Hi and welcome to DEER IQ - where smart hunting begins. I’m Adam Lewis - 20+ year educator, 30+ year deer hunter, untastefully seasoned outdoor writer, and I’m here to help you achieve what we all hope for - to be a truly great deer hunter. We are our foundational series, part 1 of an essential look at the Top Barriers hunters face to becoming a greater hunter and having more success on whitetail deer. These are things a hunter has to break through in order to up their game - what are they and how many of them do you struggle with? Stay tuned, we’re going to find out. As we start I want to challenge you to do a couple things: first, download our free journal to use with this podcast - that’s really going to help. Second, as you use that, here are the TOP “look fors” or things to look for during this episode:
And I have a few takeaways and challenges at the end that I believe will truly take your hunting skills up several notches, so make sure to stay and listen for that. And now, let’s get to the podcast, and UP your DEER IQ.
Being great at something is the life goal of many. Whether it be in a career field, in a relationship like being a great parent, in a sport, or whatever it may be, the desire to be the best is inherent in most people. But when it comes to deer hunting, sometimes this is different. Some would claim they just want to spend a day in the woods, have some success, and then be onto whatever is next on their agenda. But if we can be really honest, When it comes to deer hunting, most do want to at least see greater results when we are in the field, and most likely being better at this thing called hunting will help us accomplish this. So then, just what is a great deer hunter, and how does one become greater? This question is what we are going to explore this year on the Deer IQ podcast. We’re going to dive deep, extract years of wisdom from top experts, and challenge you to grow in many ways, maybe some you didn’t even expect. So, I invite you to join me on this journey, this quest to find out what it means, and what it takes to be a greater deer hunter.
First, I won’t claim to be an expert on this subject, but it’s important to define “great” in regard to whitetail deer hunting so we’re on the same page. Webster says it's “of remarkable skill and effectiveness,” but I’d like to define it specific to deer hunting as having a consistently high success rate on mature deer that’s better than most, and better than you used to be. Being great is not an easy task, therefore, and there’s a reason - it isn’t. Deer, especially mature deer, are very adept at survival. Most of us will probably never get to the ranks of the top few as far as whitetail hunting goes, and that’s ok, but its not because it’s impossible. The reason is because we have a hard ceiling we keep smacking our heads against, and it’s keeping us from rising to a higher level. So, on this first podcast of 2023/2024, we’re going to look at six big nasty barriers I feel are keeping hunters from improving. I’m sure some will have ideas of their own beyond these six, and I invite you to comment and share yours wherever you're watching this, but identifying and busting these are key for us to be able to move forward into the rest of the podcasts and prepare us to answer our question.
What are these planks in the ceiling, or limiting factors that keep us from being a greater deer hunter? In part one of this two-part podcast, I will identify four of these head-thumpers, and in part two I will look at two more as well as some roof-busting solutions. These are limiters I’ve identified in both myself, and in other hunters over the years. Some are mental, some physical, and all may seem rock-solid impossible to break at times. But trust me, all can be chipped away at and possibly busted through. But there’s a warning - some of these are hard to hear and require us to be honest with ourselves and do some gut-level self reflection, but that’s what it takes to bust through these barriers, learn, and grow. Are you ready? So, we’ll start with probably the hardest one to deal with, but a monster that has to be tackled first.
Ceiling Factors:
Plank #1 - Ego. I believe one of the worst things that can happen to someone is being too successful too early on in their hunting experience, especially when they don’t fully comprehend what it was that brought them success. Psychology this causes us to naturally think we are the reason for success, and that just by showing up or practicing a tactic that worked one time (which may or may not be the reason for it), that success will magically happen again. This can quickly digress over years, and turn someone into a “know it all.” And we all probably know a few of them. The problem is, when someone thinks they know it all, they are unable to grow any more, and by definition are stuck. They’ve set their own ceiling out of unwillingness to consider that maybe there’s more to learn. Another way ego gets in the way is through self -protection of things like embarrassment. We tend to shield ourselves from ridicule, or the potential of that, and by admitting maybe we aren’t the expert we’ve projected, we admit weakness, We don’t want our buddies to think we’re not as good a hunter as them, right? Fear of failure, or not knowing it all ironically keeps us from knowing any more - stuck once again due to ego. Here’s a test to take to see if you are suffering from this limiter - and yes we probably all are to some level so you’re not alone. 1. If you consistently find yourself using the same hunting tactics (even if not successful) or hunting the exact same stands, 2. aren’t totally sure why you do what you do but won’t listen or try new approaches 3. find yourself blaming outside factors for failures instead of introspection and owning the blame 4., or aren’t trying to learn new things from other hunters or find yourself pedestalizing just one particular “expert.” If you said yes to any of these, then you may be your own worst enemy. Ego has got to go to have a chance to become a greater deer hunter.
Plank #2 - Physical Shape. It’s amazing to me how big a limiter this one is, but how it's overlooked so much. Myself living in Michigan I don’t have to be in “mountain shape” to deer hunt. Flat landscape doesn’t do a good job revealing your shape, but regardless of where you live, physical shape is still a major factor holding many down. Agility, endurance, and strength play huge roles in what you can accomplish in this pursuit, but it is the first thing your ego will fib to you about. I’ve noticed as humans we have a tendency to get mentally lazy and give ourselves a pass, especially when we can look around and justify this by saying “at least I’m better than them…” But this isn’t helpful.
Here are some things to think about to see if you’re physical shape is limiting you as a deer hunter. 1. Do you have the endurance to go any place you want to hunt (that swamp two miles back where you have to work your tail off and backpack a stand and a bunch of gear), or do you shy away from some places or doing some “harder” things? 2. Can you hang a stand with confidence you could hold your own bodyweight if necessary if something went wrong? Personally, if I can’t easily pull up and hold my entire body weight, and do this for extended periods, I wonder if I should be twenty feet up a tree. I’m not saying you shouldn’t wear a safety harness, but strength is a safety as well as a limiting hunting factor for many. 3. Are you agile in a hunting setting - meaning you’re light of foot, and have the easy ability to nimbly navigate difficult terrain (things like brush, sticks, stumps, and uneven footing) and can you athletically manipulate your body in a variety of awkward positions? Agility definitely determines your stealth when in a whitetail’s domain. When one false move like a broken branch or little stumble could tip off that big buck to your presence, the days you skipped the gym or scarfed down that extra glazed donut definitely come into play. The deer just don’t care about your excuses, in fact, they are counting on them. So agility, endurance, and strength - or Physical shape is a huge board in the ceiling of limitations to becoming a greater deer hunter.
Plank #3 - Lack of Plans. The older I get, the more I realize that most of success comes well before the moment of truth. You can’t plan for every scenario, but you can plan for most and be prepared to adjust for the rest. I firmly believe that most fails that we see during hunting actually happened months prior - when we didn’t prepare or plan well. We just see the fruits of this when we are in the field. For example, if you sneak in to hang a stand and make a bunch of noise - ruining your first hunt of the year, this fail actually happened when you didn’t exercise during the summer, practice your stand hanging routine, and because you didn’t meticulously soundproof your gear well before that moment.
Here’s a couple questions to think about - Do you know your hunting properties forwards and backwards and how you will hunt them well before the season even begins? Do you know when you will hunt certain places on those properties as far as time of season, the type of conditions, the direction of wind, and how you will enter and exit those locations in those conditions? Do you have backup plans for when your plans just doesn’t work out, or some unforeseen variable (like another hunter) throws a monkey wrench into things? Is all your gear adequately tested and prepared so you can quickly and easily use every component of it with confidence under hunting conditions? These things all take planning well in advance of the first day of season, and can really make or break us when it truly counts.
Here’s a simple test to reflect on to see if you need to focus on improving your plans. If you 1. find yourself flying by the seat of your pants more often than not, 2. Are stressed about what you’re going to do next or are confused about what move you should make, or 3. Are lacking general confidence in your hunting setup or fumble around when in a hunting situation and aren’t “automatic”, then maybe these are signs to spend more time in preparation. Most of us wouldn’t think of showing up for our dream job interview not knowing about the company, not being able to communicate our strengths and qualifications, and wearing wrinkled clothes, but how many times have we shown up for the hunt in this unprepared manner and somehow expected greatness? Hiring firms are designed to weed people like that out, and so are mature deer. Lack of plans or preparedness can really put us in the ditch well before we’ve even started our journey to becoming a greater hunter.
Plank #4 - Lack of Systems. The great thing about having a system is that once you have it in place, it goes to work for you. It’s a mechanism that streamlines and helps eliminate chaos. It produces consistent results with much less work involved once it is set up. Systems take less thinking once established, and in effect automates success. All good businesses are run this way, and failing ones many times aren’t. So if GM needs a smooth and efficient assembly line to get high quality cars on the road, why wouldn’t we use similar strategies to be greater in our task of outwitting a wild animal? One thing I’ve noticed with hunters I consider to be a cut above the rest is that they have their own systems and meticulously stick to them.
I’ve also noticed that the more I get hunting systems in place, and the better they are, the more success comes easily to me. I see more deer more often, and get more chances at good bucks. So why don’t we all utilize systems more? My guess is because they are work-heavy on the front end, maybe we don’t realize we need them, or maybe we lie to ourselves saying we don’t need them at all due to lazyness. I can say pretty surely though, if you don’t have good systems setup for your hunting, then this is holding you back from being a greater hunter. So what exactly am I talking about here? Here are a few examples without going into great detail: a scent-control system, sound-control system, data collection system, data analysis system, hunt-decision system (or a way to scientifically decide exactly when and where to hunt), stand-prep system, shot-prep system, and gear systems just to name a few. You probably have a few of these in place or at least started, but the better these are, the more refined, the more they can help eliminate fatal errors and bust through this sturdy plank in your ceiling.
OUTRO: So as we wrap up, here are some KEY High IQ Takeaways and challenges.
First, analyze if you struggle with any of these barriers and write down a couple that you do. Second, journal as to WHY you think you struggle in this area - that may take some time but is well worth figuring out. And third, I invite you to take the Deer IQ test - an easy and fun quiz we have on our website to help see what you know, and just have some fun at the same time - it will also sign you up for our email list and newsletter so you don’t miss any new Deer IQ content. Next time we’ll dig into a handy chart I call the Deer Hunter Growth Continuum - sounds fancy, but knowing where you are on this is a huge help to any deer hunter wanting to take their game up a few notches, so you won’t want to miss it, I’ll see you then!