1.Being a Game Hog
Have you ever been on a Pheasant hunt that required blockers and pushers? Is there someone in your group that is always the first to volunteer as a blocker and then remains a blocker throughout the course of the hunt? Don’t be that guy. We all know blockers get a majority of the shooting. Rotate with pushers accordingly and share the wealth. The same goes for the duck blind. Sometimes wind conditions, decoy set-up, and calling all lead to one side of the blind getting more shooting than the other. If you knock down 4 greenheads in a row and your buddies on the left side of the blind haven’t pulled the trigger yet, this is the beginning of a pattern for the day’s hunt. Offer to switch spots or pass on a few birds so everyone can get in on the shooting. Blind morale will be high, which is good for everyone. Same goes for lay out blinds in crop fields. Tell your buddies to slide their lay out blinds to the hot side of the spread if you’re on it and getting a majority of the shooting. Everyone wants to shoot, so do your best to ensure they get to. The close relative of the Game Hog is the “I Got Mine” guy. The “I Got Mine” guy insists on letting everyone in the group know he hit his target(s) when he pulled the trigger, often claiming other’s birds as his own. If you made a great shot, your buddies will let you know about it. Bragging and over-claiming birds is a one way road to not being invited back.

2.Hunting Bad Dogs
This is a sensitive one. A great bird dog is something to behold. Unfortunately very few dogs are great. Most aren’t even close and bad ones can ruin a hunt. And criticizing someone’s hunting dog isn’t very easy to pull off. A good place to start on the topic of bird dogs is whether you should include your dog in the hunt at all. Step one is determining if you are a guest on a hunt. Were you asked to bring your dog? Just because you’ve got a bird dog doesn’t mean it is automatically a part of the hunt. ONLY bring your dog if you are asked to. Period. If it’s your hunt, than you can call the shots. If you aren’t requested to bring your dog and feel the need to ask if you can bring it, the writing may be on the wall about your pooch and what, if any value it adds to the hunt.

This is a list of bird dog red flags we all need to be aware of:

• Pre-mature breaking from the blind while ducks or geese are working
• Consistently flushing Pheasants or Quail out of range
• Won’t retrieve
• Won’t honor a point
• Fights with other dogs
• Acts aggressively towards or bites humans
• Non-stop whining in the blind
• Doesn’t respond to basic commands
• You talk to your dog. Tell your dog a command, and if it doesn’t do what it’s told, make it do it. Period. Talking in sentences confuses dogs. Have your set of simple commands and make sure your dog understands them.
• Abusing electricity. Shock collars are a tool and not a crutch – use them accordingly. If you are shocking your dog every 5 minutes during a hunt, that dog needs more proper training and shouldn’t be in the field.

If you or your dog are guilty of any of the red flags above, you both need to make some changes. Easier said than done on a lot of them, but believe me, your hunting buddies will thank you for it and your overall bird hunting experience will improve dramatically.

3. Not Resting Your Spot
Waterfowl and upland game need a refuge. Depending on where and what you are hunting the roost or refuge can be the most important factor in a successful hunt. There is a reason why you can’t hunt Pheasants until noon in South Dakota, and you have to stop Pheasant hunting in Iowa at 4:30 – the birds need a rest during feeding times (generally in the mornings and late afternoon). If you find a piece of water that is black with ducks and geese, you’ve found an active waterfowl roost. When you have the option, hunt fields around the roost, or pockets of water far enough away that when you shoot the first duck or goose the entire roost doesn’t get up in alarm never to be seen again. You may have found the mother load of waterfowl, but chances are someone else knows about them and wants to hunt them too. If you shoot the roost you’ll most likely have a fantastic hunt. But it’s also most likely a one hunt deal. Save it and figure out a way to keep the birds on the roost and you won’t have one great shoot – you’ll have multiple really good ones. Your fellow hunter on your neighboring property will thank you for it, and I’m sure you’d like it if they did it for you. In addition to protecting the roost, the most successful duck clubs and Pheasant hunting operations all share one thing in common – they either hunt in the morning or afternoon, but never both.

4.Being Unsafe
Safety is #1, always. Whether you are hunting Quail in South Georgia, Pheasants in Iowa or waterfowl on the Canadian prairies, the first thing that should always happen is a pre-hunt safety talk. The biggest reason for a pre-hunt safety talk is getting everyone on the same page with what is and isn’t going to happen. Without it, you are asking for trouble. This is a list of topics that should be covered in your pre-hunt safety talk:

• Gun safeties only come off as you are raising your gun to your shoulder or when it is shouldered. No exceptions.
• Never shoot a bird on the ground.
• If you are using an over/under, keep it broken whenever you aren’t actually hunting. This means the gun is broken when you finish hunting a field and are standing around coming up with your next plan.
• Never swing your gun across a line of walking hunters. Keep your gun vertical, turn your body, and then raise your shotgun to shoot.
• Never load a gun in the car. It goes without saying that you should never shoot a gun out of a car – it’s illegal in almost every state and is unethical.
• Don’t shoot “over” people in a blind. At the least, you’ll ring their ears. At the most, it can be deadly.
• Always know where blockers or standers are when pushing a field. If there’s any doubt, hold your fire.
• Always know where the dogs are. If you don’t you shouldn’t shoot.
• Booze and hunting don’t mix. Not even one pre-hunt beer.
• When hunting waterfowl out of a blind, one person calls the shot. Only shoot when the shot is called. It’s the safest, and ensures everyone has a chance to shoot.

5.Showing Up Late
I won’t tolerate being late for a bird hunt. As far as I am concerned, if you are going to be late, you might as well not show at all. For waterfowl hunting, the first half hour is often the best part of the shoot. If you are late, you aren’t putting out decoys, brushing-up the blind, and doing all of the other things that have to happen before you load the guns and start the hunt. Joining an upland hunt late means you have to find your hunting partners in the field and you will in one way or another further inconvenience them by your tardiness. Be on time.

6.Bringing Too Many People
No one likes a crowded duck blind, too many lay out blinds on a goose hunt, or too many walkers on a Pheasant hunt. Occasionally “the more the merrier” works with bird hunting. Most often, the experience is better for everyone if you keep numbers down. If you have to, take turns in the blind or in the field- it’s safer and will improve the hunt for everyone.

7.Trespassing
Trespassing is first of all illegal. It’s also unethical. The simple solution is get permission before you hunt private land. I realize more and more land is private and lots of landowners won’t let the public hunt on their land. That doesn’t mean that their neighbor won’t let you hunt. When you trespass, you are giving all of us a bad name, which does nothing for the common good of hunters. Respect landowner’s wishes and don’t trespass on posted property.

Etiquette in the field goes a long way with everyone. One of the most important reasons to conduct yourself properly in the field is to provide the right example for new and young hunters. Hunting is a learned skill and those around you will follow your lead. Make sure you are leading properly.

4. Not taking your time

I chose this as a sin, because it is easy to make sense of when you think about how deer react to hunting pressure. They are using their keen hearing, sharp eyesight, and all world sense of smell to avoid you, all while moving very slowly. Doesn’t it make sense that we do the same? Now before you think I am a complete lunatic, think about this – how many times have you found yourself stumbling through the woods only to realize that you walked right past a group of deer, or walked right up on a big buck? How many times have you spotted a deer staring at you 25 feet from your tree stand? By slowing down and using your sight and hearing more tactfully, you may find exactly what I have: If you pay close attention to what you are doing and SLOW DOWN, you will catch many things that you may not have found out otherwise. It only takes one encounter with a big buck to harvest him. Take your time, be prepared at all times, and let your eyes and ears work for you. They will never compare to a deer’s senses, but they aren’t using Swarovski’s and carrying a Mathews, either. You will gloss over many potentially important clues or even a buck of a lifetime if you don’t.

5. Being lazy

This is actually one of the “original” seven deadly sins, and as far the seven deadly sins of whitetail hunting, it is probably the most common. This is a short list of things hunters often neglect and sometimes regret because they were too lazy to do the right thing:

• Not scouting enough. Use trail cameras – you don’t even need to be there. This is inexcusable.
• Not educating yourself and becoming proficient with the gun and load/bow and arrow combo you are using. I know many people who buy a new brand of slugs every year, and never fire a single shot at a target to see how they work. The same goes for broad heads.
• Not following up EVERY shot taken. Two of the largest bucks I have ever taken didn’t leave a speck of blood, but they were very dead when I found them hours later.
• Not getting up early enough. We all probably stay until the very last minute of shooting light in the evening – but are you entering your hunting area an hour before shooting light in the morning? An hour before shooting time is the latest I like to arrive in the morning. Simply put, you spook less deer when you do this.
• Rely strictly on deer drives. They work, I know, but deer are far more predictable when they are not chased and shot at by the “orange army”. Sitting on stand for hours on end gives less instant gratification, but will generally provide higher quality, closer shots.

• Not using modern techniques. You do not have to spend a fortune to become as scent free as possible. If you can’t afford Scent Lok, use perfume free detergent and a storage bag with crushed pine needles, and shower with no additive soap every time you go out. It helps.

6. Be an unethical hunter
This is one I find especially bothersome. Remember, no matter how many hunters do the right thing, it only takes a few who trespass, poach, or are unsafe to spoil the image for all of us. Especially now with gun control nuts and anti-hunters having a voice, we need to always do the right thing and make sure others do the same. Police each other, and respect laws and property owners, period.

7. Fail to have fun
When writing a piece like this, it is easy to sound stuffy, conceited, and like a know-it-all. I can produce a list like this very easily only because I have committed many if not all of these sins at one point or another in my whitetail hunting career. I am not a fun hater. I actually feel that most hunters need to have more fun and stop taking everything so seriously. But there is a right way and a wrong way to accomplish this. I’ve found that by avoiding these sins, my success has increased exponentially and I’ve begun to have a lot more fun as well. Part of my enjoyment comes from seeing my hard work pay off harvesting several 150”+ bucks in the past 10 years. Even more fulfillment comes from knowing I did it the right way. It took commitment to sticking with a few basic principles and not repeating the mistakes I figured out along the way.

1) Don’t go in with a plan
It is generally best to keep things simple regardless of the task. This holds true with whitetails. However, there are things that are “musts” when a mature Whitetail Buck is your quarry. Be mindful of all things that are in your control. More simply put, this equates to going into a hunt with a plan. When you are planning your hunt for the following day/evening/week, take a look at things from a fifty thousand foot view. Do all the things you are planning to do seem to fit together into a solid overall plan? Just make sure you are being consistent in all the different things you will be doing, especially the details. A couple examples of this are: Being mindful of the wind on approach to your stand only to have your wind blowing into a bedding area once you get there. Another is wearing warm enough clothes to stay on stand all day during the rut or not watching the weather report. If it rains, you have no raingear, and are soaked and have to call it quits (this actually happened to me last year). The fact of the matter is one little overlooked detail in a plan can ruin an entire hunt. We spend a lot of time and money doing this thing we love, so make sure that you are doing everything in your power to maximize your hunts with a solid plan before the hunt starts.

2) Not knowing your hunting area
Do you ever notice when walking through your hunting area in spring, whether you are looking for sheds, turkeys, or mushroom hunting, how many different features reveal themselves that you otherwise never would have known were there? A major scrape line in a thicket, a bedding area you didn’t know deer really used, or an escape route in to a sanctuary are all prime examples. I realized I was discovering all of these great things about how deer behaved on a piece of property, and then doing nothing with it and going right back to my old routines once deer season rolled around.

Then I changed. I started taking note when I noticed patterns. Some of them inevitably remain the same the following year, and others change. But if you make it a point to remember and apply what you are learning about a property from year to year, I assure you your success will increase, and you may start to enjoy hunting more. There will be fewer frustrations from not repeating mistakes. Just like anything else, what you learn is important, but it is even more important to use that knowledge properly.

3) Not setting goals for your hunt/ hunting property
You may think goals are only set by athletes or people who buy a Tony Robbins motivational tape. I think it is a very logical thing to do as a whitetail deer hunter. Whether you are hunting with a group utilizing QDM (Quality Deer Management) practices on a large tract of land, or are hunting on grandpa’s north forty, you are looking to harvest a specific animal or animals. For many, it’s putting meat in the freezer for the year. For a farmer, their goal may be to reduce the total number of deer on their land to reduce crop damage. For a property owner or Manager, there may be several different harvest goals set to improve the overall health of the herd and increase the number of older age class bucks.

There are many different sets of expectations from different hunters and these expectations and goals should be recognized and acted upon to improve the quality of the hunt, as well as the quality of the property hunted. For example, if your goal is to harvest two mature, 150” bucks on a parcel of land per year, you shouldn’t expect to accomplish this without at the very least a solid management plan that will aid in the survival of bucks to the age of 4.5-5.5. A good rule to follow getting to your goals is all bucks estimated 3.5 years old walk, regardless of the circumstances or antler size. Another strategy is to plant late season food plots to encourage deer to stay on your land through the difficult winter months and later hunting seasons. A few other tactics are improving bedding cover, improving the buck/doe ratio, or if you don’t own property, set group rules that encourage what you are trying to accomplish on that property. I could go on and on with this one, but the point is this: Set goals for your hunting season / hunting land, and do whatever it takes to accomplish them. Get everyone who you hunt with involved and educate them on what you are trying to accomplish and why. When done properly, you soon will be accomplishing whatever goals that you set, which makes for a better experience for everyone.

(Click here to read Part 2)

1. Kevin Bacon, playing Chip Diller in Animal House, may have said it best: “Remain calm. All is well!”
Opposition to hunting is an emotional response, not a rational one. Never forget this vital truth, and never willfully enter into a war of emotions with an anti. Neither you nor your partner in dialogue will even hear what the other is saying, begging the question: why have the conversation in the first place?

2. The Boy Scouts had it right: Be prepared
We have all had this conversation numerous times, so there is absolutely no excuse not to have your argument at-the-ready, and at all times. If you get caught off-guard, it is your own fault.

3. Use appropriate supporting evidence
Before you get into sustainable harvests, genetic improvement of the herd, the involvement of hunters in conservation organizations, etc., ask them one question: How do animals die in the wild? Of course you know that animals perish in Mother Nature one of three ways: starvation, predation or disease. Needless to say, these are very unpleasant ways to exit this mortal coil. Remind them that instantaneous death is far more humane than any of Mother Nature’s alternatives. A note about Mother Nature: she is a noble woman, and hunting is a noble pursuit; it is a gentleman’s sport. Both She and hunting should be spoken of with due reverence.

4. Keep it simple, stupid
Be clear, be sharp, be concise. More often than not, if this conversation lasts more than ten or fifteen minutes, you are beating a dead horse, and you have lost your audience (see “begging the question”, #1).

5. Be polite
When you are speaking to antis, you are speaking on behalf of all hunters. Extend your brethren the courtesy of not making us all look like horse’s asses (that is the liberal media’s job). You would only be reinforcing previously held beliefs, and hurting us all in the process. The object of this process is to improve our image.

6. Observe!
As you are a highly trained hunting expert, this ought to be easy. My all-time favorite tactic in these conversations is to point out two simple items on your adversary’s body: their belt and their shoes. All leather, 90% of the time (the shoes, in particular). Calmly remind them that something died in order for them to be stylish. Ask them whether or not they have leather seats in their car, whether or not they eat meat, and remind them that the animals that died for their plates and their pleasure were never afforded the opportunity of life in the wild. (Author’s note: the shoes/belt trick will not work if speaking with hemp aficionado Woody Harrelson…you’ll have to improvise).

7. You are not going to win
Put your delusions of grandeur aside, and accept the fact that you are not William Jennings Bryan. Even if you were, it would not matter. You, with your fine mind, keen wit, and excellent supporting data, are not going to change the mind of an anti. It has been said that all of the facts in the world will not dissuade a liberal, and this is a similar scenario. Again – and this bears repeating – their opposition is emotional, not rational. The goal is to state your case well, to be reasonable, charming, and calm, and to instill in the listener an improved understanding of our venerable sport.

There you have it. Now go forth and conquer…or at least tutor a bit.

1. Calling Too Much

Just about every call maker or pro-staffer would have you believe your call is your secret weapon for waterfowl hunting. It certainly can be the ticket on specific days, and it is important to be a proficient caller. However, if pressed, I’d place it far further down the list of importance than I think most would. Let’s face it: we love to hear ourselves call. I’ll be the first to admit it. But if you do not know when and how to call properly, you can spook 10x as many birds as you are calling into the decoys. One way many good callers explain how to remedy overcalling is by calling to wingtips and tail feathers of the birds. If they are coming in on their own, let them come. You do NOT need to coax unless they hang-up outside of the decoys. Then hit them with a quick sequence, just to get those wings locked again and keep quiet until you call the shot. My dad says it best, “it has to be their idea, you just need to finish the thought.”

Now that I’ve explained why not to overcall, let me tell you the one exception to the rule as far as when to call, call, call until they are in the dekes: travel or flight days (cold, blustery, northwest wind days when new birds are migrating into your area). I usually call to these birds until their feet are down. Migrating birds are searching out safety by sight and sound of other birds, and you can at times put them on a string with your call. The days following travel days, back off a bit and see what happens. But please, put your highball in your pocket. That is a call I wish hunters would give up forever. I hunt waterfowl 30+ days a year and I use a highball maybe three or four days a season and that is it – the point is use the highball sparingly and only when truly needed.

2. Overlooking the Little Things

As I age as a waterfowl hunter, I make it a point to do the little things that might improve your hunt. When you watch the fourth flock of birds pump out of your blocks at the last minute, try to visualize what the problem is. You may not actually come up with a solution, but, if you do not try to figure out what the problem is and change things up a bit, you really shouldn’t expect anything to change, should you? Check things out from downwind and see if anything catches your eye. Ask yourself: could the blind use a little more material? Are the decoys tipped over or touching? Do the birds have a place to land? Does the spacing look natural between the decoys? Is there anything shining? These are all questions to ask when things aren’t going as planned. If you find anything looks or feels off, fix it, cover it up or move it. Make sure the “little things” are done properly, and your hunting success will increase dramatically.

3. Movement

There are several things waterfowl key on while working your spread. The biggest is movement. To birds, movement within the spread is natural and means safety. Everything outside of the spread should remain motionless (minus wind of course). Movement equals getting noticed, and getting noticed is no good. If they are looking at you instead of for you, expect birds to flare and tough shots. Stay as motionless as possible until the shot is called.

4. Showing Your Face

A hunter showing their face in the sun is quite possibly my biggest pet peeve in waterfowling. Maybe or even greater in importance to movement is watching waterfowl work with a non-camoed face. Stand back from your blind a hundred yards or so, and have someone peek out the top exposing their face. It sticks out like a sore thumb. It is perhaps the most unnatural looking thing that could possibly exist in a field or marsh. We all like to watch birds work because it is one of the more enjoyable parts of waterfowl hunting – but either mask or camouflage your face. If you won’t do this, then keep your face down completely and trust the caller calls the shot when the birds are in the kill hole. More birds flare from a shiny face than pretty much anything else – trust me. Take a look at boats on a marsh or blinds in a field and look to see what sticks out….it will blow you away.

(Click here to read Part 2)

5. Taking Shots You Don’t Fully Expect to Make – The Sky Bust

This is a waterfowl sin that if not broken, will dramatically raise your connection rate on birds, and make for an overall better experience for you and everyone else on the marsh and field. Think of it this way: if there is even a shadow of a doubt you won’t make a perfectly clean kill when you pull the trigger, you probably should not pull it. This rule has held true for me more often than not, because generally, I’ve found this to be around 25-35 yards for me and just about everyone else, as well. At this range you can definitively distinguish drakes from hens of almost any species. More importantly, you have a good dense pattern and whether you are shooting steel 6’s or Hevi-Shot 8’s, birds fold cleanly. Another benefit of this rule is you are not educating birds. Sky busting makes birds extremely wary and flare prone at a hundred yards away from your decoys and blind, and this hurts everyone. Just because modern ammunition extends your range doesn’t change the fact that the sport of waterfowling is based on using your gear and skills to get them CLOSE.

6. Poor Etiquette and Safety

This includes a wide variety of things that are all very important. First of all they can be annoying. More importantly, they can compromise safety and the overall enjoyment of the experience. Since this involves so many different topics, I chose to list some of the more obvious and important things to avoid and why.

• Bringing a poorly trained dog – it ruins shooting opportunities and makes for a very unpleasant and uncomfortable experience for everyone.
• Not setting up early enough – you miss some of the best shooting opportunities of the day and possibly ruin a few for others while you are rushing to get your set-up complete.
• Shooting outside of your lanes in a blind – who hasn’t had their ears rung by a questionable shot? An easy remedy: if you question whether or not you should be shooting, don’t. ALWAYS error on the side of caution.
• Not blinding properly – you have already spent thousands on gear to this point, so don’t skimp on something as plentiful and free as blinding material in the field.
• Inviting too many people on a hunt – we all enjoy sharing a prime shoot with our friends, but if you bring too many people at once, it will be less safe, less comfortable, and overall just plain less enjoyable. Invite friends by all means -just stay within your blind’s size limitations.
• Continuing to call at birds working someone else’s spread – this confuses the birds and is poor sportsmanship. If another group has birds locked-up, leave them alone, and hopefully they will do the same for you.
• Down-winding someone’s spread – a sometimes effective (and very dirty) technique employed by setting up downwind, and generally too close to another decoy setup/hunter. Ducks and geese both use the wind to work a spread. If you set up downwind of another hunter, you will likely be tempted to shoot at birds passing at marginal range as they work into the wind to get to the upwind decoy set-up where they were likely set up first, and this is just plain wrong. If you do this, expect to get yelled at if you are lucky. I shudder at what I’ve seen done to the not-so-lucky.

• Frown upon others for their passion – I once HATED snow geese, now I can’t live without them.

7. Not Passing On the Tradition

This may not seem worthy of being labeled a “sin”, but think about it for a minute. Waterfowling is a sport that is enjoyed with others. It is an activity that becomes more like a religion than anything else as it is taught and passed along from father to son, mentor to student, etc. Without my father to teach me, and others with a passion to learn from me, where would I be? Ask yourself this question, and pass along the right traditions to the right people, or we will only have ourselves to blame for the bleak future of waterfowl hunting.

1. Fishing Cold Water vs. Warm Water
When the water warms up during the summer months, striped bass go down to deeper depths in order to cool down their bodily temperatures. Stripers are cold blooded “Poikilotherm’s” which means they must regulate their temperature by external means. To counter their habits, you must find the cooler water eddies in your location – usually lower than 75 degrees Fahrenheit with the best temperature around 55 degrees. The hotter it is, the deeper the better!

2. Too Much Drag vs. Too Little Drag
Striped Bass are aggressive fighters, but they do have toothless mouths. That said, do not be afraid of them biting through the line. When a big one is on the hook and the drag is too firm, you risk the hook ripping right out of the to-be trophy’s mouth. In order to counter this, the drag system on any reel must be set accordingly. Do not be afraid to have it on the looser end, after all, a tired fish after a few minutes of running is better than a lost fish with a big hole in its jaw. Just do not be afraid to set the hook!

3. Using Artificial Bait vs. Live Bait
Live bait should almost always be your first choice for Striped Bass, but sometimes it is hard to come by. Artificial bait has been proven to out-fish plain old live bait in some situations. Although a few companies have been around for years, newer artificial bait products such as ‘Sluggo’, ‘Gulp,’ and ‘Storm’ incorporate special materials and scientific research in order to give you more productive artificial bait. When fishing these products, it is important to consult the directions so they are fished properly.

4. Targeting Protected Waters vs. Open Ocean
Think inlets – the open ocean is too vast of an area to target Stripers. Rather than combing the Atlantic stick to the inlets, inter-coastal waterways, and rocky structures. This is because when the season opens, the Stripers are returning to their salt water domains to roam around until breeding time returns. Inlets provide both salt and fresh water (commonly referred to as brackish water), where the bass operate. Furthermore, inlets usually offer plenty of rocks as they are dredged to the sides to protect beaches against tides, weather, etc… These rocks are where the Bass congregate and commonly hunt for unassuming prey.

5. Fishing Darkness vs. Daylight
Striped Bass are predominantly nocturnal creatures, meaning they hunt in the darkness, and are less active during the day. When casting into the darkness, it is important to use a lure that shocks the area surrounding it. The idea is for the fish to feel the vibrations, and hear the rattles as well as the gushes of water as it is being pulled through the surf. This allows the fish to locate, isolate, and then strike the lure. The darker it is, the darker the lure must be – no joke!

6. High Tide vs. Low Tide
It is difficult to say when the fishing is better – high tide or low tide. It is dependent upon the area you are targeting. However, fishing for stripers is always most productive about 45 minutes before the tide returns or goes out.

7. Sea Lice vs. No Sea Lice
When Striper season opens, many people target estuaries and channels that flow into the ocean. Although fishing these areas is very productive, they are often polluted with run-off from the surrounding shore. In order to check whether or not a Striper is what scientists call a ‘holdover’ or is a migratory fish check for sea lice. When Bass come inshore from the ocean they carry small lice – most often on their fins and stomach. This means that the fish is migratory, which ultimately makes for a safer meal on the dining room table.

1. Insisting on Using Your Deer Rifle for Plains Game

Americans love their whitetail rifles. The natural tendency is to apply all those years of success with your 7 MM on whitetails, mule deer, and elk and then transfer it directly to your plains game list. Do yourself a favor – buy a .375 H&H and shoot everything with it. If you’re going to hunt cape buffalo, the .375 is the minimum by law in a lot of countries. Keep it simple and use the .375 for everything. All popular North American calibers can and will decimate African plains game – but the point is you’re going to have a long list of animals and the .375 will maximize your hunting time because it is a very deadly caliber with more room for error than the 7 MMs of the world. From the minute your safari starts, the clock is ticking and you’re trying to accomplish as much as you can in a set amount of time. A .375 helps you meet your goals. Your PH will also thank you when you show up and shoot .5 inch groups at 100 yards with it.

2. Not Hunting Cape Buffalo

I believe cape buffalo should be on everyone’s trophy list – whether it’s your first safari or fifth. They are challenging, exciting and rewarding to hunt. In addition, they compliment the long list of plains game very well. Days of following a herd of buffalo, getting busted over and over again, getting out-maneuvered and finally connecting on a proper Dagga Boy is a truly great experience. Every hunter I know who hasn’t hunted buffalo on their first safari has regretted it.

3. Hunting Leopard

The first thing I need to state is that I’ve never killed a leopard on safari. I’ve been in leopard blinds where elephants raged at lions because their paths happened to cross 20 yards in front of my blind – and I didn’t know whether the elephants or lions were going to take an exit strategy that included crushing my blind with me in it. Leopard hunting can be very exciting but it is also time consuming. I don’t consider my time wasted not having connected with a leopard on my first two safaris. But those safaris would have been more enjoyable if leopard hunting wasn’t part of the program. Leopard hunting is a grind – you shoot bait, hang bait, check bait (you will become intimately familiar with your “bait run”), build blinds, and then you finally have to get lucky with a mature leopard tom coming in during shooting light. Leopard hunting related activities eat away at the rest of your safari. You could get lucky and shoot a monster cat, which would be great. However, odds are you won’t because of the nature of leopard hunting. Bottom line: hunt plains game and cape buffalo and save the leopard hunting games for your next safari.

4. Wearing a Pith Helmet

Pith helmets are not cool. If you are Teddy Roosevelt collecting game for the Smithsonian in 1909, they are acceptable. In fact, if you are Teddy Roosevelt you can do whatever you want. Keep it simple and high quality when it comes to safari style. Boyt and Beretta both carry a line of great stuff that will meet your needs and have you looking sharp in the field.

5. Not Taking Great Pictures

High quality photography is critical on safari. You want great pictures to accompany the trophies that will have a final resting place on your wall. Take the time to set-up pictures properly: remove as much blood as possible from the animal, get the light right, fill the frame, use a tri-pod, take multiple photos, etc… If you don’t have the skills to take great pictures, your PH should, so don’t be afraid to ask him to take the time to ensure your pictures are great. In addition to taking great photos, there’s no reason you shouldn’t shoot some video while on safari either. Bring a small HD video camera and have your PH film some of your stalks and the shot. Your fellow Trophy Room Members will appreciate it too because they’ll get to re-live your safari on trophyroom.com.

6. Pulling the Trigger on Sub-Par Trophies

Anyone who hasn’t pulled the trigger on a sub-par trophy on safari and regretted it, hasn’t been on safari (or has been very lucky) long enough. It may have been mistakenly taking a mare rather than the stallion from a herd of zebras in a rushed moment, or shooting a 48 inch kudu when your PH has been telling you there are 55’s in the area and patience will be rewarded. Believe me, it doesn’t matter how many Ruark, Hemingway, or Capstick books you’ve read – you aren’t ready to judge African trophies. You also didn’t fly half way around the world and write a huge check to shoot small stuff. If the goal is to shoot high quality trophies that are mature representations of the species, tell your PH. Judging trophies is one of the most important roles for a PH. The rest is on you – don’t get antsy and start shooting inferior animals because you have 4 days left and you haven’t shot your kudu or eland yet. Do your part – shoot well and be patient – you will have very few regrets and a wall of superior trophies to show for it.

7. Only Going for 7 Days

You need more than 7 days on safari. If you are hunting a high fence operation for plains game, you can most likely accomplish what you want in 7 days. I won’t hunt high fence operations (anywhere in the world) – for personal reasons and think it is important to have a minimum of 14 days (21 days + is better) on safari. First off, you aren’t going to feel acclimated until about day five as a result of jet lag. Secondly, there is nothing worse than a time crunch on a hunting trip. Put yourself in a position to be successful – this means time to evaluate trophies, be picky, hunt hard and don’t get drunk every night. The result will be multiple high quality trophies “in the salt” and a great safari.

1. Movement
Turkeys are not inherently smart creatures, but they were granted a few blessed traits that help keep them alive. One of them is vision. I’ve gotten away with a shift here or a lean there, but if you move, I promise more often than not, you will be seen, and turkeys will become much more scarce. I actually think that staying completely still is more important than camo. I’d bet on a statue in blaze orange over a fidgety hunter in a ghillie suit every day of the week. Turkeys key on movement as danger. Period. So don’t move.

2. Over-Calling
Who in their right mind doesn’t enjoy a fired up tom ripping gobbles back to your every peep? But if you call too much you are going to build that bird’s ego to the point that he may just stop and wait for you to come to him. That is how nature works. If you have turkey hunted enough, then you know you want the Tom to have an idea of where you are and that you are available – that’s it. Leave the rest to his imagination – or your decoys.

3. Sleeping In
You are not a Ninja. Turkeys can see when it’s light out. So get into position in the morning when it’s not. Enough Said.

4. Poor Preparation
If you wait until the last night before season to gather calls, shells, camo, blind, decoys and such, you will inevitably enter the woods short an item or two. Have you ever tried calling in a bird by mouth because your diaphragm call is lying in a box in your basement? Don’t ask. Just make a list and make sure that everything on it is within reach.

5. Laziness
If the best approach to a bird on the roost is across the river and from the other side of the mountain, take it. A spooked bird doesn’t respond well to the opposite sex.

6. Calling it Quits Too Early
I have killed nearly as many birds in the afternoon as morning. They tend to gobble less, but often have been abandoned by their female friends. A lonely tom is a vulnerable one. Stick it out if the weather is stable and there is little wind.

7. Sticking with Tactics that aren’t Producing
By definition, it is insanity. If you get close to a tom on the roost two days in a row, and he answers every call you make, but doesn’t come in, DO NOT keep doing it. Come in from the opposite side of the farm, switch calls, try decoys, get rid of the decoys, whatever. Switch it up. A change in tactics might be his death sentence. But you will never know unless you go the extra mile and try it.

To be a successful hunter, regardless of the game, YOU GOTTA WANT IT! Live and hunt by that Mantra, and I promise you a wall full of trophies and a mind full of great memories.