Hunt and fish like you are a Baltimore Raven!
Now you may not be a Ravens fan but you have to admit that they finished what they started. It wasn’t pretty or perfect but…”they finished what they started”. This football team made mistakes all year long but never quit.
We used to hunt pheasants in Pennsylvania by using “drives”. This meant that you would place 2 hunters at the end of a cornfield while the rest of the hunting party pushed the birds toward them. The “standers” would remain still and silent while the rest of the “drivers” would whoop it up and zigzag their way to the “standers”. The last 100 yards was usually amazing. Birds would run to the field’s end thinking they were going to flush safely out of gun range. To their surprise the “standers” would be able to take safe and precise shots.
It was always important to finish the drive. The last 10 feet always held a “cockbird” or two. If you lowered your guard, a “rooster” would scare you as it flushed at your feet, resulting in a shot that was usually a miss.
This memory always defines how I approach hunting and fishing. If you don’t hunt and fish with a mindset that you will be successful, then stay home. Hunt the last minutes of the season as ready and enthusiastically as the first. Use ALL of your time afield efficiently and effectively. Taking a long lunch break wastes opportunity for potential success.
“One more cast” means one more chance to get a fish.
Even if you spook the bull, miss a strike, or waste an opportunity to score, accept responsibility for making a mistake. That is how humans learn. We don’t learn from a “big success”. Nothing teaches us a better lesson than a “BIG FAT MISTAKE.”
When the situation comes around again, you are now ready to deal with it. This maturity is what makes us a better and more successful outdoorsman.
The Baltimore Ravens hunted and fished for success all season and learned from their mistakes. In the end, they played until the season was over. Their reward was to be Super Bowl champions. This attitude will make your reward a filled tag, limit, or great memory that you may have otherwise missed.
But remember that if you don’t win this season, there is always next year! Always keep your eyes on the prize.
