My #1 piece of advice applies not only to elk hunting, but to all challenging tasks in life. In my opinion, confidence, or state of mind, is the most important contributor to any successful hunt. I can think back through the trail of events that helped me become a more successful elk hunter, and, although each stage had a different twist or turn, they all involved the “I can get it done” attitude.

This attitude was engraved deep into my character, especially after I killed my first bull and was told that I would never be able to learn to bugle because I was from West Virginia! That alone solidified the fact that I would call bulls to the bow someday. Being a society of accomplishment-based satisfaction, we sometimes let events change our mindset. I firmly believe, however, that we can, and should, use our mindset to change events. I will keep this advice short and simple since I could take off on a philosophical run that would take hours to finish… 🙂

Most importantly, I believe attitude and confidence are the main tricks I have in my elk hunting bag – a positive attitude and the confidence to accomplish the difficult task at hand!