- Know the environment and establish an intelligence picture – understand where you are going and what topography it offers. This will help shape how you approach the hunt.
- Understand and interpret the weather conditions – what’s the short to long range forecast and what the weather patterns are, compared to that time of year you want to hunt (raining, white out, hot, humid etc).
- Selection of clothing should reflect the conditions and the environment. Dress for the conditions. Avoid over heating during the summer and always stay warm during cold periods. Take emergency clothing in case.
- Risk and hazard assessment – always look at the variable risks associated with the area you are hunting. What are the key challenges at that particular hunting spot and how will I / we negotiate this.
- Plan your hunt – map out how you are going to achieve the objective. A plan helps you trouble shoot issues early at home as opposed to when you are out there.
- Informing others – staying connected with the outside world is critical, especially telling others (outside hunting group) where you are going (generic) and when you are coming out.
- Contingency planning – always discuss and plan for worst case scenarios (emergency situation), invariably what can go wrong, will go wrong. A plan will help minimize the impact of an emergency.
- Local knowledge – ask the locals about the hunting stock, where they were last seen and the numbers. What are the creature habits (grazing areas and watering homes etc).
- Zeroing your rifles – take the time to go to a range and check fire your firearms before the hunt. This is to establish where the fall of shot is and what variations one has to make if the animal are outside the rifles normal range.
- Mapping the hunt – take a GPS or topographical map to help understand where you are at all times, this will avoid unnecessarily wrong turns and getting lost.
- Only hunt what you need or what you can carry, remember protect the hunting for tomorrow’s generation.
- Enjoy the hunt – emphasize the enjoyment factor in the hunt experience. Take people that know enjoy having a laugh, including at themselves.
