Killer Mentality

 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18 (KJV)

Hunting, as we all know, can be both physically and mentally trying. You’re chasing that stubborn bull up the side of a mountain, out of breath and wanting a nap but you know he is just barely in reach. You watch those Cam Hanes videos, and think, “how does a man push himself that hard?”

Clyde really hit it on the head last week when he brought up how we owe it to the animals as well as ourselves to test our bodies. So, today we are going to be talking a little bit about that and the MENTAL side of it as well, and how that has contributed to our preparation for elk season and beyond. 

As we all have heard and experienced (some of it first hand, such as myself unfortunately) the Rockies can be a tough and trying place on your body especially for someone who hasn’t pushed themselves that hard at those elevations. I have heard of many men falling to altitude sickness up there or lying down and not being able to keep going with close to 100 pounds of elk meat on their back, and it is definitely something that can be hard to avoid. As my Uncle who is a long time backcountry hunter and guide in a few western states says, “you can’t have an ounce of quit in you to be successful.”

Now for a bit of the preparation side of things. Everyone knows that you have to prepare for that one shot that you may get on an animal, but what about the preparation for what leads to that shot? One thing that we have all taken pride in is the fatigue that we have tried to simulate to the best of our abilities that will lead up to that moment. Picture this: you’ve hiked 8 miles in a day, up and down a mountain, and you finally find that bull that wants to play ball. He comes in on a string. You draw back, and realize that your 70 pound bow feels heavier than it normally does. This is the fatigue that you have put on your body, and now you're shaking so hard from adrenaline and fatigue that the bull standing broadside at 60 yards chuckling at you might as well be at 90.

I am not naive enough to tell you that this won’t happen to us. What I will tell you is that we have pushed our bodies to the point of at least giving them a fighting chance. We’ve been running, weight training, and making sure that we have shot our bows enough to know that they, along with us, are ready for this adventure.

While we need to make sure that we have the ability to keep going, one thing to staying mentally steadfast is that we need to still be able to give our bodies the simple comforts that they are used to when possible. This can be food, a fresh pair of socks, a comfy pillow, or that Tylenol that you take after 3 days of living in the mountains when your feet ache. We all fight mental battles, and while the outdoors can be an amazing place to do that, we need to make sure that we are also enjoying ourselves and enjoying nature. We should not be punishing ourselves for being there because we as the hunter did not take the proper steps. We all want to hunt, but we need to make sure that we are mentally and physically prepared enough to enjoy it.

- Deegan Brake, Just One Team Member