Every deer hunter dreams of shooting a big buck although some won’t admit it. Some of us even dream of doing it every season. It is this dream that pulls us from a warm bed on a cold morning and causes us to spend way more time and money than we should. It seems that some hunters have figured out that magic formula and wrap their hands around more than their fair share of massive antlers.
When asked their opinion of the most important factor for consistent success they are likely to list things like the property one hunts or learning to play the wind. The truth is, there are a handful of these reasons and a good case can be made for the importance of each.
I know good hunters with great hunting properties that do a lot of things right and still don’t consistently (if ever) drop the giant bucks that taunt our dreams. Why is this? What are some hunters doing that leads to consistent success on truly giant bucks that other hunters aren’t? After more than 40 years of deer hunting experience and meeting thousands of deer hunters along the way, including plenty that are very successful at tagging mature bucks consistently, I believe I have the real answer regarding the #1 key for consistent big buck hunting success … and it isn’t something you can buy or learn.
I am talking about …. PASSION! You either have it or you don’t. Passion does not allow one to fail but drives them to succeed no matter how long it takes or what sacrifices must be made. Passion drives a deer hunter to find solutions not make excuses. No amount of money, no piece of equipment and no amount of knowledge can take you farther than the limit set by your degree of passion. You are either born with a high-degree of passion for killing giant bucks or you aren’t.
The most successful big buck hunters I know are also the most passionate. They don’t make excuses for why another hunter kills more and bigger bucks than they do. They won’t use the fact that they don’t live in a state known for big whitetails as an excuse. They won’t use the excuse that they don’t have a tract of prime property to hunt. They won’t even mention that they hunt strictly with a bow while “the other guy” shoots them with a gun at long range. Their passion drives them past the excuses and right into the arms of success.
I realize that there really is nothing here that one can use to become a more successful deer hunter and tag more big bucks. We are each born with a certain degree of passion for different things. A moderately passionate deer hunter might be extremely passionate about something else. Guess what; he is going to be a lot more successful at the “something else” than he is killing big bucks no matter how much money he has, what kind of property he has to hunt and how much he “knows” about killing big bucks.
When a deer hunter makes excuses for why another hunter is killing more and bigger bucks than he is, what he is really doing is making excuses for himself and his own lack of success. He may have passion and may even think he is as passionate as any deer hunter on earth. The fact is, his passion doesn’t even come close to that of the hunters who are dropping the giants year after year. Passion makes no excuses.
Both of my books are available for purchase on this website. I personally sign each one before shipping. They make great Christmas gifts for the deer hunter on your shopping list!
