“Unpredictability is one of the main reasons I’m drawn to hunting.”

While I do understand this, it seems to be a statement hunters (myself included) make when everything is going well. When things get difficult, our attitude often shifts to frustration. This is further confirmed by the numerous “nightmare” hunting stories others have shared with me over the years. The problem with this idea is that sometimes the lines concerning “unpredictability” end up a bit blurred. To engage this idea further, we need to create a divide and clearly establish guidelines.

What’s the goal?

If we don’t start here, everything that follows will be tainted. Let’s cut to the chase (no pun intended). We carry a tag in our pocket and a weapon in our hand because we are attempting to take an animal from the landscape. We desire to bring meat, hide and head home with us in order to cook great food and tell equally great stories. Now, before you jump on my back, I do understand that there is more to hunting than killing an animal. It’s important that we recognize the complete experience hunting has to offer. However, I would also point out that if you want to encounter animals in the backcountry, camp under the stars, and drink water from streams and lakes, you can do all of those things without buying a hunting license.

The reason we define the goal is so that we know what success looks like. Unfortunately, there is a vast social media wasteland out there providing confirmation to those who aren’t getting results in the meat department. There are various reasons that this is the case but those are for another time. Even worse, they seem to be the ones pushing “the products you need to be successful on your next hunt…” Here’s a quick confession from a massive gear nerd (me). The taking of animals has a lot more to do with procedures than products.

This brings us to the fact that there is a large spectrum of hunters. You might be right at the beginning of your journey or maybe you are a seasoned traveller on the success train and your garage looks like the inside of a commercial butcher shop. Either way, hunting offers a school of endless learning opportunities to all of its students. That education system is found afield, not on Instagram. Here’s another quick tip from an outdoorsman desiring to progress in his abilities (also me). The taking of animals has a lot more to do with mentorship than #moosemonday. Ok, ok… Social media has its place. We just have to make sure it stays there.

Unpredict.

Let’s first grapple with the things that are difficult to predict. To be clear, these are the things you can’t control no matter how much you would like to. There are too many to be listed here so we will mention a couple mainstays.

Let’s start with the most obvious one. The animal. At times patterns, movements and habits definitely apply but at the end of the day, animals will be animals. Is there hope? Yes! It seems that the more time you spend in contact with the animals you are pursuing, the better you get at “getting close.” There are a few things to be eternally considered. Wind direction as well as hunter movement and noise control are vital aspects. Still at times you can put on a stalking clinic just to watch your quarry move out of sight or out of range. I can’t even recall all the times I’ve had “the perfect stand placement” only to enjoy an evening of bird and squirrel watching.

The second one carries with it a folklore so deep that the very mention of it stirs anxiety. Weather. Issues with rain, snow, ice, heat, cold, fog and wind plague the memories of many an outdoor enthusiast. Of all the unpredictables, this one is responsible for most of my hunting helplessness. It takes some time reflecting on reality and putting things in perspective to truly be at peace within some of these difficult situations. In other words there is a long journey towards enjoying the truly unpredictable.

Here’s an example…

Last year Cody and I travelled out to South Dakota for an archery mule deer hunt with our weather apps showing nothing but promise. Our first evening of glassing was all we expected it to be, but as light faded so did our spirits… Snow with dropping temperatures set in, followed by fog and wind. This is a deadly combination for the spot and stalk hunter. We gave it our all but our efforts were fruitless. We had planned and prepared extensively, only to have the elements cripple all five days of our hunt. As we drove home without meat in our coolers, we jokingly handed each other participation trophies. This is a good time to mention that we had a blast out there, while at the same time recognizing that we didn’t secure our goal. The landscape was breathtakingly gorgeous, the deer we did see caught our most respected attention, and our friendship bonded in struggle.

Ability.

Excuses… We all make them and at times they are even justified. In this section however, we are outlining the things we as hunters have control of. A dangerous pitfall is to chalk up our lack of experience, practice and dedication to “unpredictability.” I tend to ask myself these types of questions often: Were there really no deer out there, or do I still suck at glassing? Was it really that cold or did I give in too early? Did the deer move or did I just make a bad shot? If I missed, did my arrow really hit a limb or did I not spend enough time practicing? If we are not careful this is where the “unpredictability” lines begins to get blurry. The decisions we make are our own and we always have command of them. We have the challenge of tightening up many important aspects before traveling into uncertain environments and honesty is the best policy. I’m constantly telling this guy I know (once again, me…) to always be honest with himself.

It’s the off season, so get to work! Control what you can to the fullest because soon it will be time to once again match your wits against the unpredictable!

-Brian