How to Push Through Mentally on Tough Western Hunts | Elk & Mule Deer Hunting Tips

August 23, 2025

Mental Toughness for Western Hunts: The Factor That Decides Success or Failure

Here’s the truth most hunters don’t want to admit: it’s not the gear. It’s not the perfect spot. And it’s not even always your physical conditioning that makes or breaks a tough Western hunt. It’s your mind.

I’ve seen guys who were in great shape quit because they couldn’t handle the grind. I’ve seen hunters with the latest gear pack it in after a week because the mountain wore them down. And I’ve seen average hunters—not the strongest or fastest—succeed because they refused to quit.

Western hunting—elk, mule deer, backcountry trips—it’s a mental war. Long days, no elk sightings, brutal weather, steep climbs, and missed shots all pile up. And at some point, every single one of us hears that voice: “You’re done. Go home. Quit.” But the hunters who push past that voice are the hunters who win.

The good news is mental toughness isn’t just something you’re born with. It’s something you can train, strengthen, and carry with you into the mountains.

In this full guide, I’m going to break down exactly how to push through mentally on tough Western hunts. We’ll cover:

Why the mind matters more than the body
The walls you’ll face and how to break through them
How to train grit before you leave home
How to stay sharp on the mountain
The mistakes that break hunters mentally

By the end, you’ll have a system to build and maintain the kind of grit that gets hunts finished—even when everything in you wants to quit.

Why the Mind Matters More Than the Body

When most hunters prepare for a Western hunt, they hit the gym, run miles, and buy the latest gear. And that’s good—fitness and equipment matter. But here’s the reality: your body will almost always have more left in the tank than your mind tells you it does.

Western hunting is designed to test you. Long days, high altitude, rough terrain, and endless miles will wear you down. But most hunters don’t quit because their legs gave out. They quit because their mind did.

The pack feels heavy. The climb feels endless. The weather feels unbearable. It’s not that they can’t go on—it’s that they’ve convinced themselves they’re done.

There’s an old saying in endurance sports: When your mind tells you you’re finished, you’re really only about 40% done. The same applies in hunting.

Your body is capable of far more than your brain wants to believe in the moment. The difference between hunters who succeed and those who quit is simply the decision to keep moving when it hurts.

Hitting the Walls

On every tough Western hunt, you’re going to hit walls. These aren’t just physical barriers like steep climbs or heavy packouts—they’re mental walls.

You’ll face the fatigue wall when your body aches and your mind tells you you’re done.
You’ll face the pain wall when blisters, sore shoulders, or altitude headaches make you want to quit.
You’ll face the weather wall when cold rain, snow, or relentless heat makes the mountain feel unbearable.
You’ll face the loneliness wall when the silence and isolation of solo hunting weigh heavy.
You’ll face the failure wall when a blown stalk, a missed shot, or several elkless days crush your motivation.

Each of these walls feels different, but they all whisper the same lie: “It’s not worth it. Quit.”

When you know the walls are coming, they stop being surprises. Instead of panicking or thinking something’s wrong, you recognize, “This is just the fatigue wall. Push through it.” Awareness turns a wall into a hurdle—something you step over instead of something that stops you.

Training Mental Grit Before the Hunt

Most hunters think mental grit only gets tested on the mountain. The truth is, you can—and should—train your mind long before the hunt begins.

Just like your body, your mental toughness grows when you deliberately put it under stress. Comfort is the enemy of grit. If you want to be tougher in the backcountry, start practicing discomfort now.

Hike with a heavy pack in bad weather.
Train early in the morning when it’s inconvenient.
Load more weight than feels comfortable.

Every time you choose the harder path, you’re building the ability to say, “I don’t quit,” when it matters.

Visualization matters too. Your brain doesn’t know the difference between a real experience and one vividly imagined. So, imagine steep climbs, long days without elk, or even missing a shot and recovering. When those moments come, your brain will already know how to handle them.

Staying Sharp on the Mountain

Once you’re in the mountains, the real mental game begins. The altitude, the endless miles, the slow days without animals—this is where grit separates hunters.

One of the biggest mistakes hunters make is thinking too far ahead. They look at the whole mountain, the entire packout, or the days left in the season, and it feels overwhelming. Instead, break your hunt into small, winnable chunks:

“I’m just going to reach that ridge.”
“I’ll glass for one more hour.”
“I’ll hunt hard until lunch, then reassess.”

Small wins add up to big successes.

Reset each morning with a fresh mindset. Yesterday’s failure is gone. Today could be the day—and often, it is.

Handling Failure

Failure is part of Western hunting. Blown stalks, missed shots, and long elkless days are not exceptions—they are guarantees.

The best hunters aren’t flawless—they are relentless. They blow opportunities, then reset and hunt harder.

Failure isn’t the end unless you make it the end. It’s feedback. It’s a lesson. And the hunters who push through failure are the ones who stay in the fight long enough to succeed.

Feeding Motivation

Excitement fades quickly. Purpose lasts.

When your legs are burning and lungs are screaming, your “why” is the anchor that keeps you moving. Whether it’s providing meat for your family, testing yourself against the mountain, or carrying on tradition—your why matters more than excitement.

Excitement disappears in the rain, in the cold, or after ten miles of hiking. Purpose doesn’t fade.

Tools to Stay Mentally Strong

Mental grit doesn’t just happen. You can arm yourself with tools and habits that make it easier to reset and keep going:

Breathing routines (box breathing, long exhale breathing) to calm stress.
Mantras like “One more ridge” or “Don’t stop when you’re tired. Stop when you’re done.”
Journaling each night to reflect on wins, losses, and tomorrow’s plan.
Resets with food, hydration, stretching, or reframing after a tough moment.

These tools don’t replace toughness—they reinforce it.

Avoiding Mental Traps

The mountain is already hard. Don’t sabotage yourself before you even get there:

Unrealistic expectations: Don’t expect elk behind every ridge. Prepare for hard days.
Poor preparation: Break in gear, train your body, and plan for storms.
Rigidity: Don’t lock into one plan. Flexibility keeps you in the fight.
Shallow purpose: Don’t hunt just for validation or photos. Anchor your hunt to something deeper.

Final Thoughts

Mental toughness isn’t luck, and it’s not something you either have or don’t. It’s a skill. You can train it, strengthen it, and apply it.

Train discomfort at home.
Build visualization and reset habits.
Anchor yourself to a strong why.
Hunt with flexibility.
Redefine success.

Every mile you hike and every day you last in the mountains builds grit you’ll carry for life.

The hunters who push through mentally are the hunters who last.

That’s exactly why I created TEAM BACKBONE—a membership built for hunters who want to sharpen their edge, train their mind, and build the grit that separates quitters from killers.

Check it out at BackboneUnlimited.com under the membership tab.

The mountains will test you. They’ll throw storms, fatigue, and failure at you. But grit wins—and grit is something you can build.

Until next time: Train Harder. Hunt Smarter. Never Settle.

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