Every bowhunter knows the sinking feeling that comes with blowing an opportunity on a hunt.
Even after decades in the field, I still have days when nothing seems to go right. The difference between staying in a slump and breaking through often comes down to one skill: the ability to reset your mental game.
You can’t change the path of an arrow that has already left the string, but you can control all the ones you haven’t nocked yet.
Recently, I received a text from a father-son duo on an antelope hunt. After a slew of missed shots, they were dealing with that all-too-familiar spiral that can derail even the most prepared hunters.
“How do we get our head back in the game?” they asked me.
Here’s what I told them.
The Hunting Mental Game: Reset, Practice, Repeat
When bowhunting hands you setbacks, there’s a proven process you can use to bounce back stronger. I call it the reset protocol.
First, accept that slumps happen to everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re a world champion or a first-season hunter; missing opportunities is built into bowhunting’s DNA. The sooner you reconcile with this reality, the faster you’ll recover.
Think of tough hunts as an opportunity for a reset. For me, that reset means stepping away from the pressure of hunting and returning to the fundamentals. “That hunt was tough. Let me make the next one easy.”
Between hunts, I don’t sit around replaying mistakes or scrolling social media. I’m in my backyard at first light, watching the sun rise while running my shot sequence.
I practice what I call “running the gauntlet,” systematically shooting at 20, 30, 40, 50, and 70 yards to reinforce confidence at every distance. The physical reps matter, but the real value is the mental reinforcement that my process works across all hunting scenarios.
If you struggled with some target anxiety on that last outing, don’t extend the distances. Instead, build confidence by keeping the spots big and the targets close. Get that Silverback out again and start pulling through and reinforcing the fundamentals.
When Target Panic Strikes Mid-Season
The most insidious threat to a bowhunter’s confidence is target panic: that sudden, often inexplicable anxiety that disrupts your shot sequence during the moment of truth.
If you’ve never experienced it, consider yourself lucky. If you have, you know how quickly it can derail an entire season.
When target panic creeps in, don’t panic about your panic. Instead, return to whatever tool or technique helped you develop your best shooting form in the first place.
As I mentioned above, for me, it’s the Silverback Plus tension release. I train with it for seven months before each season starts. If my shot process started breaking down or my accuracy dropped off, I’d go right back to that.
Your reset tool might be different: shooting at close range, using a different release, or working with a coach. Whatever helped you find your groove originally is the fastest way back when your confidence crumbles.
The key is having the self-awareness to recognize when you’re off track and the discipline to take immediate corrective action, even if it means temporarily stepping away from hunting opportunities but locking in on practice opportunities.
Visualization: Programming Your Success
The most powerful tool in my hunting arsenal isn’t my bow, release, or broadheads. It’s visualization.
A lot of people don’t believe in visualization (mentally rehearsing outcomes), but I love it. It isn’t some new-age concept; it’s a battle-tested technique I use in my competitive archery career, my football-playing days, and my professional life.
After two frustrating missed opportunities on mule deer this season, I didn’t spiral into doubt. Instead, during my next stalk, I mentally rehearsed every detail of a successful shot:
- Spotting the animal
- Planning the approach
- The sensation of lying back down in the canola field
- The controlled breathing as I prepared for the shot
- The feel of the rangefinder in my hand
- The precise motion of setting my sight
- How my pin would settle on the vitals
Though that particular deer never presented the shot I visualized, I was mentally primed for success. The visualization eliminated the anxiety that often leads to poor execution.
This technique counteracts the negative self-talk that derails so many hunts: “This’ll be the biggest buck I’ve ever shot… Wait ’til everyone sees this on social media… Oh crap, I don’t want to blow this one again… All my friends will make fun of me…”
These thoughts are performance killers. Replace them with positive outcome visualization to program your subconscious for success.
Putting It All Together: Your Slump-Breaking Protocol
When you find yourself in a hunting slump, follow this reset protocol:
- Accept the setback without letting it define you. Even the best bowhunters have bad days, weeks, months, and seasons.
- Get back to the basics. Practice your form, shot sequence, and release execution on familiar targets at comfortable distances.
- Rebuild confidence systematically. Once you’re comfortable, gradually expand your practice to include all potential hunting scenarios and distances.
- Analyze honestly but constructively. Review what went wrong without dwelling on it. Ask yourself, “Did I really have time to range? Did I set my sight correctly? Was the animal at a good angle?” Use these insights to improve, not to beat yourself up.
- Visualize success in detail. Create mental movies of perfect executions in scenarios you’re likely to encounter. Make these visualizations so vivid you can feel the success.
- Automate your process. Program your mind and body to execute under pressure without conscious thought.
Remember, hunting happens in real-time with countless variables you can’t control. What you can control is your preparation, mental state, and response to adversity.
Get Back to Basics
Bowhunting success isn’t linear. It comes in waves, with peaks of triumph and valleys of frustration. The hunters who tag out season after season aren’t immune to slumps. They’re just better at the reset.
So grab your bow, head to the backyard, and start rebuilding your confidence one arrow at a time. The animals will still be there when you’re ready, and next time, you’ll be prepared to make the shot count.
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