The following question was posed in a thread on Sage Creek Forums .

What’s Traits Make A Successful Hunter?
  Luck -the right place at the right time
  Never Gives Up -consistant from beginning to end
  Competitive -a will win attitude!
  Drive -wants to go further and deeper
  Dedication -is a hunter, not one that hunts
  Knowledgable -understands his target species habits/traits
  Time -spend more time in the woods than others

it got me thinking….

What is the saying?  “The harder I work, the luckier I get?” 

Also applicable is “Don’t confuse activity with productivity.”

I’d say there are factors that make a person successful in many endevors, hunting included.  I think that putting in the time in the field gives a hunter a higher probability of finding the productive areas.  What he or she does from that point, depends on skill and yes, luck.

If you put yourself in a position and mindset to recognize an opportunity then you are a step ahead.  To me persistance is a combination of a positive attitude, the drive and dedication to spend the time in the field and not giving up. 

That means:
Looking around when you are hiking to a new glassing spot.
Taking that breather where you have a view of the country, not down in a brushy hole.
Never skylining yourself when you crest a ridgeline.
Never thinking that “there isn’t any game here this close to the trailhead.”
Checking out that suspicious spot on the ridge one more time with your glass.

One of the biggest bucks I’ve ever seen killed was bedded next to the trail in Wyoming as my neighbor Ray was riding back to camp in a snowstorm.  Ray was trying to light a cigarette and bent down and saw the buck out of the corner of his eye.  That was the luck. 

He rode over the ridge, slid off the horse, and let it keep going.  He snuck back and killed the buck in his bed.  The rest of the guys didn’t even know he had dismounted until they heard the shot.  That was the skill. 

Had Ray not been out in the snowstorm, he wouldn’t have seen the buck (persistance).  Had he not needed a nicotine fix he wouldn’t have spotted him (luck). If he had gotten excited and tried to shoot the buck when he spotted him, he would have scared him off before he had his rifle out of the scabbard (skill).

So MY new saying is…
“Success is when persistance, luck, and skill all converge at your location.”

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