The Three P’s: Essential Fundamentals for a Successful Harvest

Are you Savage, or a Gentleman?

There are very few things in life I find more rewarding than being able to provide for my family. Hobbies like hunting and fishing allow me to do so in the form of a meal following each successful catch or harvest. In addition, I’m provided the opportunity to experience the peace and tranquility derived from surrounding myself with nature. There are fundamentals to this, though.

The Experience

Setting the fundamentals aside for a moment, let’s set the stage here. The sound of text message alerts and social media notifications are temporarily an afterthought. In their place is a distant turkey gobble or the splash from a fish coming out of the water. If only for a few hours, the obligations of everyday life take a backseat to my own pursuit of happiness. Like most things in life, hunting and fishing are all about the thrill of the chase. Not in a literal sense, of course. But these activities are often a game of attrition, with success or failure determined by whoever makes the first mistake. Being within range of success is quite possibly the most heart-pounding, adrenaline-pumping, and anxiety-filled feeling one will ever experience.

The Fundamentals

For the majority of readers, I’m sure you are still waiting to experience this. Trust me, this is not uncommon. Even the most experienced of outdoorsmen don’t get this result each and every time out. Don’t get discouraged. Failure is going to happen. Success in the outdoors is achieved by not only learning from your failures but also by honing and continually utilizing a set of fundamentals that I refer to as “The Three P’s”. Patience, Persistence, and Placement.

Patience

You can’t expect to successfully catch or harvest within the first ten minutes of being on the water or in the stand. If you could, everyone would do it. I can guarantee that you will fail 100% of the time you are not hunting or fishing. Patience will provide you the opportunity to be successful.

Persistence

Just as you can’t expect success within the first few minutes of an outing, you can’t expect to catch or harvest on every cast or every time in the stand. That just isn’t a realistic expectation. Having the persistence to continually place yourself in the outdoors will certainly increase your odds.

Placement

Lastly, and what I believe to be most important, is placement. Placement is being selective in regards to when you set the hook on a trophy bass. Or waiting for that giant whitetail to turn broadside for the perfect shot opportunity. After all, a clean, ethical harvest is the end state. Proper placement could very well be the difference between you providing your family with their next meal and a learning experience that leaves the icebox empty.

What Now?

Get out there. Put these fundamentals to work. Be Patient. If so, the opportunities for success will come to you. Be Persistent. Don’t settle for failure. The more you try, the better the odds. When given the opportunity, take advantage. Proper Placement. With a perfect hook set or a well-placed shot, you too will experience the satisfaction of providing for your family. That’s about as manly as it gets.

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