Experience is essential when hunting. Without it, you see no improvement.
But experience also comes with a downfall. With lots of experience, you could become overconfident. All of a sudden, you are skipping gear checks, you are ignoring weather warnings, and taking rushed or low-percentage shots.
Once upon a time, you would never make such choices. You would have prioritized your safety as well as the safety of others. You would have committed to proper hunting etiquette. And you would have listed to the advice of others.
To avoid the risk of outdoor complacency, keep reading on. You will learn three key ways to stay safe and avoid overconfidence on your next hunting trip.
1. Treat Every Gun As Loaded
As a hunter, you’ll likely have a firearm of some variation. Over 13 million hunters were found to use guns in 2021. So, knowing how to properly use a gun is vital.
However, some hunters will become complacent with their firearm safety over time. Maybe you have been on several trips without any issues. Or maybe you believe you unloaded the gun at the end of your last hunt. Either way, this is dangerous.
To avoid this, do one simple thing: Treat every gun like it is loaded. This means following daily handling rituals. Open the action to look and feel inside the chamber; do this every time you pick up or are given a gun. Even if the person handling you the gun swears it isn’t loaded, do not just take their word for it.
It is also best to enforce trigger discipline. Your index finger must be kept straight outside the trigger guard. Only when your sights are on the target and you make a conscious choice to fire should your finger touch the trigger.
2. Revisit Basic Training Regularly
When you’ve been hunting for years – maybe even decades – you begin to slip on the basics. While treating every firearm like it’s loaded is one of the fundamentals, there are many others, too.
You must remember dynamic marksmanship drills, for one. If you are frequently using static benchrest shooting, move away from it. Instead, practice mounting your rifle or drawing your bow from unsupported and awkward field positions. Doing so will ensure you are able to perform safely in several scenarios and positions.
Critiquing your last season is also a useful task. Journal your mistakes. Identify missed opportunities. Be open about poor decisions. Because of this, you’ll have a better idea of how to perform the next hunting season.
3. Communicate Your Location
Hunting in the same location time and time again could result in overconfidence. You are used to the same trails. You know the twists and turns to take. This doesn’t mean nothing will go wrong, though.
A change in weather, an injury, or a shift in terrain might cause you to become lost or stranded. What happens, then? If no one knows your exact location, you could be waiting for help for quite some time. To avoid such an incident, share your location with others.
Don’t just mention the area. Go into detail about what you plan on doing, where you plan on going, and the time expect to be home. Some hunters even choose to set hard time windows to check-in over a two-way radio or satellite device.
And, if anything changes, share the details. This means no one will assume you are where you were an hour before.
To conclude, becoming overconfident as a hunter is a risk. It could happen. It happens to even the most experienced at times. Fortunately, you can avoid that from happening by following the tips outlined above. Only by doing that will you stay safe.
