Getting back into shooting

For most hunters there are game seasons: duck season, quail season, Murray cod season. During the off-season we plan what we will do when the season opens, what to hunt, where to hunt, and we perform equipment maintenance and keep fit.

COVID-19 and the Melbourne and Victorian lockdowns have been an enforced off-season for many of us. I do not want to enter into the politics of the COVID-19 management, other than to say Victorians need to be commended for adhering to the often difficult conditions. Your diligence has led to the numbers of cases and deaths diminishing and making sure the rest of society is protected and we all stay safe and well.

Coming out of lockdown means getting back to “COVID normal”. We still have to practise physical and social distancing, in some states we must keep wearing a mask, we must keep on washing and sanitising our hands and make sure we help the contact tracers by registering our whereabouts, especially in cafes, pubs and restaurants.

Shooting and hunting are, by their very nature, ‘physically distant’ activities. Large groups of people in close contact might be a problem for football or horse racing but it is not an issue for the shooter on the hunt for deer.

What might we need to do before we venture out in the scrub after game?

Not shooting for some of has been a significant stressor in our lives. Shooters, whether they are target shooters or game shooters are usually a very resilient lot. We know how to bounce back when we miss a target or the game we are after gets away.

To deal with stress effectively we need to have several factors working in our favour. We need to have adequate support from those around us. Whether it is family, workmates or shooting or golf mates, we need to be accepted and have a sense of belonging to a group so we don't feel alone and overwhelmed. For the deer hunter, reading magazines such as this one, puts them with like-minded people. Other deer shooters, who have a shared sense of purpose, people who understand your highs and your lows and the challenges of deer stalking.

Secondly, we need to have realistic and achievable goals. If we are striving for the unattainable then we can often feel we are a failure because we cannot achieve those things we are striving for.

Coupled with realistic goals we need to be confident in our abilities and competent in our actions. Competency comes with mastery of the skills required for the task at hand. Next, stress can be limiting if our perception is that the world is against us and we see every change as a threat instead of an opportunity. These factors help us become resilient.

There has been lots of research that has looked at resilience in the workplace, and the research is showing that resilient workers will be less stressed, have fewer problems with bullying and harassment, fewer days absent and be less prone to depression. Being connected with an organisation, being competent in your abilities, having the confidence to achieve and having a sense of community all lead to resilience which in turn leads to us being mentally healthy.

Resilience is not new; those humans who survive have the ability to look at what has happened to them, deal with the problem and move on.

Revisit the basics. Make sure your equipment is in good order and you are competent in using it. This might mean a trip to a range to ‘zero in’ your rifle, before venturing out into the bush.

Make sure your kit is in good order and look at your fitness. Have you added a few kilos while in lockdown? Are you as fit, flexible and as strong as you were before COVID-19 hit? Do you need to do some cross-training, weights, cycling, yoga, etc to get yourself back to peak condition? Will you be able to walk up and down those hills, gullies and ravines and will you be able to carry back your quarry?

Like the footballer who has been off the field for six months, maybe you need to set goals and work your way back into it. When sportsmen and women return from injuries they don’t try for 100 per cent on their first go. They look at what is achievable and realistic and then work their way up from there.

It is the same with hunting, and hunting often being an individual pursuit it is more important that you are fit enough for the conditions because there may not be anyone to help carry you out if you get injured or hurt.

Treat your first trip back into the bush as a warm-up for the rest of the season. Again, the first trip should be a goal that represents a small step, one that can be used as scaffolding for the trips to come.

Don’t be disappointed with the outcome of your first trip back into the bush. It is important to focus on the process involved in the hunt. Enjoy the bush, the quiet, the birdsong, the chase, the shot, and let the product (your quarry) look after itself.

The most important aspect is that getting back to shooting and getting back to the bush should be fun. Remember, this is what you want to do. Whether it be for exercise, for venison, or for the trophy, the process of going through with the trip should be for your enjoyment.

William Glasser, an American psychologist, argues that there are four essential goals for all humans. Firstly, a sense of belonging; shooters and deer-stalkers are part of a group that share common ideals and a particular way of life. Secondly, freedom; the freedom to make decisions. Next, power — the power to act on those decisions. Finally, fun; everything we do should be because we enjoy doing it.

As I write this article the lockdown in all of Melbourne and Victoria has been lifted and it won't be long before the borders between NSW, SA and Tasmania are open.

A last word on resilience: Back in 2004, Ric Charlesworth, former Olympian and coach of the Australian women's hockey team, wrote a book called Shakespeare the Coach in which he examines the writing of William Shakespeare and relates it to modern-day organisational and sport psychology.

In Henry VI, part III, Shakespeare wrote:

". . . wise men ne'er sit and wail their loss, but cheerly seek how to redress their harms."

So the next time things don't go your way, don't sit and cry but happily look at ways that you can fix the problem.

Contributed by Michael Kruger-Davis.

Michael Kruger-Davis is a consulting psychologist and a keen clay target shooter.