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You’re Only Aware of What You’re Aware Of
By: Dude McLean

Most hunters, hikers, campers, trackers, and all the outdoor people think they are aware, and I mean, really aware, of what is going on around them. Most are pretty good and some are very good. The problem is that you really do not know how aware you are. What? Well, how do you know if you missed something, or a dozen important things. You are only aware of what you are aware of!
Sure, you’re aware of things you observe, but that is only what “you” are aware of. Nobody is following you around to point out the important information you have missed.

I’ll betcha there are a whole bunch of you right now mumbling in your coffee, “This guy is full of hot owl crud.” Let me clarify what I am talking about. Whether in the bush, woods, desert, city, or in your suburban neighborhood, movement is what catches our eye first. We are, after all, predators, but we have lost or buried some of that intuitive skill. Shape and color catches our eye when it doesn’t fit. If you are hunting, tracking, or taking photos, these activities demand our attention. They all call for the upper end of observational skills.
Tracking is about learning what to look for, to be aware of your skills, and to use your “tools.” Not being on top of your game and not being truly observant, while tracking, means you will not be successful in your quest.

Hunting

You had better see the critter first or it is just hot water for dinner tonight. Hunting with a weapon or a camera entails much of the same skills. You need a great shot; you earn those shots by being on the sharp edge of awareness. Surprise!!! Someone stepped out onto the trail, dead in front of you, or worse, they were 6 feet behind you before you knew they were there. Be honest with yourself, how many times have you been in a “wow” state of mind? “Where did he come from?” Did they just kind of showed up? The honesty part means admitting you were not as aware as you might have been, or would like to be. Predators all have eyes on the front of their face that look forward. We are primarily sight hunters, but hearing and learning to identify sounds is a skill we should develop as well. Bushy-tails make a certain sound when they are alarmed, so do bluejays, and most other animals. To identify those sounds is a skill in awareness that you acquire with practice.

Smell is probably our weakest aware sense; unless the odor is overwhelming, most of us will not notice. Your sense of smell can be “trained” and worked on by being aware and concentrating. When we notice a smell, we need to follow up and identify it, to see what it is.

A bear, a lion, a rat, and a bird’s nest all have distinctive odors. We all know a skunk smell. If we smell a steak or fish cooking, we can separate those smells. “Sexy” perfume we can identify; However, we fail with the more subtle nuances of things that we just breathe in without it hitting our senses and brain. These subtle odors might say, “Wow, that’s a double-beaked, twisted-foot grass jumper.” You can work at it if you let your aware brain become sensitive to the smell and then identify it. It’s all a part of being aware.

Bring Out The Primitive

Time to bring out the primitive that most of us have buried in our modern lives. If Someone comes up behind you in the mall and startles you, Play a game. Okay, you have been had; Tag, you are it. This illustrates that we’re used to being around people and do not seem to notice when we are startled by a stranger who, most of the time, is an innocent person, doing his own thing. Use this to your advantage for our private awareness class.

Make It A Game, A Personal Game

Start right now to improve and test yourself. Make it a game until it becomes second nature. Being aware is a skill you can work on all the time. Right now — do not dare look up from reading this article—how many lights are on in your home? What color shirt does the person closest to you have on?

Use those experiences in your everyday life to sharpen your awareness skills. Keep score for a few weeks. How many times were you surprised or startled? Do not be in denial about this. Do not fool yourself. Be brutally honest with yourself. I will take bets that you will be amazed by the number of times someone gets you.

A Lesson Learned From My Dog

My dog, a 110 pound Akita who fears nothing, never just steps outside. She stops in the doorway and observes everything, looks both ways before she commits to moving out through the door, like the head samurai in Kurasawa’s “Seven Samurai.” I like that, not moving blindly into an unknown situation. Most of us feel comfortable in our own environment, moving outside to retrieve a newspaper or going out to our car. I like what I have learned from my dog — being aware of what is there.

Improve By Practice

Practice being aware. The concentration to remain being aware is more difficult than you may think. However, being aware is a skill you can work on, no matter where you are or what you are doing. Once you are in the “habit” and the mindset is firmly planted, you can easily make the transition to the woods and the bush.

I had a friend who was blind in one eye, but he saw more and quicker than anyone I know. Maybe it is because he was blind in one eye, so he overcompensated, but all I know for sure is that he was one of the most aware men that I ever had the pleasure to be on the trail with.

Being aware is a skill that can be honed. It does not cost you a thing. Even practicing for 1-hour a day will gets you in touch with one of the most basic and primitive of all skills.

You’re only aware of what you’re aware of