It's amazing how long nothing can happen in the woods. Just ask a big-game hunter who has spent time sitting out there waiting for something to happen, and he or she will probably tell you that generally, the opposite is what occurs. Even in the best hunting area, the critters are often very good at being where hunters ain't.

Most deer hunters are sitters. This doesn't mean they literally sit on their butts all the time; all it means is that we usually stay in one place and wait for the animals to come to us - or at least to come into the area we're observing.

As a rule, people are fairly oafish in the woods, and when moving are not difficult for wild animals to detect... so sitting still is a good idea. We like to find a place where deer (or whatever our chosen game may be) are likely to show up - or at least pass by - and then we settle down to wait. Our chosen spot might be on the ground in a box blind or on an elevated platform such as a tree stand.

Pick out any hunk of non-civilized ground in the world, and there will be very many things going on there - mostly involving insects or smaller forms of life. Sometimes there will be activity involving little birds and such. But for agonizingly long chains of seconds and minutes and hours, nothing larger will move.

It can be very frustrating.

This is true of very good hunting land with very good deer populations, too. You sit peacefully, trying to be still, while remaining alert and observant in all directions from which a critter may come... and the more time that passes with nothing larger than a tweety bird making an appearance, the more numb a hunter becomes.

It's important to keep your hopes up - and I'm not just being cheesy. Confidence is a huge part of hunting, and if you don't have it, you might as well go home and crawl back into bed. Positive thoughts and a good outlook are helpful for keeping you attentive and ready to act - because often, we sit for hours and even days waiting for an opportunity that lasts for a few seconds. For those few seconds, a hunter must be able to operate at high efficiency and precision. If lack of confidence has made us droopy and unattentive, we stand a very good chance of being skunked.

As I write this, I sit in a deer stand on a good piece of land that's been managed for deer hunting for about fifteen years. It has plenty of deer on it, there's a good food plot in sight, and it seems that the rut is beginning. I have been here for more than eight hours. I have seen six whitetail deer, three of which were bucks - and one of which was impressive, though not a "shooter." But the last of that action was about four hours ago, and my brain is now trying to power itself down.

Fairly successfully, I might add.

So I thumb-type on my phone, glancing up often to check for game, in an attempt to breathe life into my mind - and my hope.

There are certainly worse ways to make a living.

- Russ Chastain