Get back to your hunting roots and listen up to Fred Bear's 10 Commandments of hunting.
Too often, we as hunters get too caught up in overthinking the hunt.
If you need to remember why you picked up the hobby in the first place, there's no better role model to look to than Fred Bear.
Fred Bear is one of the biggest legends in the sport of hunting. In fact, many people consider Fred Bear to be the best bowhunter of all time. He was an avid bear and deer hunter, using mainly traditional bowhunting techniques and his keen outdoorsman skillset.
Even considering all the different styles of hunting there are today, these commandments still apply. Here are Fred Bear's 10 Commandments, guaranteed to make you a wiser hunter.
The next time you're headed to the stand with your bow, keep these commandments in the back of your mind.
1. Don't step on anything you can step over.
2. Don't look for deer; look for movement (and remember, it's what they're looking for, too).
3. Always approach downwind. In the cool of the day, move uphill; in the heat of the day, move downhill.
4. The best camouflage pattern is called, "Sit down and be quiet!" Your grandpa hunted deer in a red plaid coat. Think about that for a second.
5. Take only the gear to the field that allows you to hunt longer, harder, and smarter.
6. A rainstorm isn't a reason to quit the hunt. It's a reason to stay.
7. Camouflage your appearance, your sound and your scent.
8. Be sure of your shot. Nothing is more expensive than regret.
9. Hunt where the deer actually are, not where you'd imagine them to be.
10. Next year's hunt begins the minute this season's hunt ends.
Fred Bear is a legend for reason. He knew how to get in close with some of the most challenging big game North America has to offer.
If he could do it with a recurve bow, the type of traditional archery equipment the activity was founded on, then most hunters should be able to do it with a firearm.
Here's a great interview with him that's well worth watching when you have the opportunity.
It doesn't matter if you're hunting ducks or bucks with today's best hunting equipment, or hunting elk or whitetails with a traditional bow from yesteryear, it's this kind of awesome info that can really inspire you.
It's probably written off as one of those unimportant internet memes by some, but there's legitimacy to what these 10 things can do when you live by them. Every one of the hunting seasons we spend chasing these animals should be experienced with these ten commandments in mind.
If you're a young man or woman starting out, memorizing these would go a long way in helping you reach the goal of becoming an experienced hunter.
All the different tips in the world can't stack up to your own personal learnings from direct experiences. Make informed choices, and admit when you're wrong. Don't make the same mistakes you made last year, and think like an avid deer hunter or waterfowl hunter.
Think like Fred Bear.
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