By Alex Comstock
As a hardcore bowhunter, deer season truly never ends. We’re doing something deer related every month of year. But during the actual time of year when we can shoot deer, everything gets intensified. For months during the fall, we spend hours upon hours in a treestand or blind, and when we’re not in the field, odds are we’re looking at the weather, maps, etc. It’s non-stop and can sometimes end up being a mental grind, especially when we get to this time of year. Here are three reasons deer season can end up being a mental grind and what you can do when the grind hits you.
1. A Lot of Early Mornings and Late Nights
No matter how much you love something, consistently waking up early throughout the deer season no doubt can have an affect on you. Sleeping in is more or less nonexistent during the fall. If I’m not waking up to go hunting, it’s because I’m going to work and vice versa. If you aren’t waking up in the wee hours, odds are you’re probably headed to the stand after work, and aren’t getting home until late in the evening.
This notion of getting up early and getting home late throughout the fall can easily contribute to a mental grind. As bowhunters though, don’t let it go too far. If you’re feeling mentally worn out, take a week off hunting, especially this time of year. Trust me, it will go a long ways taking a break from the timber and you’ll feel much more refreshed.
2. We Want Success So Bad
One of the biggest downfalls of bowhunters, more specifically mature buck hunters is that desire to fill a tag so bad. If you get to the end of November and into December and haven’t filled your tag, that pressure you put on yourself might start to mount. In many cases, we want to taste success so bad that it’s easy to get down on yourself if you haven’t got your buck yet. This I believe is one of our biggest detriments as hardcore deer hunters. If you haven’t filled a tag yet this year, don’t let the taste of success end up running you. I think some of the best deer hunters out there aren’t afraid of not filling their tag, and don’t get too down on themselves if they don’t shoot a buck in a given year.
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3. It Challenges Your Life Outside of Hunting
Everyone in my family knows when it comes to hunting season, i can be difficult to get a hold of or to get me to commit to anything for even an evening. Though fort most of us, deer hunting is our number one passion in life, during the actual season, the intensity goes through the roof, and it’s a focus of life now more than ever. This is another big reason that contributes to deer season becoming a mental grind.
The question then becomes, how do you counter this? It’s more or less the same solution as point number one. Take a week off of hunting and spend time with your family or significant other. It might be just as refreshing for you as it is for them.
Conclusion
There’s a decent chance that if you’ve gotten to this point, you might be wondering what the point of this blog post was. My hope is that if you’ve been feeling like deer season has turned into an absolute grind, that trust me, you’re not the only one. As a bowhunter that hunts from September/October to December/January, at some point you are going to feel mentally worn out. If you want to ultimately be successful (doesn’t mean you have to fill a tag), you’ll have to figure out how to refresh yourself and stay positive. It can make quite the difference.
