Mental Stability in the Field.

[Oldbuff]

I have trouble sitting, so it's mostly the same story for me.

 

[eightyeight mag]

Give me a wall tent, wood stove, and a week or two up in the mountains and I’m reset for the year.
30 plus seasons of elk hunting and it never gets old to me. As I’ve got older and wiser I just enjoy the process. Taking a walk with a rifle. Pay attention to wind and my surroundings and just take it all in. Some years I get them some years not.
If you told me today that I would not get an elk the next 30 seasons I would still go.
I see to many guys not actually enjoying themselves cause they are so stressed about getting something. They are out at the ass crack of dawn with their headlamps and Sitka gear heading out to their spot. Meanwhile back at camp enjoying coffee and warmth of stove. Head out when you can actually see something. Put a good hunt on. Then back to camp. Rinse and repeat. That’s what works for me.
The field is my mental stability.

 

[Z Barebow]

There are literally a 1000 excuses out there to quit. But you only need to find one of them. Do not EVER accept any excuse. (Bone sticking out is a reason, not an excuse)

I use to do a lot of long distance running. (Marathon and longer) The training was grueling and most of it it was in the dead of winter for spring events. If I found an excuse to miss one day of running, I could find additional excuses. I ALWAYS logged my training miles. That mindset has carried over into my hunting approach.

When I hurt, I think about the POW's in Vietnam. I can put up with some suffering for a few hours/days. (And it is my freedom of choice) They suffered for weeks/months/years under far worse conditions than I am putting myself through. Rub some dirt on it and keep plugging away.

 

[100percent]

I think of the likes of Ernest Shackleton and Ejnar Mikkelsen and many others during the age of discovery, surviving and enduring hardship for multiple hundreds of days in total isolation with no communication.

Then whatever I'm doing seems easy again.

That’s a damn good perspective!
“For scientific leadership give me Scott; for swift and efficient travel, Amundsen; but when you are in a hopeless situation, when there seems no way out, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.”

 

[MallardSX2]

Bunch of weirdos talking about their feelings and shit on this site lately.

Get a grip people.

 

[Titan_Bow]

I think everyone is different. For me, I absolutely love isolation, and a week or two in the high country all by myself literally invigorates my soul. As far as the fortitude to keep going aspect, again for me, I think it comes down to a couple of things. One, is how passionate you are for hunting/nature/wild places. If its a casual thing or even if deep down you find you would rather be golfing or fishing or playing video games, then its going to definitely be harder to push yourself when things get hard. The second thing is preparing yourself throughout the year to be "Comfortable being Uncomfortable". This is a huge part of my ability to weather hard times in the backcountry. Even if you live in suburbia, or on the east coast, look outside. Temps below freezing? Its raining cats and dogs? Its snowing hard? Grab your backpack and go for a ruck. Throw your running shoes on and go for a run. Intentionally put yourself in uncomfortable situations throughout the year to build that muscle memory. Then, when that high country storm blows in and the temps drop 40 degrees in an hour, its not going to be such a shock to your system. Again, everyone is different and what motivates me doesn't necessarily motivate the next guy.

 

[Dos Perros]

As an archery hunter, the weather conditions can bum me out. Wind that changes every 2 seconds, blows up down left right, might as well stay home.

Also when it's damn hot and the elk aren't talking and aren't coming out in the daylight.

Aside from those two scenarios "it only takes one" goes through my head a lot.

 

[TaperPin]

As a young guy trying to figure out elk and deer, mostly on my own out of stubbornness, I had a blind spot looking at a small area out of context with the bigger picture. Learning to scan an area for signs of life before narrowing down where to actually hunt is a valuable skill. Just because a ridge looks good, doesn’t mean it is - if a slightly higher ridge has all the older deer it’s just a waste of time hunting lower. Elk hunting a small drainage with little sign is a waste compared to nearby drainages that are very similar, but might be slightly cooler, or have slightly better feed, or has less foot traffic.

The same is true of guys learning fly fishing - it’s a hard habit to break repeatedly casting to “fishy looking” spots near access points, essentially with no fish.

 

[rodrydavis]

As I approach the age of 65 in less than two months I think about how I let a lot of things stop me from hunting more. Now age is my excuse. To most folks I have and continue to hunt a lot. To me it’s never enough. My advice is to get out there as much as you can while you are young enough to do it. Happy hunting!