Defining Success in the Deer Woods

Defining Success in the Deer Woods

By Noel Gandy

In an attempt to do better at this thing called life I recently read an article at www.lifehack.org entitled “30 Tell-Tale Signs You’re Going To Be Highly Successful.” The article begins with the statement, “All successful people have a set of characteristics and threads that enable them to succeed.” As I read through the thirty characteristics the deer hunter came out in me. Therefore, my mind immediately turned to the folks who I look up to in the hunting community. I realized that just about every one of the people who I admire for their hunting savvy have some traits in common that allow them to succeed at their craft! May we all attempt to follow in the footsteps of the greats!

Before we can have a discussion on “success” we need a working definition as it relates to hunting whitetail deer. For some, trophy deer of a certain age and antler caliber is why they hunt. For others, the harvest of a first buck no matter the size would mean success. Even more so, some consider filling a freezer to feed their family for the year to be how they qualify their success afield. As is beauty, success is in the eye of the beholder. Never allow anyone to degrade your definition. My life motto when it comes to deer hunting is this: “if it makes your heart go pitter patter then pull the trigger.” For the sake of this article, however, we will consider killing a mature buck on a yearly basis successful.
As it relates to the aforementioned article, we will attempt to relay some tell-tale signs that you’re going to be a highly successful deer hunter. While not all thirty are relatable, there are still some points that can be made.
Here are some signs that you can be a successful outdoorsman and specifically a successful deer hunter:

1. Passionate About the Pursuit – There are plenty of folks who enjoy hunting. It is not uncommon at all to have a conversation with someone who is friendly to hunting and may even participate occasionally. These folks can certainly have success in the deer woods but it is usually not very often. Most of the time they are ok with that. As long as there is fellowship, comradery, and the occasional back strap to share then the grand majority of hunters are content.

The same is not true for the hunter who is consistently successful at knocking down mature bucks. Most of the men and women who I know that are wildly consistent at harvesting mature whitetails are nuts about deer. They are the folks who want to talk about planting food plots while they are at the Fourth of July Bar-B-Que. These folks will kindly decline a wedding invitation in October. Vacation time for the passionate hunter revolves around the first few weeks in November and not so much in June.

Braden Thompson states, “I like to use the word passion interchangeably with words like determination, conviction, and love. Passion is a strong desire that can get you to do amazing things. Passion is an emotion to be acted upon. Without action, passion yields no worthwhile results. Passion is the fuel in the fire of action. When you have passion for something, you love it even when you hate it.”

I have found that, especially in the trophy buck rich state of Iowa, big deer CAN be taken with minimal prep or scouting. However, those who get it done year after year do not do so on accident. Shooting a bow in 100 degree heat does not appeal to everyone but the passionate are usually out there slinging arrows. Deer season for the consistently successful is 12 months long and is a passion that is acted upon.

2. You Can Adapt – There has been a lot of ink spilled (some even by me for this magazine) with tips and strategies for setting up a farm for hunting, hanging killer tree stands, and placing trail cameras. Many deer hunters will read these pages and act upon some of that advice along with information that they’ve experienced in their own hunting careers. A consistently successful whitetail hunter, however, will aim to do better by being willing to adapt to circumstances even if it means going outside of the box.

The wise hunter will understand that sometimes things aren’t as they appear or they change and you have to be willing to adapt to that change. Never hesitate to do more. Whether it be farm work, weather, human intrusion, or a litany of other obstacles a smart hunter will always be willing to work around what the elements surprise him with.

As you consider obstacles or insufficiencies during the hunting season understand that a consistently successful hunter will take obstacles as learning opportunities. Spend your time productively in the field instead of wasting it sitting around wondering what if.

I recently learned a great lesson from my friend Jeff Danker when it comes to adapting in the field. Jeff is a wildly successful big buck hunter and is the host of the popular television show Buckventures. He was discussing a hunt that he had on a buck in Kansas that was called “Northside.” The reason for his name was because he seemed to live on a small tract of land on the north side of a river all during the summer months. During the tail end of the rut, however, Jeff spotted the deer from his hottest tree stand on the south side of the river with a host of other deer. He was noticeably limping and seemed to be uninterested in the does in the area. As Danker lost sight of the deer he realized that he was heading in the direction of his old stomping grounds. Instead of staying near this “hot” stand where he had seen so much action, including several shooter bucks, he jumped down and went to a ground blind on a very small beanfield that was way away from the action. Jeff killed the buck that evening on the north side of the river after acting on a hunch that the buck was done rutting and was going back home. Had he not adapted and acted on instinct then the story would have ended differently.

3. Self-Motivated – Whether it be in the work place or in the deer woods the individual who is self-motivated to do a stellar job is often successful. No one has to tell you to get out and do better because you already aim to do better on you own. I feel that successful deer hunters love learning new things and make strides to take that information and put it into place. Often times, hunting can be like a game and those who are successful at the game are those who spend their time figuring out how to play.

The pure definition of someone who is self-motivated is, “motivated to do or achieve something because of one’s own enthusiasm or interest, without needing pressure from others.” This rolls back into passion. Someone who finds consistent success afield does it because they want to, nothing else.

Fred Bear once said, “Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person.”

Those who find great success have often immersed themselves into the lifestyle that is hunting and see things from a different perspective. Great solace can be found hanging twenty feet from a tree.

Finally, I have come to quickly realize that I’ve recognized some traits of my hunting heroes that I hope to see in myself:

They acknowledge their mistakes. It’s easy to make a mistake and try to cover it up. However, the wise and ardent deer hunter will take that mistake and turn it into an achievement. Understand that no one is perfect. Deer hunting, as is life, is not how you act but how you react.

I’ve also noticed that those whom I look up to seem to never give up. There have been many days afield when I’ve been tired, agitated, or bored and have just wanted to call it a day. That’s what makes me, an ok hunter, different from some of the greats. A never say never attitude is usually a characteristic of the consistent.

Finally, believe in yourself. Clearly, you’ve already taken steps to better yourself by reading others opinions on how to do things. Chances are you’ve learned things from your time afield, publications, and videos. Take that knowledge and apply it. The adage, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” could not be truer whether it be literal shots or figurative chances. Go for it!