hours for a Nevada elk archery tag for the last 6 days of the season. Most likely my only NV elk tag I will ever have. I think the bottom line is to have fun and not get excited until after/if you have a bull down. I had a gila elk tag once and it almost got the best of me...

Good luck and shoot straight!

 

[Werty]

Remember, Just enjoy the ride!

 

[Fatcamp]

Been paying attention to draws and tags for a couple years. Fortunate this year to have nine individual tags between my wife, son, and I. Some of which were drawn with single digit odds.

If I can arrow a mule deer next week I think a lot of the pressure will be off. Been working at it for awhile.

Either way, yes, I understand.

 

[Bambistew]

Dang man. I can't help much but if you're stressing over killing an animal you are not enjoy the experience. Just trust your knowledge and experience and let the dice roll.

I drew a likely OIL sheep tag here in AK. I hunted for 9 days and didnt get a chance. Saw a couple nice rams but watched them walk out of my life after they winded us. The weather was tough and we lost 4 days due to fog. We walked out (had 60 miles on foot at this point). I went home and thought about it, and decided I wanted to give it all I had for the last 3 days. I tried to find some one to walk the 14 miles back in with me... no luck. Decided to go for it solo, and shot a giant the next day after I walked back in. I crap lucky charms so it was no surprise to anyone but you can't kill one sitting at home.

Good luck! All you can do is your best and hope for a little luck. Without the luck the best hunter out there would stull roll a doghnut.

I killed a ram this year the day after I was supposed to fly out. Weather works both ways.

 

[WCB]

Are you an avid elk hunter? Called a bunch before? Are you normally keyed in on shooting your bow/rifle/whatever weapon?

Reason I ask is in my job I talked to guys almost everyday this time of year or right when they draw tags asking for advice on our products. They mention it took them X amount of years to draw a premium tag and want to be prepared.
I don't tell them this but they should have been preparing for the last X amount of years they were getting points or applying.

I don't get worked up on stuff too easy. My advice is; you are as prepared as you are going to be. Looking over everything 100xs between now and then is going to do no good. Just have the date you leave marked on the calendar and when it comes up leave and just hunt. I would be less nervous about a good tag in a high opportunity area then a general tag in a high pressure area IMO.

 

[dtrkyman]

I would rather be anxious about having a great tag than not having any tags like me!

 

[billoo349]

Man I get that feeling with a deer tag that takes no points and a 2 point elk tag. I get it from the amount of preparation and time I take off to be successful. If I'm not successful, I feel like coworkers and non hunting family will wonder why I spend so much time just to suck at hunting. I also really don't want to have to go back to buying red meat at the grocery store.

I couldn't imagine a very limited entry tag. I've already got anxiety about a bull moose tag which I probably won't draw for another ten years.

Sent from my motorola one 5G UW ace using Tapatalk

 

[brimow]

Are you an avid elk hunter? Called a bunch before? Are you normally keyed in on shooting your bow/rifle/whatever weapon?

Reason I ask is in my job I talked to guys almost everyday this time of year or right when they draw tags asking for advice on our products. They mention it took them X amount of years to draw a premium tag and want to be prepared.
I don't tell them this but they should have been preparing for the last X amount of years they were getting points or applying.

I don't get worked up on stuff too easy. My advice is; you are as prepared as you are going to be. Looking over everything 100xs between now and then is going to do no good. Just have the date you leave marked on the calendar and when it comes up leave and just hunt. I would be less nervous about a good tag in a high opportunity area then a general tag in a high pressure area IMO.

Thanks for your comments.


I think this is what is bothering me so much about feeling this way right now. I am generally a very laid back and patient person. I have hunted elk for 20 years in Colorado. It took me 7 years to kill a bull (got a couple cows before this) but I learned a lot in those years to become very consistent the past 13 seasons. I have called elk in both solo and for others. I am no @ElkNut but do a decent job. I have hunted OTC for the past 10 years but felt little stress because expectations are low and I know the units very well now.

I am hunting this tag solo but I have also hunted that way several seasons. Already have a couple guys from here that I have contact info that will be hunting same time in case something comes up.

 

[Broomd]

Don't want this to come off wrong, but take a moment and think about those who are dealing with real world problems and remember the important things in life.

You've drawn a good tag and we're all pulling for you to do well, but keep it in perspective. Sometimes the best times come from letting it all go--you said it best, let it 'melt away.'
Enjoy the ride.

 

[long hunter]

Kick back a bit and enjoy the fact that you are going hunting, once there give it all you got, your only half way until the point where your animal is on the ground. I always go into a hunt with high expectations and also with the knowledge that I may not score thats just the way hunting goes. Good luck.

 

[brimow]

Don't want this to come off wrong, but take a moment and think about those who are dealing with real world problems and remember the important things in life.

You've draw a good tag and we're all pulling for you for do well, but keep it in perspective. Sometimes the best times come from letting it all go--you said it best, let it 'melt away.'
Enjoy the ride.

Believe me I get that I am whining about something that is incredible. Just wondering if anyone else gets that way.

I get the real world problems and I also need to consider all the folks that dream of even hunting elk but don't get the opportunity at all!

Thanks for putting it out there. Perspective is key.

 

[street]

Trust in your previous experience and do your work.

First day you'll probably feel like the hunt sucks(been there many times myself). Expect that to happen, in case it does.

 

[Jimmy]

I get similar feelings just for regular hunting tags sometimes. I just try to let go of the things I cannot control and try my best with what I can control. And what happens happens.

Best of luck to you, hope you have a fun hunt!

 

[5MilesBack]

I am generally a very laid back and patient person.

I'm only laid back with stuff I know, that I can control, and I'm good at. So I would never get worked up about an elk hunt. Bottom line is......you get to enjoy elk country in September in CO........it doesn't get any better than that IMO. AND you have an elk tag in a great unit......relax......go have a blast. I get more worked up on whether someone is going to be in my camping spot when I get up there than the hunt itself. Of course that could ruin an entire elk hunt for me........I have my quirks, and some of them remind me of Monk. Unfortunately, those are some of the things I can't control. They are what they are.