Glenn
Dunning is a member of New England Outdoor Writers Association
(NEOWA) and contributes monthly to Outdoors Magazine
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Outdoors Magazine, November Issue, Traveling Outdoorsman col. Submitted by: Glenn Dunning |
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Shot Opportunities and Trip Success Mental Preparation is the Key |
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| Mike Castillo of Bristol, Vermont recently returned from a woodland caribou hunt. He did not kill a caribou and in fact, he never got close enough to even pull his bow back. Was he disappointed? Certainly, but when I called him in late September to get his follow-up report, he was candid and upbeat: "Glenn, the trip was awesome. The caribou were scarce but my guide was exceptional and did everything he could to create opportunities for me. The accommodations, food and rest of the staff were super and Wendy and I are already talking about a return trip in 2009." Unusual? Somewhat, but not entirely. Mike had booked his hunt 19 months in advance, his weapon of choice was a bow and he was well aware of the challenge of hunting an open ground animal. Most importantly he was mentally prepared to have a good trip whether he harvested or not. From the very beginning an important part of that preparation is having a clear understanding of the terminology an agent or outfitter uses to quantify hunt expectations. The sportsman in the market for a big game hunt wants to know what his odds are for harvesting a trophy even though he often fails to consider how variables like his shooting skill, physical conditioning, and weather may influence the trip's outcome. Outfitters prefer to speak in terms of shot opportunity as opposed to kill success but even here, misinterpretation runs rampant. Consider; an outfitter tells a prospective customer that his hunters average 80% shot opportunity when weather and other factors cooperate. Now, most would consider those pretty good odds. After-all, if Wendy the TV weather girl says there is an 80% chance of sunshine you make plans to go to the beach or call your buds to schedule a tee time. But allow me to offer a somewhat different perspective; if the outfitter hunts 100 customers a year, what he is telling you is that 20 of them go home without having pulled the trigger or yanking their string back. Add to that figure, missed shots or weather situations that keep you in camp instead of in the bush and you start getting a clearer picture of your odds at bringing home the bacon. This is not what most customers hear or want to hear. And yet, in the outfitting business an 8 in 10 opportunity ratio is more than respectable. In fact, it's damn good, for any fair chase hunt. When hunts are typically booked so far in advance, it is human nature to dream and get excited about the prospects for success. You go out and buy a new gun or bow along with all kinds of other expensive equipment in anticipation of harvesting a literal "wall-hanger" but what if it doesn't happen? While outfitters and agents agree, clients that shoot-out generally have better trips than those that don't, the responsibility for overall trip satisfaction has as much to do with attitude and realistic expectations as it does cooperative weather and game movement. Mentally preparing yourself to have a good trip even if you don't harvest is not easy but it is important. A good place to start is to look at the bigger picture. Your next hunting trip is more than the hopeful chance to kill a trophy buck, bull, stag, or bruin. It is an adventure; it is a vacation and it's time away from work, typically in the company of your best friends or family. Often overlooked in advance of leaving home is the excitement of traveling to and from your hunt destination. There is so much to be gained, learned and enjoyed when you go someplace new and unfamiliar. This can be as true of a whitetail hunt in the nation's Midwestern corn-belt as it is hunting dall sheep on the steep slopes of Alaska's rugged Brooks Range. Further, there is the time alone in nature. I'll take wind and rain in my face any day, even in the absence of shootable game, and call it a good day when compared to life's normal routines. Watching from the elevated perch of a tree stand as a new day dawns; the tannic aroma of freshly fallen oak leaves and the tingle of frost melting off of my whiskers as the sun's first rays illuminate and warm a virgin world oblivious to my presence. When the pre-hunt anticipation is as focused on these elements as it is on matching your wits and skill with that of your quarry, the need to kill to achieve success is somewhat diminished. While your best trips will likely include a perfect shot and a full cooler, mentally preparing yourself with the right attitude and a broader perspective will go a long way toward making all your trips more successful. |
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