Getting Lucky?

No guys, I am not talking about getting lucky with the ladies! I am referring to deer hunters, and more specifically those that throw out the accusations of a deer hunter getting lucky every time he or she harvests a big buck. I recently saw a post Don Higgins had put on Facebook about this subject, and I think it is something a lot of hunters, even experienced hunters don't realize. Many whitetail deer hunters are at one end of the spectrum, they either think they are pure skill and talent when they harvest a mature buck, or at the other end of the spectrum, there are those who think it is just luck.

So is it luck? Well, to be perfectly honest, the answer is yes, and no. "How can that be", you might be asking. Well, keep reading and I will explain my thoughts on this subject.

Do deer hunters get lucky when they shoot a big mature buck, or is it pure skill? Its both. Don't get me wrong, there are hunters out there that have never hunted a day in their life, and decide to try it with little to no preparation. As "luck" would have it (pun intended), they harvest a once in a lifetime type of buck on their first trip afield. In this scenario, yes, without a doubt they got "lucky", but there was a certain amount of skill involved! With this scenario, the hunter was lucky enough to get an opportunity and very lucky to get an opportunity at a mature buck, but he or she was also able to make that opportunity count. That my friends is not usually pure luck. If this person never practiced or sighted in their weapon, then yes, 100% luck, but with someone who practices and prepares for that opportunity, it is more skill than luck, the majority of the time.

So now lets take a hunter who consistently harvests mature bucks. Is this person just lucky? In my opinion, no, not completely, but there is a certain amount of luck involved. A hunter who has the knowledge, experience and skill to consistently harvest mature bucks puts themselves in a position to get lucky. The old saying "luck favors the prepared" definitely holds true in this scenario. We as hunters can scout, use trail cameras, plant food plots, hunt stands based on wind direction, and everything else that goes into a successful hunt, but we are still talking about a wild animal that moves around of their own free will, and being out in the wild where we are at the mercy of too many variables to even list! That ladies and gentlemen, is where the luck comes into play. We can be as prepared as possible to take advantage of an opportunity (if it arises), but we still have to get lucky enough for that opportunity to present itself.

So to answer the question, yes, hunters who do kill big bucks do get lucky, but if you really stop and think about it, all hunters are pretty lucky. So how about we all stop trying to make excuses or take away from the experience of each others successes or failures, and all enjoy being lucky enough to be deer hunters.