Put Knowledge In The Bag …

… and the quarry will surely follow it – says lifetime hunter, Phil Hardman

- Phil Hardman

Reconnaissance! I’ve said it many times before, over many years, but I still believe it’s one of the most overlooked and important aspects of successful hunting. Without gaining knowledge of the situation, you’re going into it blind, and constantly reacting to what your quarry is doing, you’re always one step behind and trying to play catch-up. Sure, you might have successes, some great days even, but a lot of that will be down to blind luck, and even on the really good days, could you have done even better had you known in advance how things might have panned out?

PLANNING AND PREDICTION

Doing proper field reconnaissance allows us to plan ahead of what our quarry is doing, to predict it, to plan our attack and execute our plan at the best possible time. You will know ahead of time where your targets will be, and when, and how best to approach. This knowledge is what turns a good day, into a great day, and without it, you can never reach the full potential of any given situation. A lot of people don’t really bother, and still have good days, so tell themselves they don’t need to, but if they put in the time and effort, those good days, would be so much better, that I promise.

PATIENCE AND DISCIPLINE