Through my years of hunting all across the country, I have had been blessed to have hunted with some find woodsmen. Men who hunt on a totally different level than other hunters; those that see the woods differently, that understand the game differently, those that are far more successful than the rest of us.
Granted some have access to better land, or better land management than others, but these men and women have the ability to be successful regardless of where you put them. For them failure isn’t an option when they enter the woods, swamps, or fields. After spending a good deal of time picking their brains around campfires, and tailgates over the years, I have come to realize that these men are different. They are not mere hunters, they are predators in the truest sense of the word. They view the woods and their quarry through the eyes of a predator.
Predators are dependent upon success for survival. A coyote that is not successful for very long will starve. An owl that cannot catch a mouse is quickly meeting his demise. A bobcat that alerts his quarry to his presence will soon be feeding on carrion only. Human hunters who adapt the mentality of a predator are the most successful.
It’s become too easy to plant good food plots and sit in tower-stands and wait for a buck or gobbler to present themselves. While this is a successful method, it doesn’t take the same skill set that others possess.
Most hunters I know that are passionate about their sport are always trying to get better. We want to continue to learn and learn more and more about our quarry, our terrain, our methods. We want to put the odds in our favor as much as possible. Nothing drives us more than not being successful.
I know personally several deer hunters who harvest trophy deer every year on public ground across South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia and beyond. They adapt, they change course, they learn quickly what the animals are doing, and they make it happen. One such hunter kills giant bucks every year all from the ground, and all on public ground. Another hasn’t hunted with a gun in over thirty years, preferring archery gear, and kills many, many big bucks every year.
When asked what he does differently, he says, “the biggest mistake people make is letting the deer know they are there. To kill a big buck, he cannot have any idea you are in the world, much less in his bedroom.” A lot goes into this, watch a bobcat walk through the woods, he doesn’t get in a hurry, he is silent, quiet, slow, and methodical. Recently, my son and I were in a deer stand when we caught movement, it was a bobcat at ten yards walking through a thick layer of fallen leaves. We never heard a sound as he walked right by us and wandered off into the forest. “That is how you move through the woods” I told my son.
Patience is at a different level for predators. Granted often we have a limited amount of time to hunt due to other busy schedules, but hunting quick and hunting well are not mutually exclusive. Making the most from our hunts will help to ensure more success.
If we want to become better hunters in general, we need to take the mindset of the predators. When we enter the woods, we need to have the mind, eye and ears of predators if we want to up our game and be more successful.
