I’m not the biggest fan of self-aggrandizing, but this is one that I have to share with everyone. When you get a chance, go to your local newstand and pick-up the September 2009 issue of Peterson’s Bowhunting. You’ll notice on the cover there’s a “Bowhunting Extra” about “Your Mental Shooting Game”. If you think that sounds a bit like something you might read from deerPhD, you’re right! The author is named Christian Berg, and he’s the Editor of the magazine. Here’s how the article came to be…

In the Spring of 2007, I was invited to give the keynote address at the Outdoor Writer’s gathering of the Eastern Sports and Outdoors Show. Of course, the talk was all about the mental side of hunting. A member of the audience was a certain Christian Berg. At that time, he was the Outdoors Writer for a newspaper in PA, and he has since climbed the ranks to become editor of Peterson’s Bowhunting. Apparently Christian enjoyed the talk, and he asked me for a picture. Here we are more than 2 years later, and the story is right there in black and white (with some other color and nice photos added in!).

What a crazy, small world we live in?!?!?! I remember traveling to the show with my dad (BigK). That show is always so well put together. I just didn’t realize what would come of it! If you get a chance, go check it out and let me know what you think!

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This summer, add something simple to your “to do” list of deer season preparations - perspective. What do I mean? Read on to find out:

Dictionary.com offers several definitions of “perspective”, and here are two of my favorite:

• “The faculty of seeing all the relevant data in a meaningful relationship…”
• “A mental view or prospect”

What does this have to do with hunting? It’s easy to claim that we enjoy the outdoors or admire the beauty of nature while hunting. It’s another thing to truly appreciate everything the outdoors has to offer when you just spooked an 8-point buck or watched an arrow sail just high of your quarry. Why is that? Why do so many hunters (myself included) come home from hunting trips frustrated instead of replenished? I think it all boils down to perspective. When that arrow sails high, you’re perspective is so narrow.

Golf Lessons: Here I go again, drawing another analogy from golf (and remember, I’m not a golfer). As I’ve argued before, golf is so relevant to hunting because of the mind games involved. If any of you are golfers, you know what a bad day on the golf course is like. If your game is bad enough, you might actually need to take a vacation from golf to relax — which doesn’t really make sense if you think about it — our recreation activities can totally stress us out!

The Answer: To prevent yourself from losing perspective, you need to practice widening your perspective every day. And no, it won’t take long, but you will enjoy it! Practice enjoying nature anytime you experience it — at the range, building stands, a walk in the woods, or even waking up to get the paper outside and listening to the mourning doves! If you find the pleasures in your daily life, it will be easier to experience these pleasures when you’re extremely frustrated.

One tactic I like to use to keep perspective is to consider what could be worse than missing the buck of my dreams. Some might say there could be nothing worse, but what if you weren’t even able to be hunting that buck in the first place due to health conditions? What if your finances got so tight that you couldn’t get food on the table, let alone find the time and money to go hunting? Think about the billions of people worldwide who are in conditions far worse that we are the moment something goes wrong in the field. It’s all about perspective — missing a buck is a lot better than not going hunting at all!

In psychology, there’s a principle called MINDFULNESS, which is a state of being fully aware of your surroundings, yet you are also experiencing inner peace and relaxation. Being mindful doesn’t come easy - it takes weeks, months, even years of practice to get good at being mindful or experiencing mindfulness. Over the past year or two, I’ve really worked on being mindful during my hunts. This past season hunting in Missouri on public land, I didn’t even see a deer my first 6 times out — nothing. Yet I found myself enjoying the squirrels, the owls, and even the turtle I saw crawling along under my tree (…and don’t even get me started on the beautiful sunrises and sunsets I witnessed!). Was I frustrated, yes! Would I have had more fun if I saw deer - especially a buck? Probably. But, I didn’t want to be sour all hunting season just because I didn’t have good luck in the field. In fact, going so long with no luck actually helped me learn to enjoy the outdoors in other ways…and it definitely helped me keep things in perspective.

So my recommendation is to pick-out something new that you enjoyed each time you venture outside. At first it will be easy…but the more time you spend outside, the more you’ll have to increase your awareness to pick-up on the subtle enjoyments that are more plentiful than you may first realize.

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So where do I begin?

If you’ve followed this blog during it’s very short existance, you’re aware that I seemingly disappeared for more than 1 year. Well, I’m happy to report that I’m alive, well, and in Kansas City (at least for about 2 more months — but that’s another story!).

Before proceeding, I have to send out two big Thank You’s: One goes to a good friend whom I’ve yet to actually meet, Othmar. During my absence, he dropped an occassional line and responded with genuine excitement when I sent him an e-mail out of the blue asking for an e-mail. The second one goes to Marian, another friend I’ve yet to meet. She dropped the occassional comment on my blog (as recently as this past week), even after more than 1 year of no activity. Thanks to you both for your continued encouragement!!!

I suppose I should also send a Thanks to anyone who reads this — thanks for stopping by with interest.

Where have I been?

Mostly, I’ve been in Kansas City, MO, finishing a 1 year internship in Clinical Psychology. I’m happy to report that my dissertation is defended!!! So, on July 24th, when I walk out of the hospital on the last day of internship, I will officially be a Doctor — and thus I’ll be a real deerPhD (or something like that).

Where am I going?

I’m also thrilled to report that I’m going back to what is now my home-state of Ohio. I’ll be joining the faculty at a liberal arts college in Northeast OH. In my sparetime, I’ll be piecing together a woodshop and - you guessed it - hunting!!! (Not to mention enjoying life with my lovely wife).

Plans, Plans, and More Plans

Given my long hiatus from deerPhD, I’m hesitant to make any new plans for the blog. For now, I hope to write mostly about my greatest interests and the central theme of this blog — hunting and psychology. This is the area in this I’ve received the most positive feedback — and it’s the area in which I feel I can make a unique contribution to the world of hunting. Speaking of which, please keep your eyes posted for the September 2009 issue of Peterson’s Bowhunting — there will be an article that features some of my “Psychology of Deer Hunting” (the article is based on a talk I gave about 2 years ago).

So — I’m back…much more to come…

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Can you believe it’s Friday already? TGIF!!! By now, most of you know what that means here at deerPhD - It’s What Would You Do time? Today’s scenario is a real-life situation I experienced about a year and a half ago.

Here’s the backdrop: It’s the final day of the PA rifle season. I have only a buck tag, and my father has only a doe tag. Since I was away in OH most of the season, BigK and I decide to hunt together - each with our own rifle. If a shooter buck comes, it’s mine - if a big doe steps out - it’s his. At about 4:30 PM, we spot a beautiful and mature doe standing about 150 yards away. BigK aims his Remington Model 700 30-06 and delivers a perfect shot (I mean perfect!!!).

The deer ran down a hill about 80 yards from an access road, so we exit the woods and park his truck on this road. We then re-enter the woods from this road (BigK unarmed; I take my rifle in case we spot a buck) to gut and drag the doe.

Here’s the itchy scenario: While dragging the deer, we hear, “Freeze, Game Commission. Stop where you are and drop your gun. Step away from the deer.”

Dad and I were freaked. We put our hands up and turned around.

“I watched you shoot from the road. You’re going to be cited.” (Note: he was literally yelling at us, with his hand on his pistol ready to draw.)

Dad and I are astounded, but before I tell you how it went down…WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

A. Talk with the officer and get things straightened out.

B. Call for back-up (i.e., friends, maybe even the state police).

C. This officer was way out of line, and you can’t help but be frustrated an angered. A heated argument is inevitable.

D. Comply with the officer’s every request, even if that means being cited for something you didn’t do (he’s got a gun, and he’s in charge now).

Since this was a real-life event, I am really looking forward to your comments. I’ll be sure to finish the story early next week. Until then, have a wonderful weekend!

 ———UPDATED March 4, 2008———

Awesome comments everyone - thanks for chiming in. As many of you alluded to, this was a tight situation for Big K and myself…here’s how it went down.

My first thoughts were, “There’s no way out of this - he’s lying and he has already made-up his mind.”  I think it was my gut reaction to start walking toward him, wanting to shake his hand and start to talk things over. Wow was this a bad move. The officer yelled louder, “I said freeze - don’t walk to me, I’ll walk to you.” He then bee-lined for the deer and checked his ear tag (everything was legal by the way).  He then said, “Okay, I will write you up - I saw you shoot from the road.”

Being the one who made the shot, my dad said, “Now wait a minute, we shot from the other direction - go look at the blood trail.” The officer responded, “But I saw you shoot from the road.”

Big K’s response, “Now wait a minute, we have huts on the other side from which we shot. Let’s go look; I bet the casing is still there. Plus, you can follow the blood trail.”

The officer then said, “Okay, tell me your story” and Big K did just that.

No questions asked - he believed the story and congratulated him on a successful kill. He then said, “I’ll follow you to your truck; I want to check you stored your gun.”

Luckily (well, not luck, it’s good practice) BigK stored his rifle unloaded and bolt open. The officer waited until I put my gun away and then said, “Now let me see how you did it.”

Needless to say, this guy was on the prowl. I don’t know what his deal was, but it sure did give me a sour taste of PA Game Management. In my opinion, that’s the worst thing an officer can do - they should be there to encourage us to obey the law, not catch us in a trap (or worse, a made-up story). Fortunately, it all worked out in the end. I still think of that great shot BigK pulled off - it was absolutely perfect!!!

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During these cold months of February, I can often be found in my den, next to the fireplace in an early 1900’s rocking chair smoking my pipe, staring at the monster hanging above the mantel. Well, okay, I don’t really have a den, or a fireplace; I don’t smoke, and I also don’t have a rocking chair. Come to think of it, I don’t have a wall-hanger yet (some could qualify, but never got them mounted!). But, this time of year I frequently recollect my successful hunts. Fortunately, I landed a nice Ohio 8-point on October 12, but I’ve chot him repeatedly in my mind since then.

Thinking like this gets me itching to get back out to the woods, but season is still far off. So what’s a hunter to do? Nothing like a visit to a local shooting range to alleviate some of the tension! Which brings me to today’s mental tip - practice hunting while at the range - not just shooting.

What’s the difference? Shooters (now I’m not talking well-trained competition shooters — just your average joe/jane) might take a few shots, then BS with their friends, then maybe take a few more, with no real intention behind each shot. Yes, this is fun, but in my opinion it won’t help you land the buck of your dreams.

You can practice hunting by simulating a hunting environment at the target range? I know its indoors and the target is a bullseye - but you can visualize a deer behind that bull with each shot. I also like to draw my bow as if I’m hunting - not just shooting. By this, I mean I raise my arm and draw slowly - trying to stay quiet. I also might try to hold my draw for extended periods of time to simulate a situation in which the buck just won’t take that last step.

My Point: Your mind is very creative - use this creativity to get more out of your winter shooting outings!

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Some of your regular deerPhD readers may recall that I applied for clinical internship this year (my final year of graduate training). Well, I am very pleased to report that I landed my top choice of internships! That’s right - on August 1st I will begin a 1 year placement at Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO.

What does this have to do with hunting? Well, just ask our blogging buddy over at Alpha Trilogy! In addition to furthering my training as a psychologist, I’m super-stoked to check-out the hunting seasons in Kansas and/or Missouri. To my knowledge, Missouri boasts some of the best turkey hunting in the nation, and their deer hunting holds its own as well. If I’m lucky, I might get to tray my hand at some quail hunting.

So, here’s to a new state and new hunting opportunities!

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Let’s play the free association game - what do you think of when I say Kent State? Unfortunately, most people think of the infamous May 4th shootings. But, did you know that the Golden Flash men’s basketball team just landed a national ranking in both the AP and coaches’ polls? That’s right - KSU B-ball just won its 20th game of the season for the 10th year in a row! They’re currently leading the MAC conference - if all goes well they’ll find themselves in the NCAA tournament and in the heat of March madness!!!

GO FLASHES!!! 

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Though he’s not much in the way of hunting, I recommend you check-out a recent story in the NY Times about a friend of mine. Jon is walking south. He started in Oregon, and he’s currently in Venezuela. His lone companion is a donkey (named Whothey), though I understand he’s met some interesting people who have become great friends along the way.

Jon and I met at Denison University. He was a senior when I was a freshman, and we played opposite each other on the football field (he played strongside corner while I was our weak cornerback). This guy had quite an impressive tenure at Dension. He was honored as the Presidential Medalist (highest honor at the school), and he earned honors on the football field (Academic All-American, several records that still stand) and classroom (including Phi Beta Kappa). After graduating, Jon spent some time in the Sudan, and then he started his walking quest.

We spent quite a bit of time together at Denison before he graduated, and to this day he remains one of the most influential people in my life. So go read a bit about him at the NY Times - I mean, how many people are featured in that magazine!!!

He also just started a blog about his journeys, though it’s still under construction: http://www.estatravesia.blogspot.com/

Here’s a photo he recently sent my way:

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It’s Friday…and here at deerPhD.com we like to celebrate the weekend with a weekly feature: What Would You Do? I want to remind everyone that if you have any ideas for a WWYD scenario, drop me an e-mail at deerPhD@gmail.com. This week’s scenario is broken down into two parts - feel free to respond to both:

You are invited to go on an all expenses paid hunting trip with a friend. You’ve never hunted with this friend before, but you’ve seen the trophies on this hunter’s wall (enough to make your salivate!).  In planning for the excursion, you’ve already requested time off work and made arrangements with your family.

PART 1:  Let’s say it’s a week before the hunt, and your friend let’s you know that the hunt is on a high fence preserve. “In fact”, he says, “all those trophies were taken in those walls…it’s a great way to hunt!” Your friend tells you that he wants to get his money’s worth for going on a trip. WHAT DO YOU DO?

A. Those a nice trophies and a free hunt - who could pass that up? Fences or no fences - it’s all the same.

B.  Express concern to your friend, but still go out on the hunt.

C. Refuse to attend because you’re 100% fair chase.

PART 2: Now pretend that your friend never said anything about fences, and you ‘discover’ them as you approach the hunting lodge. When you ask your friend what’s going on, he replies, “Oh yeah…that’s just how we do things here. It will be a blast!”

D. Those a nice trophies and a free hunt - who could pass that up? Fences or no fences - it’s all the same.

E.  Express concern to your friend, but still go out on the hunt.

F.  Tell your friend that you’re in for a fun weekend and that you’ll go out with him on the hunts, but no actuall hunting for you.

G. Turn around and head back to the airport - you want nothing to do with this style of hunting.

I’m looking forward to your responses, and have a great weekend!

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Want to see something scary? Follow the link below. May this never be the state of affairs state-side!

http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=74322

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