What do you think about? Be honest! You know even in your best spots, sometimes when nothing is moving, your mind tends to wander while sitting on a stand. What do you do to help stay focused, to keep still and quiet, to stay awake?
While I have much more confidence in my stands than I did when I was just starting out hunting on my own (as opposed to being put on a stand by my father, uncle, or someone else) there are still hunts when I see no deer. I hunt a lot of public lands and State Wildlife Management Areas in La.
I sometimes try to play mindgames with myself to convince myself that it really isn't THAT cold. Or try to make up silly songs or quotes (like the one at the end of my post). I even pray sometimes, not that I kill something, because I just don't think that would be right; just kind of being appreciative of being able to be out there seeing the beauty of nature, the animals, the sunrises and sunsets, you know what I'm talking about. As I get older, killing is not as important as it used to be when I was a young hunter. Now I just try to enjoy and keep improving my skills, and teaching my son. I hope he will appreciate the hunting experience as I do. For me, just knowing that I am hunting in a good spot, because I did my homework and scouting, helps me stay in the stand those long hours. And even if I don't see anything one (or more) day(s), I know its just a matter of time.
While I have much more confidence in my stands than I did when I was just starting out hunting on my own (as opposed to being put on a stand by my father, uncle, or someone else) there are still hunts when I see no deer. I hunt a lot of public lands and State Wildlife Management Areas in La.
I sometimes try to play mindgames with myself to convince myself that it really isn't THAT cold. Or try to make up silly songs or quotes (like the one at the end of my post). I even pray sometimes, not that I kill something, because I just don't think that would be right; just kind of being appreciative of being able to be out there seeing the beauty of nature, the animals, the sunrises and sunsets, you know what I'm talking about. As I get older, killing is not as important as it used to be when I was a young hunter. Now I just try to enjoy and keep improving my skills, and teaching my son. I hope he will appreciate the hunting experience as I do. For me, just knowing that I am hunting in a good spot, because I did my homework and scouting, helps me stay in the stand those long hours. And even if I don't see anything one (or more) day(s), I know its just a matter of time.