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The Archery Project
Top 3 Traits of Great Bow Hunters: How To Be More Successful Every Season
Success leaves clues. After years of conversations with consistently successful bow hunters, a clear pattern emerges – three distinct traits that separate the truly elite from those who occasionally get lucky.
The first trait is composure under pressure. When that moment of truth arrives and a mature animal presents a shot opportunity, these hunters maintain remarkable control over their physiological responses. Heart rates steady, breathing calms, and execution becomes almost mechanical. This isn't magical or mystical – it comes from thousands of hours of practice, physical fitness that carries over into hunting scenarios, and intimate familiarity with equipment. These hunters don't just pick up their bows before season; archery is woven into their year-round lifestyle. They've rehearsed shot scenarios repeatedly, making high-pressure moments feel familiar rather than overwhelming.
Preparation borders on obsession for these hunters. They scout relentlessly, collecting wind data at specific locations, marking travel routes, and studying terrain features that influence animal movement. Their gear selection is deliberate and minimalist – no excess weight, no unnecessary gadgets, just carefully chosen tools they've tested extensively. While most hunters pack up after season ends, these individuals are already mapping next year's strategy, reviewing what worked, what didn't, and how to improve. They eliminate variables and guesswork, approaching each hunt with almost military precision.
Perhaps most fascinating is what I call "aggressive patience" – the ability to wait for perfect opportunities while recognizing when action is required. These hunters read unfolding situations in real-time, abandoning stands when necessary to stalk animals they've glassed at a distance. They understand when an animal won't come to them and possess the woodsmanship skills to close distance without detection. This balance between patience and decisive action often makes the difference between success and "almost got him" stories.
What's your experience? Which of these traits do you find most challenging to develop? I'd love to hear your thoughts on what separates consistently successful hunters from the rest. The conversation continues in the comments!
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All right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of the Archery Project. I am your host, zach Placica, and I've got another Friday Kill Notes episode for you guys, and the season's almost here, right, and I've been very fortunate to sit down and interview and talk with a lot of different bow hunters from all different backgrounds, and both on our podcast and in my shop, right, that's kind of my life revolves around archery and bow hunting and I've been fortunate enough to sit down and really talk to some very highly successful bow hunters. You know some real, I would say, killers, right, very consistent, successful year after year. And there's some commonalities amongst them, some, I would say, consistent traits that I have seen among these guys. And again, going back to it, these are not guys that just get lucky and kill a mature animal once in a while. They are consistently putting down high caliber animals. Whether they are turkey hunting whitetail, mule, deer, elk, it doesn't matter. These guys have really kind of got it figured out and are successful year after year. From public lands out of things to private property they can find success just about anywhere. And these are some of the traits that I've kind of noticed, and I've got three of them that I kind of wanted to cover and discuss with you guys. And then I wanted some feedback on you guys too, right, I know there's a lot of bow hunters out there that watch this stuff, and I'd be curious as to hear from you guys, your input, as well as what kind of traits you guys see or pick up on on the guys that are successful.
Zakk Plocica:So, jumping right into it, one of the big things that I've seen that kind of separates these guys and right in, a lot of us have one or two of these traits, but not everybody has all three of these locked in, and that's one of the things I've noticed about these guys is there they've, they've got these three traits pretty locked in, and the first one being composure. Under pressure, whenever the time comes, they are able to be cool, calm and collected and execute when the time is right, right On that shot. They're dialed in, not to say that they don't make mistakes, but they're very consistent with it and very successful and they're able to perform at a high level in those highly stressful situations. If you've ever been bow hunting or any kind of hunting at all, you know whenever that animal comes out, there's that adrenaline dump and you get that feeling and you know buck fever, whatever you want to call it, and these guys are able to. When it comes, when that crunch time is there, when that you know that opportunity presents itself, they're just cool, calm and collected and are able to make things happen repeatedly, and I think there's a couple of reasons from the guys that I've interviewed or sat down with.
Zakk Plocica:There's a couple of things that I've noticed from them that allows them to be composed under pressure. One of them is they've been doing this for a long time, right, so they've put themselves in those scenarios time and time again and they've been able to become good at it. They've done it long enough to. Whenever the time presents itself, they are collected under that pressure. The other thing, too, is the fitness side of things that I see in a lot of these guys. So the guys that I've been fortunate enough to talk with are majority of them are a fitness is a massive portion of their life as well, and you see that carry over into all aspects of what these guys do, right, when the heart rate is elevated, all of those things that adrenaline dump, you're able to you, you simulate it to some extent in the physical fitness world, and I think that that carries over into the bow hunting side of things and helps. It's not the end all be all, but I do think it helps you perform whenever all of those things are going on right. You need that mental clarity whenever the stakes are high, whenever you are, you know, in that situation where have high adrenaline. You only have this opportunity. You've got to be able to stay cool, calm and collected, and having a high fitness capability adds to that. It makes you able to stay composed. Whenever all of these things are going on, you're able to bring your breathing down, hosed. Whenever all of these things are going on, you're able to bring your breathing down. You're able to lower your heart rate and make a good shot when the time presents itself. And again, composure under pressure has to do with everything that's led up to that point too right, being efficient with the gear that you use.
Zakk Plocica:These guys they're not just picking up their bow right before the season. For the most part, these guys spend time behind the riser all year long, so they're shooting from different positions. Nothing's new. When it comes, when the time is there. They've been in that situation before, whether they've recreated it, training, practicing, you know, shooting out of stands, off the ground, um different positions. It's it's not foreign, it's like they've been there before. One, because of the experience that they have. And two, they recreate those scenarios in the off season, so they're not just picking up their bow or whatever the weapon of choice is, right before the season and taking it out and guessing.
Zakk Plocica:They have all the confidence in the world, in the equipment that they're utilizing and then their capability in the woods, which goes a long way, because whenever you start second guessing things and you start raising questions in your mind, you lose confidence. And whenever you lose confidence and you're under pressure, that's when, I think, mistakes really tend to happen. And so these guys do everything they can to eliminate that. And that's how they're able to remain calm, focused and have that mental clarity. Whenever you know that massive animal, that mature animal that they've been hunting presents itself, they don't squander that opportunity. They're locked in and able to go through all of those different aspects they need to in order to be successful. And you know that's from their shop process to, again, how they pack their gear. There's no excess, there's no waste. They are absolutely in tune with the equipment that they use themselves and everything going on around them. And again, the cardio side of things, with the physical fitness of the ability to slow your breathing down, lower your heart rate whenever, because it naturally it's going to go up right. But if you can calm it down that much quicker and then be in tune with what's happening, it's only going to make you more successful in the woods and I think that's a massive part of it. So composure under pressure is one of the major things I see. And, don't get me wrong, mistakes are still made, but these guys are more successful than not because they're able to stay composed and when that critical time hits, they're able to capitalize on it and be successful. So that's one of the bigger traits that I've seen.
Zakk Plocica:Trait number two is the preparation side of things, and this is big right. Like a lot of these guys that I know there, you can talk hunting with them 365. Like they are, it's always on their mind, they are always thinking about it, it's never turned off and there's a relentless preparation that goes into what they do. So for a lot of these guys I noticed, is like scouting, right. The next season starts as soon as this season ends, so they're in the woods, they're scouting, they're collecting data, they're you know, marking points. They are ahead of the game always so that they're not cramming when the season opens up. And I think that's a big part of it. Right Is the preparation that goes into it, and I see that from all aspects of what they do as a bow hunter, right From their gear, their bow.
Zakk Plocica:They're constantly shooting their bow again, making sure that it is tuned, it is set up, it's performing as it is, they're testing the equipment that they use, the broadheads that they're shooting, whatever it is, the arrows. If they make changes, it's far enough ahead of the season that they have time to utilize the equipment, get behind it and make sure that there's no surprises. Right, they need strings. They're getting them ahead of time. New arrow changes it's done well before the season gets here. Broadhead changes, same thing.
Zakk Plocica:And then the other side of that is, once they find something that works, they're pretty locked in on it, like they stick with that until there's a good reason for them to change. They're not constantly changing gear and again, this has to do with years of experience, because they have tried a lot of stuff in the past. But once they find something that works. It's hard to get them off of that and I honestly can't blame them. If it's not broke, don't fix it. So there's that and then you know it. It looks. You look at their like stands and sticks or whatever.
Zakk Plocica:However they hunt, whether it's, you know, a hang on, it's a saddle hunting, whatever these all these guys do all of these different things and they're not locked into one. They put each of these different capabilities into play when they need them, based off where they're hunting, whether they're going to use a hang on or a saddle, they're able to adapt and utilize the gear that they need when they need it. And you look at it. I mean, these guys are just always prepared and, like I said, there's no excess. Right, they trim the fat, so they've gone ahead of time, and there's an order of operation from the way that they pack and load their gear right. So there's no excess, there's no wasted movement, there's no wasted gear. They're not taking things they don't need with them into the woods, which is very easy to do.
Zakk Plocica:Whenever you get new equipment, right, you get a new pack. There's pockets in it. You feel you need to load them with something. I see that with a lot of new hunters. You know there's room here. Might as well put something in it. Before you know it you're loaded down with stuff you'd never need in the woods. Uh, and you know that these guys trim all that, all that fat, all of that, um, excess is, is cut and gone and that has, and that falls into the preparation side of things.
Zakk Plocica:These guys do not get lucky ever. I mean they create the opportunity by being prepared for when the opportunity presents itself and essentially they stay ready. So even if they're you know, if they're hunting property that they've hunted for years, they have all these data points that they've collected and they review them, they look at them and they see what works and see what didn't and then they apply it to the season. And they're not doing that just before the season starts. They're doing that prior, you know right out, right post season, so that they can take they do it's almost mission planning, right you look at what went well, what didn't, or what your goals are with this, and they have a plan of action that they implement for their upcoming hunts. There's not a lot of guesswork, or they remove as much guesswork as they possibly can. I think that's important, especially if you want to be successful.
Zakk Plocica:Time and time again, the preparation is more important than anything you can do, being prepared, making sure you're setting yourself up for success. And that's exactly what these guys do time and time again. And then you know you question why are they so successful all the time? Well, it's the amount of effort they put into what they're doing. And that starts with the preparation side of things. And you know, taking the time, cause it's it's very easy after the season gets done, hang the bow up, hang up your equipment, that's it.
Zakk Plocica:You know some of the guys I know they're out there when mapping properties, right, so, way before the season starts, that, honestly, post-season, they're out there 30 minutes in each, look in one specific location and they're checking wind constantly, reading it, taking notes, prepping, like am I able to access this location? Can I even get in here undetected? What is the wind actually doing in this location? It's one thing to see your predominant winds before you go out and hunt and say, okay, we got a north wind. But depending on terrain, features, the lay of the land, elevation, all of these different things water, rivers the wind may not be doing exactly what it says on your, from your weather guide or whatever you're using to get your weather or wind from, so having eyes on the ground and seeing what the weather actually does or the wind is actually doing in that area, and you can note that and utilize that for the upcoming season in your hunt. These guys are doing all of those things. You know they have an idea for the lay of the land before the season opens up. If they can get access to a property, they're looking for new properties well ahead of time in order to start mapping them out. And same thing with new properties they've never been on. They're doing everything they can to eliminate guesswork. So you know, mapping software, aerial footage, before they go on an out-of-state hunt or somewhere they've never been.
Zakk Plocica:The preparation that goes up into these things from these guys is at a very high level and again, that is what really, I think, really sets them apart and makes them successful from your casual hunter, who you know will shoot a good deer every now and then, versus the guy that consistently puts down good animals year over year. So preparation, don't overlook it. It is critical for success in the woods and, again, like everything else, it takes time to develop and understand what is important and what isn't. There's a lot of trial and error that goes on into doing this, and then the final trait that I see that is, I would say, consistent amongst these guys is aggressive patience. Kind of weird, right, Aggressive patience. What does that mean? They wait for the moment, but when it comes they do not hesitate. They are able, they are able to action on something when the time is right. Um, and there's a balance between letting opportunity to develop versus forcing it or freezing when it does happen. So these guys are able to essentially create their luck or create opportunity, um, when the when things aren't exactly going the way that they, that they envisioned it right. So they, they're there's. They eliminate the paralysis by analysis.
Zakk Plocica:Aggressive patients so I have got a handful of friends or buddies or guys that I've talked to, um, that they've been in stands, right, they're watching things develop in the woods. They're glassing and they see something happening in the distance and they know they're like that. In the woods, they're glassing and they see something happening in the distance and they know they're like that is not coming, that animal's not coming my way, it's not coming my way. I'm going to have to make a move on this in order for anything to happen today. Because what a lot of us do, or what I see a lot of people do, especially a lot of new bow hunters, is there's that paralysis by analysis. Right, you climb one tree, you're like I'm going to stay here, this is where I'm at for the day, versus seeing things develop around you and not being willing to move. And these guys aren't.
Zakk Plocica:These guys are willing to adapt and they adapt when they need to and they are able to determine the right times to adapt to a situation that's unfolding in front of them, so that they, one, they don't screw it up and, two, they're able to capitalize on it. And, um, I've, there's one guy in particular, I know, who's done this year, after a handful of years, um, you know, able to get eyes on something off in the distance, you know, watches the situation kind of unfold, and he knows for a fact that that animal's locked down, that animal's not coming to me right now. It's not going to happen today. You know, that buck is with a, with a doe, he's not going to come over here, so I'm going to have to create the opportunity or make something happen. And so he gets down, he gets out of the stand. He puts a stalk. He, you know he's able to read the wind, see what the wind is doing, read the terrain, find a way for him to put a stalk on this animal, utilizing terrain in order to stay out of line of sight and from getting you know upwind of that animal, so his scent isn't blowing over that animal, and make a move on this thing. Get in on it you know upwind of that animal, so his scent isn't blowing over that animal and make a move on this thing. Get in on it, you know, put a stalk and ultimately become successful. So I think aggressive patience is one of those things that takes time to develop and you have to really have your woodsmanship skills dialed in. It's not something that just I think, as a new hunter you go in the woods having because you can make a lot of mistakes that way. You've got to be able to again read the terrain, read the situation, understand how these animals move and act in the woods and then capitalize on them whenever the time is right and ultimately, that can be the difference between success and an opportunity that you were so close or a missed opportunity just because you were not able to action on something you know, whether you were. You know paralysis by analysis, or you just didn't understand the movement of those deer or animal, whatever it is. You just didn't understand the movement of those deer or animal, whatever it is, how they are going to act during a certain time of year or season. So that's a big one, man, I think, and it's kind of cool to watch and hear the stories.
Zakk Plocica:I'll give you one more story of a guy I know. This was from a hunt in Virginia and again, aggressive patience. These guys were out, they were on a hunt, they're hunting whitetail. And you know it's a, it's not a great day, it's kind of windy, it's raining, there's not a lot of movement happening. And you know they're patient. They're in the tree, they're watching, they're glassing, right, they're trying to create opportunity, try to locate something. Boom, they get eyes on a, on a really good mature deer on a cattle fence line that's bedded down.
Zakk Plocica:This guy's name is Joe Koloszewski, great individual, very talented hunter. He's been on the podcast a handful of times. Just a wealth of knowledge. And they get down and they come up with a plan. Right, they game plan this thing. So one guy stays back, keeps eyes on this animal and they're communicating back and forth, I think via text, and so they're able to get eyes, come up with a plan, work down around this animal and come up and put a stalk on it. So the video that he's got is super cool and I've referenced this in a handful of podcasts. But he's at full draw. He's got From about 40 yards. He draws the bow and he starts slowly creeping in. This animal's bedded down has no idea. He's there, it's raining, it's windy. He comes up, he gets incredibly close to this thing, puts a super clean shot on this bedded buck and boom success.
Zakk Plocica:So, again, creating your luck, aggressive patience kind of go hand in hand. And these guys that are successful year after year, they are able to do that. They are able to action on things and they do it without hesitation when they know the time is right. So aggressive patience is another massive trait that I see with the guys that are successful as bow hunters. And and again, these guys are bow hunters, these are hunters.
Zakk Plocica:These guys, their, their focus is not shooting X's. A lot of them you'll see people say that their shot process isn't the best. These guys are still good shooters, but their focus is the hunt right, not the gear. The gear does not make the hunter these guys. I honestly think you could give them just about anything, any bow you wanted to, and they would come out successful. So, yes, they invest in quality gear. All of these guys do. They're invested in quality gear because the last thing they want is failed equipment on a hunt. And then they have implement all of these or they've developed all of these traits over time and that is what has made them successful. We see a lot of people really get hung up on the gear side of things what's the best arrow, what's the overall arrow, weight, foc? I can assure you majority of these guys are not concerned with that whatsoever at all. You can give them whatever they'll go out and they will make things happen and they will be successful in the woods time and time again.
Zakk Plocica:So I'd be curious what you guys thoughts are. What traits do you guys see that makes you know that you see in the guys that are ultimately successful over and over again? Um, I'm curious again. These are just some traits that I've observed. Um, that I've been fortunate enough to sit down and speak with a lot of these individuals or interact with them in my shop and kind of pick their brain, and I think those are three commonalities that I have come up with or seen across the board. And again, they put these things into action and I can count on it. Every year they are going to tag out, hammer, mature deer and or whatever animal. It is time and time again.
Zakk Plocica:So that's the three, three traits, my, my friends composure under pressure, relentless preparation and then aggressive patience. Um, they go hand in hand. I think I know there's more out there. So if you guys can drop some comments, give some feedback, let me know what other traits you guys observe or see, or what other skills you think are important to the bow hunter, or guys that are developing skills or up and coming bow hunters. Drop some comments, give us some feedback. I am very curious to hear from you guys. But that is it, my friends. Another quick episode for you. Uh, just some little bit of information that I wanted to share, share from experiences that I've, or information that I've been able to gather from being able to sit down and talk with all of these different individuals. So, thanks for listening, guys. As always, we appreciate you. I hope you, everyone has a great weekend and I will see you guys in the next episode of the archery project.