The unseasonably warm start to the 2013 Ohio archery deer season made it difficult for me to get motivated, and it didn’t help that I had lost my mental focus. After making more than enough excuses for why I shouldn’t be hunting so far that season, I finally caught a break. Over two days, temperatures were going to change from daytime highs in the 70s to the 30s. I would also have the perfect wind for a stand location I had been daydreaming about getting into. I’d battled heat and mosquitoes to start the season, and this was the change I’d been waiting for.
Hunting seems best when I can see my breath and feel the cold autumn air on my face, much the same way a hotdog always seems to taste better at a baseball game. Yet, despite the forecast and this being the last week of October, I hit the snooze button several times. I found myself racing to the property and hurrying on foot through the woods while it was already light enough to shoot. In the stand, I was sweating and my heart rate was elevated, and I had no time to check my surroundings and get fully prepared for the hunt.
My pulse was still high when I glanced behind me and saw an adult doe coming in along the exact trail I was anticipating. She didn’t wind me, but she was in a hurry. Seconds later, I learned why. Looking slowly over my left shoulder I could see a very wide-racked, mature buck with a drop tine following the doe. I had never seen this buck before, but anyone with experience hunting the Buckeye State knows the buck of a lifetime can show up any time out of thin air. I grabbed my bow and turned to my right to face my shooting lane. The buck was headed right for it, and I was ready. Or, so I thought.
As soon as he stepped into the opening, he stopped. I was shocked that he gave me this grand opportunity. My heart was pounding in my chest. I was already at full draw, but as I tried to aim, the top limb of my bow bumped against a tree branch. In a panic, I tried to gently dip below it. When I did, I bumped the trigger on my release. My arrow hit the dirt, and the bewildered buck flicked his tail and sauntered off in pursuit of the doe. As quickly as he came into my life, he was out of it.
I stood motionless for a long time, overwhelmed with disbelief. When I snapped out of it, I thought through as many excuses as I could before eventually allowing myself to accept reality. I blew a golden opportunity because I let myself get into poor physical condition, which also negatively impacted my mental condition, and that was the root cause of my failure.
The real reason I hadn’t hunted much early in the season was I didn’t have the drive or energy to do so. Approaching age 40, I was about 40 pounds overweight. I was eating unhealthy and staying up late at night. When I had arrived at my stand that morning after shooting light, I was overheated and hurrying to get ready. I didn’t notice the limb I should have trimmed. When my shot opportunity came, my heart felt like it was pounding out of my chest. It was a recipe for disaster, and that’s exactly what I cooked up.
A New Focus on Health for Hunting
That failed hunt led me to accept some harsh realities. It doesn’t matter what type of athlete you were, or what shape you were in as a young adult, most of us reach an age where we have to start taking our health more seriously. I learned this lesson the hard way. After that hunt in 2013, I vowed I would never be so unprepared again and immediately started doing something about it.
First, I took steps to get my diet under control. I didn’t make a 180-degree turnaround overnight, which is a recipe for failure. Instead, I started by cutting out extra snacks and simply being more cognizant of what I was eating. My simple goal was to consume fewer calories than I burned each day. That eventually became a lifestyle change, and the more improvement I saw, the more committed I became.
Running was my initial choice for cardio fitness and to assist with weight loss. At first, I was unable to run a mile without stopping. I was embarrassed and angry with myself at the same time. I was so angry that I often ran twice per day almost as if I was punishing myself for past sins. Like my diet changes, though, when I started to see progress, I was even more driven, and I came to enjoy running and how it made me feel. Eventually I added weightlifting and full body workouts to my fitness routine, and in just a few months I totally transformed myself.
While that was more than 10 years ago, I’ve largely been able to maintain my health and fitness level. Admittedly I’ve had minor fluctuations, but I’ve also had steady gains. I went from a 38- to 32-inch waist. I lost more than 50 pounds and could walk out my door today and run 10 miles if I wanted to. Overall, I have more physical strength and endurance in my early 50s than I had in my late 30s, and it all started with failure in the deer woods.
I’ve also integrated mental fitness exercises into my routine that have made a positive impact. The research is clear and it’s easy to find with a simple web investigation. There is a direct link between physical fitness and one’s ability to carry out tasks successfully and sustainably. The impact of physical fitness on mental health is also well documented. Not only does regular activity help you perform better, it also lessens the likelihood of later struggle with depression, stress, and anxiety among other mental health challenges.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is another critical component to your ability to perform your best, and good physical and mental health are important to getting enough quality sleep.
I earned a master’s degree in psychology with an emphasis on sports psychology. I work with athletes as my schedule allows. In many cases, poor or underachieving performance can be improved simply by changing a lifestyle routine or bad habit. Just getting the proper amount of sleep can have a profound impact on performance, and the same can be true of modest diet and exercise changes.
Gain Mental Focus
Basic mental health exercises are also beneficial when preparing for a hunt and even regulating your heart rate when an opportunity presents itself. Visualization and meditation are two techniques I’ve seen have dramatic impacts on athletes. There is no shortage of free meditation exercises on YouTube, like this video Meditation for Athletes from MindStrong Sport.
There are also plenty of resources for learning visualization practices that will help you play out likely scenarios in your mind countless times so you can be more prepared when faced with them in real life. I like this clip from Mastery Blueprint that talks about the benefits of visualization based on science. These activities, along with controlled breathing techniques, can combine to positively impact performance, especially for outdoors athletes like deer hunters.
Calm Buck Fever With This Exercise
Here’s a quick breathing exercise that can help you control excitement, or what we hunters often refer to as “buck fever.” Close your eyes and breathe in through your nose for a four count, then exhale through your mouth for an eight count. Doing this at least two or three times will help you to become present in the moment while also lowering your heart rate. If you do this for a couple of minutes, you’ll likely begin to yawn and fall into an extremely relaxed state. I’ve found it to be a great way to start a hunt or quickly gain my focus when I sense a shot opportunity is imminent. Practice this at home and then take it to the woods with you or use it in any situation that may cause anxiety.
The link between physical and mental fitness and improved hunting performance are often overlooked but cannot be underestimated. While making important lifestyle changes hasn’t made me a perfect deer hunter, and I still have my share of missed opportunities, there’s no question I’ve benefitted greatly while also realizing the added rewards of being able to hunt longer and more comfortably with better focus.
I’m hopeful my story of a failed hunt and how I turned it into a positive for my hunting career and life in general will inspire you to take those things more seriously if you don’t already. If I can help you avoid what I had to learn the hard way, mission accomplished.