Hunting Mindset: how to break slumps and fear?

[JeeperCreeper]

Great to hear things are sorting themselves out. I did notice you mentioned beer-league sports. While exercise is important, be more cautious about alcohol intake during the times you're "out of sorts." It can be a depressant and may also screw up sleep pattern, especially, it seems, as we get older. I'm certainly no tea-totaler but I've had a lot of very bad stuff going on in my life and at age 72 I definitely feel the impact in the middle of the night if I've had more than one after trap league. So it's usually a diet pop for me at the pub. But if I'm feeling really "good" (and shooting great ), I may imbibe. But only one lite beer. There was a time I'd drink a six-pack with dinner ... half a lifetime ago.

Ah, I mean "beer league" as "adult rec sports" where it's low key fun haha

Luckily I drink like one beer a month, if that. My biggest concern about beer league is proper hydration and warming up well enough to not be hurting at work the next day haha.

 

[Philip Glass]

One thing about hunting overseas is that you are too far from home to do anything anyway. My only trouble is getting into the third week away from home really gets me homesick. Two weeks and I’m good but that third week does present a challenge.

 

[3chunter]

My first trip to Africa I wasn’t able to enjoy it like i should have due to some family circumstances mostly caused by my wife at time deciding she wanted to cheat and try to destroy me. She wouldn’t let me see my son for months and because of Covid the courts were backlogged. Anyway. Everyone has their own share of life problems.
Now, I’m in so much of a better spot in life. I moved back to the country where I can pee off the back porch and hunting is life again like it used to be. I stay single now and I don’t have to deal with much bullshit whatsoever in life.
I always did like being free, and now I can do what I want and when I want and don’t have to answer to anyone other than GOD.

I guess my biggest regret over the last couple years now is how on earth did I not move to a red dot sight on my turkey gun sooner. That thing is the ticket to killing turkeys stone dead easily everytime. I used to go through bad shooting slumps on turkeys but not anymore. I guess that maybe a by product of not getting my eyes checked in 30 years but whatever. 4 for 4 this year on turkeys with the red dot. Funny thing though I shot lights out with just the bead on my last duck hunt. Go figure.
I guess what I am trying to say is, get your life to a point that bad shooting slumps on wild game is the majority of your worries.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

My first trip to Africa I wasn’t able to enjoy it like i should have due to some family circumstances mostly caused by my wife at time deciding she wanted to cheat and try to destroy me. She wouldn’t let me see my son for months and because of Covid the courts were backlogged. Anyway. Everyone has their own share of life problems.
Now, I’m in so much of a better spot in life. I moved back to the country where I can pee off the back porch and hunting is life again like it used to be. I stay single now and I don’t have to deal with much bullshit whatsoever in life.
I always did like being free, and now I can do what I want and when I want and don’t have to answer to anyone other than GOD.

I guess my biggest regret over the last couple years now is how on earth did I not move to a red dot sight on my turkey gun sooner. That thing is the ticket to killing turkeys stone dead easily everytime. I used to go through bad shooting slumps on turkeys but not anymore. I guess that maybe a by product of not getting my eyes checked in 30 years but whatever. 4 for 4 this year on turkeys with the red dot. Funny thing though I shot lights out with just the bead on my last duck hunt. Go figure.
I guess what I am trying to say is, get your life to a point that bad shooting slumps on wild game is the majority of your worries.

You shoot waterfowl better because you're wingshooting waterfowl bodies, not target shooting their heads. I have never understood this aversion to shooting turkeys in the body. Apparently, there's no law against it. But "it's just not done." Why? Most everyone I know who hunts turkeys during the fall shoots them on the fly or on the roost in the body because they're not in the rut and can't be called in for target shots. In Montana it's even legal to shoot them with a rifle ... during the fall season. Seems to me a dead turkey is a dead turkey. Remove pellets and cook it up, just like any other bird.

Do your best to stay close to your son. Didn't see my daughter by first marriage but four times between age twelve and last Christmas. She will be 46 in a couple of weeks. I finally had to give up. Courts in Montana were/are a joke (elected judges = only drunks and losers run for office). My ex is on husband #4 (or 5?) with multiple extracurricular activity in between. She's left quite a trail of messed up kids behind. Try to hang in there for your son as much as possible. Good luck. Glad you're doing better. Been there.