Wise Words from Big Buck Killers

  As deer season begins around the country, I was curious as to what separated a guy like me, from those guys on the Outdoor Channel that consistently kill big deer and never seem to get rattled (excuse the pun). Every time I see a deer and make the subconscious decision to shoot, my entire body begins this insane ritual where every possible bit of adrenaline in my system completely dumps all at once and it takes every single fiber of my being to hold it together just long enough to make a shot. Unfortunately, this also affects my judgement as I often perceive things while in the moment as being much longer and rushed than they actually are. This leads to rushed shots, which ends up in three ways for me, by the grace of God I pull it off and make a perfect shot, I make a marginal shot, or I miss completely. 
  I was able to determine that my mindset was the main cause of my downfall, I get too excited, too quickly. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, everyone should get excited to be in the woods and even more so when a critter is within range, but what was it that separated me from the guys that consistently hold themselves together when there's a once in a lifetime buck standing in front of them at 20 yards? What better way to find out than to ask every one of them?! (Or at least the ones that would take the time to talk with me.)

  So, I started off by asking, "What would be the best thing to work on in the summer to prepare you for when that big buck comes out and presents a shot?" it eventually evolved into what do you do to mentally prepare you for that shot, how do you not get nervous?! 

“The secret to buck fever is to not get rid of it. The secret to buck fever is to embrace it, yet, still perform through it. Forming muscle memory with countless hours of practice is the trick. I call it ‘going into auto pilot.’…think of it as practicing something so much that you’re still pretty good at it while you’re drunk. Your mind is all screwed up, but your body is still able to pull it off because you have done it a million times. You can’t fight or get rid of being drunk; all you can do is practice so much that you’re able to do it drunk.

Believe it or not, I sometimes will smile at the deer. A slight chuckle inside then I smile. Sounds crazy, but try it. Deep slow breaths to lower [the] heart rate. Once I realize it’s a shooter, I never look at the rack again. It’s all about ranging him and picking a small spot to aim. Just letting your pin float around the vitals didn’t work for me. I pick a small spot on the deer, like a fluff of hair or dark spot, or a crease, or rib. 

That and make sure to practice in all your gear, like masks and gloves. That stuff can change your anchor point. I’ve had thick gloves and masks screw me up on big deer.. I practiced in my fall shit, but switched to heavier gear in the winter and I missed a couple deer before I realized what the problem was.”

           - Chip Spaulding (aka Chip City)

“As far as equipment… Practice, practice, practice. I try to shoot a few arrows every day, and sometimes in the clothes, gloves, face mask, etc., that I’ll be hunting in to prepare for that moment as close as possible.”

- Jeff Lindsey (The Lindsey Way)

“… focus on the mental side. Focus on how you mentally prepare yourself for these situations. What you do to calm your nerves, focus on the task at hand.”

 - Clint Casper

“Savor every second, even if you don’t get a shot, you work all year for something that’s only going to last 20 seconds, so try to savor every moment you’re in the presence of that buck.”

- Austin Chandler

  After taking in every bit of advice these gentlemen gave me, it confirmed how different they all are. Every one of us shares that absolute drive to get better, to get out there and just get after it; but these guys are able to consistently put big deer down and each one has their own method. 

For me, I'm going to take bits and pieces from each of them and hopefully build a method/ritual that works for me. I'm going to savor every second that buck is there, and smile, I'm going to focus on remaining calm and making smooth methodical movements to settle my pin on that tuft of hair just behind the shoulder, and slowly squeeze off my shot and follow through up until impact. Granted, this sounds good on paper, so let's just see how it all pans out. 

Good luck to everyone that's heading out to the woods this season, please be safe, wear a harness, bring water, and God bless!

-Chris Johnson

Adapt and Overcome

  Hey everyone! And thank you for visiting Johnson Outdoors! Today I'm going to talk about adapting to new changes and learning new ways to overcome any obstacles that may be in your way.

  For those readers that are new to my little blog, or for those that didn't already know, I am active duty military (U.S. Coast Guard), but I'm doing everything I can to follow my dream of making a name for myself in the outdoor industry. One of the ways I'm doing that is by, not only writing in this blog, but also trying to film my hunts throughout the country and taking advantage of every opportunity I'm afforded.
  When I transfer to a new unit, I get a small say in where I go; it's called a "dream sheet". With this "dream sheet" I am given a list of billets (jobs) that are open for the position I hold, then you get to list those from the places you want most, to those you want the least. When choosing my billet, I think about not only the unit and what that might be like, but also where it's located and what sort of hunting and fishing opportunities I may be afforded there. These past couple months I've been doing just that, I got transferred from South Florida, where I'm from, to Northern Illinois. Huge change right?

Fishing
  My biggest adjustment came with figuring out what type of freshwater fish were up here and how to target them. Luckily for me, I'm stationed with a friend that's grown up fishing the Great Lakes, so I was able to learn a lot from him. Unlike South Florida fishing, here, its mostly panfish and catfish that get targeted so small hooks and nightcrawlers or leeches get the best results. First time out we ended up with six channel cats, so its safe to say that i think I'll be just fine with fishing up here.

Hunting
  It's a huge difference hunting up here compared to down south, the regulations are vastly different and I'm still getting used to learning how everything is up here. Only way to learn is to get out there and try right? So I've gotten all my licenses, and since Illinois is a primarily bowhunting state, there are a good amount of public land areas that allow bowhunting only, I've looked up the different public land areas around me and what they require to hunt them. I've also applied for a couple firearm permits so should I not be successful with the bow, I can still try with my shotgun which will also be a new experience for me. So stay tuned for any updates on how my season goes up here.

Overcoming Obstacles
  So as anyone trying to get into this industry knows, it takes a ton of blood, sweat, and tears. And over these past few years, I can tell you there are more tears than anything else, but if you're willing to put in the work and not give up, there are plenty of opportunities out there! This past weekend I had a fantastic opportunity to meet some of the biggest names in the hunting industry at Deer Fest. I got to talk with Lee and Tiffany Lakosky, Pat and Nicole Reeve, and Kip Campbell! I've looked up to these people my whole life and getting the chance to meet and talk hunting with them was by far the coolest thing I could have ask for.

  I had been getting a little discouraged, my initial excitement of moving to the land of giants had been dashed by my frustration of trying to figure out the regulations for the area. I hadn't given up on pursuing my dream, but it definitely fell on the back burner for a little while. Talking with Pat, Lee, Tiffany and Kip re-ignited that passion, and since this weekend, I feel as if I have a fire lit under me. Pat had noticed my Scent Crusher hat and we began to talk about how I held a Field-Staff position for them, he asked who all I was on with, and when I said Dead Ringer, he cracked this big grin and said "ohhh we like them too!" It was awesome, I had dreamed of being able to rub elbows with these people and here I had one standing in front of me smiling! I'll never forget what he told me, it almost brings tears of joy to my eyes as I'm writing this. He told me, "You're doing everything right, you've gotten on with some great companies. You know, we've been at this for 30 years, just keep doing what you're doing, and I guarantee you'll make it [in this industry]" I could barely contain my emotions, all the hard work, all the rejection, the advertising that seemed to fall on deaf ears, it all was finally coming together. After I took a picture with the Reeves and thanked them for everything, I  got to meet Kip Campbell. I had always wanted to meet Kip, from watching his show, to the commercials, just everything about him on TV made me think that he was definitely someone I would want to be around, and I'm happy to say that he is the most genuine person I have ever met. We talked about the commercials, the show, and overall about how many people in the industry (and out of the industry) aren't as they seem, I won't name drop. but his experiences kind of opened my eyes to how big some of the egos in the industry are, and it was very nice to see he was not one of those people.

So, what was taken away from this? There are many genuine people in the industry, and even though you always hear that, it's nice to see the truth behind it. I've looked up to these people so much and to see that they truly live up to their name and are genuinely great people. It puts things into perspective that as long as you stay yourself and remain humble, there is a spot for you in this industry. And even though I held these men and women in high regards before, now, I have gained even more respect for them and everything they've accomplished.

-Chris Johnson