Success or successful are words that get thrown around a lot in the hunting world. You hear it all of the time when folks are telling hunting stories or talk of hunts that have yet to come. “Were you successful? Did you find success?” I think the first thing that most think of when they hear this is filling a tag. That is what equates success on a hunt. Maybe, on the surface. There is much more to it though. As we dive into another fall hunting season, let’s dive below that surface a bit and remember why we are out there.
Do you remember the first time that you ever heard an elk bugle? My first time sent a haunting feeling through my body. Truth be told, I didn’t even know what it was. We were on a camping trip with friends and I remember hearing this screeching scream come from the forest as the sun went down. It was scary to be honest. One of the wildest things I have ever heard. It made me feel small. On another note, it also gave me peace. The wild was still the wild, and I loved being a part of it.
How about that first archery hunt you went on? I am sure we all have fond memories of that experience and what it did for us mentally. Mine changed my life, now that I think about it. After seeing more mature bucks than we had ever seen, we set off into the dark on opening day. I sat up against a tree in silence. My feet were still warm from the short hike in, but I had no doubt they would be numb soon enough. Turned out my whole body went “numb.” A beautiful mule deer buck walked right past me at a mere 10 yards and I did nothing. I was awestruck at his presence.
These moments I have recalled above are ones that had a huge impact on me, but never involved filling a tag. I walked away from those situations with more than I walked into them. A sense of drive. A drive to put myself in more situations like that in my life. I’d rather be an “unsuccessful” hunter that gets every ounce of fulfillment out of the process, than a “successful” hunter that gets nothing more out of the process but a filled tag. Who’s really successful in that equation?
This has never been an act of killing to me, but it is an act nonetheless. It’s an act that I feel I will never master. One that I will never always have the upper hand in. It always keeps me coming back. While killing an animal is part of that act, it is not the whole act.
At the time of writing this, I am about a week out from leaving for my archery elk hunt here in Arizona. Been basically salivating since I found out I drew the tag earlier this year. The whole year has been spent shooting my bow, gear testing, and keeping myself in shape. It’s the process and a part of this whole thing that I enjoy the most. If the only satisfaction I got out of hunting was filling tags, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today. My whole hunting philosophy would be foreign from what it is now. In my early years, I would get discouraged when I didn’t fill tags. Nowadays, I never truly feel unsuccessful. So, as we head into the field this year for yet another fall season, let’s try to keep our heads screwed on straight with our eyes open. You might see something you didn’t before.
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