THE ANATOMY OF A GREAT HUNT

Left:

Carly Brasseux practices to shoot at long distance with her Tikka 25-06.

Below:

Carly cries over an emotional harvest of a mule deer doe.

Below: Carly takes free-range aoudad in the Texas Panhandle. It’s added to the Safari Club International’s record book at 1387/8 inches as a silver medal trophy.

We should start a great hunt by managing our expectations for what is and is not realistic for the game we’re after. That way, we look forward to the experience as opposed to an impossible outcome because we’ve set our expectations too high. We allow ourselves space to “miss the mark” on a harvest.

As I prepare for an upcoming mule deer hunt in Montana, I start with managing my own expectations. Do we all want to take a trophy of a lifetime? Of course. But how important is a rack in the grand scheme of a great hunt? The expectation for my Montana hunt is to enjoy time in a beautiful place with an inspirational team around me, to study wildlife in their natural habitat, and to experience a new adventure.

What about the internal anatomy of a great hunt? How do you manage the logical, physical, and emotional anatomy of a memorable hunt?

THE BRAiNS

This is our logical side that plans the details and allows us to prepare. Proper planning prevents poor execution. What gear should we bring? How will I pack out a harvest? What tags and licenses do I need? Have I practiced tough shots? Make a list and check it twice.

THE BODY

For public land and big game hunting, you need to be physically prepared for a hard hunt. Your physical preparedness can make or break a great hunt. Is your body physically ready for the effort it’ll take to pack out a trophy? It’s never too early to start training.

Carly and husband, Will Brasseux, enjoying time together hunting and spending time outside.

THE HEART

This is our internal desire to connect with nature. As a hunter, you have a need to connect with wildlife and the outdoors. Are you hunting with a group? How will you spend time on your hunt connecting to the land? Our hearts want an intimate connection to nature.

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Remember that feeling when you glass up a “monster?” Have you heard of buck fever? If your nervous system starts kicking in, you’re probably on your way to a great hunt.

Any great hunt can end one of two ways.

1. You take a trophy. Through luck and experience, you’ve taken a trophy you’re proud of. You get to share the story with friends and family. You take him to the taxidermist and retell the story. You have him mounted in your home to tell your story to each person who comes in your door.

And more importantly, it’s a memory that lasts a lifetime.

A few years back, I took a record aoudad in the Texas

Panhandle. My husband, Will, glassed up a free-range bruiser and knew he was the one we’d been after for three years. We were lucky. We were at the right place, at the right time, glassing the right hillside. This monster ram just happened to be there grazing. Our hunt went the right way because we had been prepared by previous hunts and aoudad stalks that ended empty-handed. The shot went the right way because we were prepared and confident to shoot at long distance. We were physically prepared to pack him out.

We had no expectation going into that hunt, but we had prepared for it with years of glassing, stalking, and shooting. All we wanted that weekend was to be out in nature and to sit on a hillside at sunrise and sunset. When we saw him, we got “big ram” fever and the nerves were real and raw. It was truly a memorable hunt because of all these things, and due to the effort to recover and pack him out. It was the excitement back at camp when our friends saw him and we measured his horns.

We allowed ourselves to be a part of the whole process. Without getting frustrated, you can allow yourself to store the small, additional details of a great hunt in your memory. The cactus all around us. Will taking his boot off for me to shoot off of. The sound of the bullet hitting the ram. The buckle and stumble the aoudad had when he fell.

Or, the story can have a different ending.

2. You leave empty-handed. But you still carry home all of the parts of a great hunt. You have a story to share with friends and family. It becomes a memory you want to live again and again because you were blessed enough to experience the full anatomy of a great hunt.

The unexpected gets you every time. If things go wrong, open your eyes and see where you are – there’s a pretty good chance there’s nowhere else you’d rather be.

A great hunt starts with your expectations and ends with a story that is shared time and time again. This is the one you’ll remember for a lifetime. ★

Carly Brasseux is a determined and passionate business owner and social media/marketing consultant, published author, and freelance outdoor writer based in Texas. In a world where women are the fastest-growing segment of the hunting population, she is a major proponent of those women who want to learn more about the outdoors and hunting. Her handle, Miss Pursuit, is an expression of her enthusiasm for all things outdoors, from educating women through her experiences learning to hunt over the last decade, to getting out with her kids to explore the wild. Her expertise in social media and marketing, as well as her vast network of experts in the outdoor industry, have given her the influence to make an impact for lots of women.