How Whitetail Obsession Can Lead to Failure

I would dare to say that everyone of us has had one animal that controlled our thoughts way too much over the course of a year. It might be the giant ten-point that crossed the road in the headlights or maybe the long beard that you’ve hunted for two years, seeing him only once but hearing his distinct booming gobble every time you venture into his kingdom. We tell only our closest friends about such encounters. Friends who won't tell another soul about our prized find. We strategize every possible move, every piece of available information we can get our hands on to make us successful. The obsession begins.

Hunting Too Much

Yes, I said it. Hunting too much. More specifically, hunting the same animal too much can lead to failure. Several years ago while guiding in Wyoming, I had a close encounter with a giant whitetail buck. Truth be told, the giant typical should have been dead within 30 seconds of seeing him but my hunter, totally oblivious to what was standing broadside at 200 yards, never fired a shot. The buck had chased a doe right into the middle of the alfalfa field that we were watching. My heart was in my throat. I had never seen such a beast before and when he tore out of that field after realizing something wasn't right, my obsession began. During the day, I hunted him; at night, I devised plans to kill him. I was in and around the field he showed up in or the canyon I believed he lived in every day. Day in and day out this went on, for 19 days to be exact. I'm sure it would have gone on even longer if the season wouldn't have closed. To make a long story short, I never saw him again. I “wasted” three weeks of hunting with six different clients trying to kill something that wasn't there. Sure, they all went home with punched tags, but it could have been a much better experience if I hadn’t been so obsessed with killing that particular deer.

The above episode happened nearly 15 years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. I still have not seen a typical whitetail any bigger than he was. The outcome of the hunt wasn't what I was looking for, but the lessons learned were well worth it. I hunted him too much. I put all my eggs in one basket. Problem was that basket got dropped and all the eggs broke when that buck ran out of the field. He didn't live there. He was just chasing a doe through my area and I happened to be there when he did. In this case, I probably did no harm by hunting him everyday because I don't believe he ever came back. I wanted to kill that buck in the worst way. So much that I made myself believe things that weren't really true- like believing he was living in the canyon that bordered the alfalfa field. If he were living there, there's no doubt in my mind that I would've blown him out due to the pressure I was putting on his core area. Hunting harder is not hunting smarter. There's nothing wrong with hunting hard. You just have to pick your time and place to get aggressive. Otherwise, you may spend your season chasing a deer that isn't there.

Taking A Step Back

When we become obsessed with one animal, we often let our minds become clouded with dreams rather than with what reality is. If you’ve been hunting a particular buck and things aren't working out, take a step back and reevaluate what you’ve been doing. Instead of hunting him every evening, set up and glass if possible. Make sure you are far enough away not to pressure him. You may just find the piece of the puzzle that's been missing. If the area you hunt isn't prone to glassing, use trail cameras to locate him. Hang the cameras and let them sit for a week or two. Checking them every other day is only adding to the disturbance that may have led to the predicament you're already in. Hunt other deer or areas if at all possible. Taking a break from trying to kill “Mr. Perfect” is not a bad idea. I used to think and still sometimes do, that if I wasn't hunting every single day then I wasn't putting in my time. I figured the more time I spent hunting, the better the odds were of actually killing something. True, you can't kill ‘em sitting in camp but you sure can mess a lot of things up by being in the woods when conditions aren't right! Our obsession with hunting oftentimes overrides our common sense. Trust me. When the winds blowin’ out of the north and you’re expecting game to come from the south, it's not a good time to be in the woods. Feed your obsession with the Outdoor Channel on such days. It will pay off in the end.

He's Too Dang Smart

When we become infatuated with a certain animal, we sometimes put them on such a pedestal that we think they aren’t killable. We become too careful, almost to the point where we are afraid to hunt him for fear of screwing up. Been there before, too. We want nothing more than to put an arrow through a mature animal only to talk ourselves out of actually hunting him. We become so obsessed with killing him and doing everything right that we are scared to mess up or fail! It's kind of funny to think that we let the intelligence of an animal beat us without them even knowing what's going on! But that's what we do. Heck, some critters almost get to the point that they can walk on water! Our minds are very valuable tools, but if used in the wrong way we can make a mountain out of a molehill lickety-split. If it gets to this point for you, just go hunting and relax. Enjoy what God created. That's what got us hunting in the first place.

The Worst

How can obsession lead to failure in the worst way? Divorce and broken families. I'm fortunate to make part of my living hunting every spring and fall. My obsession with the outdoors comes with a paycheck. For many it does not. Families get put on back burners and bills don't get paid as one family member chases a dream that has antlers attached to it. Obviously, there are worse things you could be doing with your time than hunting, but families and responsibilities need to come first. If your obsession gets to the point where they don't, you’re heading for trouble. Families will only put up with so much. Talk things over beforehand about what your plans are for the season. Try your best to stick to it and not take advantage of a giving wife and kids. Coming home to an empty house isn't worth it. As hard as it is sometimes, you still have to remember that a deer is just a deer no matter the size of the bone on his head.