If hunting success eludes you time and again try not to get frustrated or upset - it’s not your fault. That’s right, it’s not your fault. Among the first things you will learn as a new hunter is how to shift the blame for your misfortunes – a key skill that is vital for your self-esteem and, above all, saving face in front of fellow hunters.

There are a number of blame-shifting options at your disposal and you can use them alone or in combination. Consider them to be like a tool kit for creative truth building.

Obviously deer are the number one cause for your misfortunes, although you can substitute any other animal you like. If you hunt elk, bear or sheep it doesn’t matter - they can be just as guilty. Game animals are never where you expect them to be. Without fail, if you see deer and return to hunt them later they’re gone. If you’re driving along the road and spot a deer you can bet that that sneaky critter is just outside of your effective shooting range. They expect you to leave the comfort of your truck and get your boots muddy by stalking them. How dare they not wait for you on the side of the road!

Another example of how deer fool you: It’s late October and you know that this is when the deer start to rut. You know because it said so in all the hunting articles you’ve read and on every hunting TV show you’ve seen. But when you go out nothing happens. The bucks are not running carelessly around in broad daylight, and if you don’t see bucks running around you can’t shoot them. It’s not your fault. See how easy it is to assess blame where it belongs!

It seems prudent at this point to say a few words in defence of the deer. Since deer do not read hunting articles or watch hunting TV shows, how are they supposed to know what’s expected of them? We have to cut them some slack. It’s not that they’re entirely ignorant of hunters, they just don’t know better. If you feel it isn’t right to blame deer for thwarting your hunting efforts, don’t despair - there are any number of other factors that you can hold responsible for your loss.

Take the weather for example. No matter what you’ve heard to the contrary there is no such thing as the perfect hunting weather. The weather is either to warm, too cold, too wet or too dry. Whatever it is, it will prevent deer from moving, hence why you see none around you.

Then there is the wind. You stalk up on a trophy buck that has no clue of your presence, and just when you raise your weapon and take careful aim the wind shifts, blowing your scent right up his nostrils. The buck jumps up and bolts, never to be seen again. Don’t get upset and start cussing. Relax, and remember it’s not your fault. Blame the wind for letting you down at the crucial moment of truth.

Or, blame the other hunters. Boy, can they mess up your success. You sit in your stand for a couple of hours and see no deer, but half a mile away you hear road hunters driving down the logging road. They’re obviously responsible for scaring all the deer away from your stand. You walk along an active deer trail, at least one you think is active, then an hour into the stalk you discover a human footprint in the middle of the trail. No matter how old it is that is, that footprint is undoubtedly the reason why there are no deer on the trail. You can use that excuse successfully any time and anywhere you see or hear other hunters or any sign of them. It works great and makes you feel better about your misfortune, because…it’s not your fault.

To the imaginative hunter there is no limit of what can be blamed for the lack of success. For example, despite all the odds stacked against you (which, as we have established, are great), a deer somehow appears directly in front of you within shooting range. You raise the rifle, aim and squeeze a shot off. What’s that? You miss and the deer scampers away unharmed. Do not for one second doubt your shooting skills. Don’t even think: “I should have spent more time at the shooting range.” Thinking like that is not good for your self-esteem. Instead, blame the missed shot on the ammunition. Alternatively you also can blame the rifle or even the rifle brand. Your fellow hunters do that all the time, and it works well for them.

After reading all of this you might be tempted to admit that an animal or nature has outwitted you and say: “but what if it is my fault?” Of course, you could admit that you should have spent more time at the shooting range. You could admit that you could have scouted a bit harder, or put more effort into the hunt. You could admit all you want - but other hunters wouldn’t believe you.

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