By Alex Comstock
Habits, we all have them in our life, whether they are good or bad. Think about how our habits influence our life in general. I am always saying, "jeez, I really need to start doing this", or "I really should stop doing that". The same thing applies to deer hunting. "I really need to start paying more attention to the wind", "I need to shoot my bow more often". Developing and creating consistent good habits can make a world of a difference when it comes to deer hunting.
If your someone who is like me, and hunts the most mature bucks in the area, every little thing counts. All of you T's need crossed, and I's dotted. This starts with your habits. Notoriously I've noticed that those individuals who's habits are undeniably better than others, are the ones killing big mature buck more consistently.
Commitment: Like anything else, staying true to good habits takes commitment and work. It can be easy to say it's just this one time if you don't take the effort to wait and change into your scent free clothes until you've arrived to your hunting location. When your tired and grinding all day sits during November, it can be appealing to leave for lunch, even though you know you're in a great mid-day spot. Commit to good habits, it will go a long ways.
Consistency: So you've developed some great habits for this deer season. You know what you have to do, and your committed to them. That's it right? Not quite, there is a difference between consistent and semi-consistent habits. You might be committed to a great habit of showering in scent free wash in the morning, but only when you're not in a hurry. The other mornings, when in a hurry, you're just fine without doing it. This might seem like a mute point, but it does go a long way. Consistency within your good habits will be the deciding factor on whether or not they actually play a large role in your hunting efforts.
So this deer season, which is right around the corner, pick three things you know you need to work on. They don't have to be big things. Go through what you know you need to change, and commit to developing consistent good habits, and see what it does for you.
It might just help!
