Try hard to get some good sleep once you're in there! For some of us, sleeping in new locations is a challenge and always has been.
Mentally Commit to staying in there as many days as you can and being alert ready and being still on your sit all the way up until end of legal shooting light. Being mentally ready to act.
When on your sit.... like if you feel you need to turn your head to look to one side or another... if you can't just rotate your eyes only and see it... if you want to avoid detection and giving yourself away... it should take you something like about 7 seconds to turn your head 90 degrees, if you don't want them to spot your movement. This is referring to having a sit location on the ground.
For ambush sits... TOTALLY get you a 3D Leafy suit in appropriate habitat colors!
Say to yourself "At the very least, I'm out in nature, getting exercise and getting myself out from within the 4 walls."
You will want to know that you've put forth the maximum effort (Hey! Like Deadpool, HaHA!) at committing and staying on-task. Otherwise, if you end up not being successful, you could incorrectly come to the conclusion that this place sucks and there are no deer here. When in fact... because you didn't commit to staying out right up until the end each day... and getting into position each day quite a bit before legal shooting time so the forest can calm back down to your presence... you likely missed the only one that ambled by your area you chose.
Make sure you've brought meds to anticipate things that will make you uncomfortable/miserable and more likely to quit. Like allergy controlling eye-drops. OTC Allergy meds like Zyrtec. Ibuprofen. OH!! And definitely remember to always bring Imodium and anti-acid/acid-blocker stuff.
Having dry clean underwear and socks is an amazing luxury you should consider indulging in. If it's hot there, consider bringing another pair of pants too... possibly.
I hope you've practiced getting into your pack like a turtle on his back. And walking your hands up your legs to support the weight as you rise to standing.
DEFINITELY bring at least 1 trekking pole. 3-section pole better, fits in pack better. And if and when you get lucky and are packing out meat? RESIST the urge to allow your walking gate to stretch out to take advantage of downhill gravity. Just DON'T DO IT!!! Purposefully take smaller, more careful steps than you normally would! If not? You'll mess around and while hiking out... if your foot slides on hard-pack... your foreleg can twist... rapidly... with a lot of force from all that weight bearing down on it... in a different direction that your upper leg... and you have the potentially to seriously EFF yourself over by possibly injuring knee tendons/ligaments!
Be mentally prepared for there to be lots of ticks on the underbelly of your deer. Your area might not have them like mine does though. Be mentally prepared for the Meat Bees (Yellow Jackets) which will want to come in and be all up in your business when you're deboning that deer meat! It's not about you though... they want that blood and meat. Just geeeently brush them to the side out of your current work area you're processing at the moment. Also RE: Meat Bees, I've learn to NOT completely remove the whole side of skin first... but instead just remove it from the current area I'm removing the muscles from... to minimize how much blood/flesh is exposed and attracting them. If you choose to gut the deer? Like if it's ridiculously hot where you are like where I go... then be sure to walk that gut sack a good distance AWAY from where you'll be processing the deer. Don't forget to get out his Tenderloins inside the pelvis!
And when you're all done... make sure you hide the skeleton in the bushes afterward. You don't need to be informing other possible hunters which may saunter thru afterward with evidence that deer are indeed taken here.
Make sure your gear can go down to the coldest of temps you may encounter during that timeframe. Whoo lawdy sucks to be awoken at 3am from being too cold and needing to put on cold clothes and boots because your sleeping gear is not for cold enough environments!
ALWAYS.... take more water than you think you'll need. And break it up into more than one container!
Take time when setting up your tent to ensure the floor is oriented so your head is either level with your feet, or slightly above your feel, never feet above head.
Don't forget your cathole digger! And wet wipes!!!
IF you get any kinda Sketchy vibe about a certain path you're taking or thinking of taking? Don't Do It! You get hurt out there you're EFF'd. BTW... for next time? Have your doctor give you an Rx for an opiate pain med. So that way... if you have a slip and fall crossing a simple creek and shatter your left wrist 4 miles from the truck... it'll suck slightly less!
Good luck Man! When you're finally successful with your first one? You're gonna be riding a mental high for like 1.5 months! ... Then the addicition begins!
It's detailed because it's all still fresh for me. I just started in 2014 @45yo
