Summer in the Woods: How to Keep Cool While Hunting

Summer hunting and you are Elmer Fudd. But it doesn’t always have to be that way. It could also be fun if you’ll just chill the fuss down.

Not like Bugs Bunny’s bald rifle-totting nemesis, you can be the Fonzie of hunting. Cool as ice, steady as God’s dice. Keep your calm and your mind and body follow.

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7 Cool Tips on How to Keep it Chill When Hunting

1. Be Prepared

This Boy Scout-inspired pep talk is as obvious as it gets. Being prepared means being ready to face any challenge. Time could be an ally or foe. Plan everything ahead, run through possible scenarios, and devise solutions based on these.

2. Observe

Look around. Check out your environment. Survey the hunting ground. Know where the target operates, how it operates, and when it operates. The information you will gather will be instrumental in determining the success of your operation. Knowledge is power.

3. Focus

It’s summer hunting. Forget about anything else. When you work, you work hard. The same goes with hunting. When you hunt, you hunt harder. You have waited days or even weeks for this. Keep your eyes on the prize.

4. Get Distracted

But not that much. You just need some diversion to give your mind some rest. Have you ever heard about tunnel vision? When you focus too much on something, your perspective gets stuck in a rut. You need to find a fresh perspective without losing sight of your gameplay. Who knows what other ideas you might come up with to sharpen your plan.

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5. Breathe

Do you know why yoga folks emphasize the importance of breathing? Because it helps your mind to be more efficient. It is about the proper flow of oxygen in your body. It maintains the balance between Yin and Yang. Or whatever. Just breathe. It makes you feel good.

6. Feel Good

Nothing beats the feeling of feeling good. When you feel good you do things better. When you do things better, you will feel better. Feel good because you are an ascendant of a long lineage of survivors. From the primal ooze to you — a well-developed creature reading this right now on your phone. Feel good you master of your fate.

7. Have Fun

Hunting should be an enjoyable hobby. Yes, it is also a competitive endeavor. You should never forget to hone your skills to perfection. But, never forget that you hunt because it is fun. And by instinct, we are hunters as much as gatherers.