Before you head into the woods this hunting season, there is more to prepare than your rifle, bow, boots, and Blaze- orange gear. A successful season starts long before you ever climb into a stand. It starts with getting your mind right, getting your gear ready, and taking care of all those little things you told yourself you would fix after last season.
Remember that stand that had you sitting at an angle that made your back hurt? Fix it. That setup that took you entirely too long to get comfortable in? Adjust it. That branch that was always in the way, that squeaky seat that gave you away, or that piece of equipment you swore you were going to replace? Now is the time. If something had you cussing last season, there is no reason to let it do the same thing this year.
Then there is the part of the hunt that happens after the harvest. Do you have room for another mount? Take a look at the wall before you head into the woods. If you are fortunate enough to bring home an animal you are proud of, you want to already know where that memory is going to live. Make sure you have the freezer space, cooler space, and processing plan for the meat, too. The last thing you want after a successful hunt is to realize you have nowhere to put what you worked so hard to bring home.
But preparation is not just physical. Hunting takes a certain amount of mental preparation, too. It takes patience. It takes discipline. It takes being willing to sit still when you would rather move, to stay focused when the morning is slow, and to understand that you cannot control what walks through the woods. Some days you come home with a story and a trophy. Other days, you come home with nothing but cold feet and another reason to get back out there.
That is part of what makes hunting special.
So before the season starts, take the time to prepare. Check your equipment. Practice. Scout your area. Adjust your stand. Get your freezer ready. Make your processing plans. Look at your walls. And most importantly, get your mind ready for the hours of patience and anticipation that come with sitting in the woods.
Because when the season finally arrives, you do not want to be thinking about what you should have done.
You want to be ready for whatever walks through the trees.
And if this is the season you bring home the one you have been waiting for, make sure you have a place ready to preserve the story.