Kilimanjaro Report post Posted August 5, 2009 I grew up playing competitive baseball and it was engrained in my hard head that once a streak was started (hitting, wins, K's, etc) to do WHATEVER it takes to keep that streak alive.. no shaving, same unclean socks or underwear, or a million other little things we did in the dugouts and on the field to keep the ralley alive.. Well, I've never been able to shake that silly habit and to this day I will do SOMETHING before every big hunt... Sometimes I will start to grow a goatee, sometimes I'll ALWAYS have to have a particular pair of socks on, have a particular 10 peso coin in my pocket, etc.... For my upcoming elk hunt next month, my rally cap for this year's big hunt is I've started growing a moustache (and a DOOZY at that) that by the time the hunt rolls around, will rival Ron Jeremy in 1974. It's coming in nicely, handlebars and everything!! To say I've been catching flack from my co-workers and ESPECIALLY my lovely wife is an understatement!! But hey, its all for the betterment of my upcoming hunt and it WILL help put that big bull to sleep!! Anyone else got any crazy pre-hunt rituals that need to be shared?? I know hunters are as bad a group as baseball players when it comes to pre-hunt rituals!! Let's hear 'em, guys.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rio Report post Posted August 5, 2009 I have kind of got out of that habit, but not completely. I stick with the same hat from hunt to hunt as long as I'm successful, if not, the hat gets changed. But other then that, not much in the way of superstitions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted August 5, 2009 Well, I dont really want to share my old superstition from baseball, as it borders un-sanitary personal hygiene. (yeah, its that bad but it lead to two state titles) But, when I am hunting, I like to wear the same old RMEF hat I have had for YEARS! I have actually been pretty bad about wearing it lately, because it doesnt hardly fit, but it is by far my favorite hat. I came home from one trip and my mom told me my dad had washed my hat... Yeah, that joke didnt go so well and now they know not to joke about that! It doesnt fit, it is supposed to be black, but is brown, but good lord does it have a lot of animals under its belt from dove, quail, to coyotes, deer, and my mountain lion. (see below) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scoutm Report post Posted August 5, 2009 I don't really know if this qualifies but I've always believed that new gear is bad luck. The more expensive the gear is the more bad luck it brings. Case in point...I had a new rifle in last year's deer camp and it jinxed the entire camp...sorry RedRabbit and Sundevil. No one saw a shooter buck (one came close but I wasn't in camp - had to run to work for a day) and I only glassed up two bucks the entire hunt - one the day before the hunt and one that was so far away I think it was in another unit. I will be taking it out to whack a Jackrabbit before the next hunt to break the jinx. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BML Report post Posted August 5, 2009 Well, I have some of the same stuff tattooed in my brain from playing baseball all my life. I would wear the same pair of socks(unwashed) during a winning or hitting streak. I would eat the same foods, take the same routes to the ballpark, etc.. It's funny how some of that stuff just stays with you. When I was growing up as a kid, I would always read hunting magazines and see all these harvest photos where guys would have these scruffy beards and overgrown mustaches and always thought those guys looked cool. It was like they were some sort of grizzly mountain man hunter who lived in the field for weeks in order to be a successful hunter. In reality, it was just how men looked at the time!! haha Strangely enough, though, that stuck with me for some reason and I typically stop shaving a couple weeks before my hunt(s) start. My problem, though, is that I only shave about twice a week anyway because I don't grow facial hair all that much. So on most of my recent harvest photos, I have this really strange scruffy beard sort of thing going on!!! hahaha I also have a favorite Kings' Desert Shadow Camo hat that I have worn on every single hunt since I bought it several years ago. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.270 Report post Posted August 5, 2009 i figgerd fer sure that casey would have some kinda banjo ritual. i'm always too busy trackin' stuff down, shootin' it, punkin' it back to the truck, skinnin' it and gettin' ready for the next day to have superstitions or rituals. Lark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hunterjohnny Report post Posted August 5, 2009 I saved the casing from the first deer I shot. I have it on a string and wear it around my neck (7mm-08). Not much luck with it but wouldnt feel right without it now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted August 5, 2009 Well, I have some of the same stuff tattooed in my brain from playing baseball all my life. I would wear the same pair of socks(unwashed) during a winning or hitting streak. I would eat the same foods, take the same routes to the ballpark, etc.. It's funny how some of that stuff just stays with you. When I was growing up as a kid, I would always read hunting magazines and see all these harvest photos where guys would have these scruffy beards and overgrown mustaches and always thought those guys looked cool. It was like they were some sort of grizzly mountain man hunter who lived in the field for weeks in order to be a successful hunter. In reality, it was just how men looked at the time!! haha Strangely enough, though, that stuck with me for some reason and I typically stop shaving a couple weeks before my hunt(s) start. My problem, though, is that I only shave about twice a week anyway because I don't grow facial hair all that much. So on most of my recent harvest photos, I have this really strange scruffy beard sort of thing going on!!! hahaha I also have a favorite Kings' Desert Shadow Camo hat that I have worn on every single hunt since I bought it several years ago. Bacek before I had a job where I had to shave every day, I used to not shave for three months before my hunt. My dad told me about this and the first year I did it, I killed my first buck. Larry, I also believe a virgin rifle can be bad luck. the .257 wasnt a virgin (had killed a coyote, bobcat, and fox), but it sure tried like heck to NOT kill a deer! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kilimanjaro Report post Posted August 5, 2009 Larry, I also believe a virgin rifle can be bad luck. the .257 wasnt a virgin (had killed a coyote, bobcat, and fox), but it sure tried like heck to NOT kill a deer! Hence the reason I am driving 750 miles, one way at the end of this month back to TX, to break blood on the muzzleloader on a fallow deer and sika deer before I take it elk hunting! There's NO WAY I'd take it out in the field without at a bare minimum of at least 1 kill under it's belt.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CVLCADMAN Report post Posted August 6, 2009 I am with you guys on the new gear, but mine is my knife! I had an old beat up hand me down knife since I started hunting and 2 years ago it finally gave out. I went out and bought a brand new one and the first year, rejected, last year a total of 62 doe's and no bucks to shoot at! My Dad bought him a new knife and last year missed a big buck at 50 yards. Maybe old age might contribute to that one but I still say it was the new knife! HAHA Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BASS Report post Posted August 10, 2009 Aha! Thats why I can't get drawn for anything any more! I'm a friggin' gear whore! I'm always buying something new. Time to stop that streak right now! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZWildcat Report post Posted August 11, 2009 I grow a beard for hunting season and carry the broad head from my last kill in my shirt pocket. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loco4coues Report post Posted August 11, 2009 I wear the same hat and the same shirt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kilimanjaro Report post Posted August 11, 2009 Killer 'stache and braces, DB.. I sure they will both bring you great fortunes this season.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
