Imagine all your hunting gear neatly packed into a couple of bags.

Now, empty them on the floor.

That's what I did.

As I worked on becoming more efficient, I started packing my hunting and shooting gear in specific bags.

Which worked well. But over time, things seemed to slowly accumulate again.

One day, while packing for a move, I decided to do an inventory check on my hunting gear.

That's when it all ended up on the floor.

I wanted to determine, once and for all, what was relevant and what wasn't.

When hunting, I usually stalk through mixed farmland and woodland.

Typically, I stop to scan from high-seat or natural vantage points.

Therefore, this type of hunting was to be my reference point.

Firstly, some items in the bag were not even specific to the act of hunting at all.

Things like knives and other tools I would use in the larder while butchering. They went in their own separate bags.

Other items were summer vs. winter gear. Like my baseball cap and woolen hat. So, I began sorting out my seasonal gear.

Finally, there were a few items that I don't typically use while hunting, for example, a wind meter.

At this point, I had a pretty relevant pile of gear sprawled across my kitchen floor.

To take things further, I employed another LEAN concept, 6S.

It stands for Sort, Set in order, Scrub, Safety, Standardize, and Sustain.

Don't worry about the meaning of each element.

In LEAN, 6S acts as a reminder to create a work area with easy access to your tools.

Think of it as the foundation for flow.

We don't use a workbench while hunting. ...Unless, maybe you're into varminting.

Our workbench is the way we carry our gear.

To set up my "workbench", I first set my bino caddy and harness to carry my binoculars and a few additional items.

I designated pockets in my jacket and trousers for other gear.

This ensures I have easy access to critical items. And the gear I use frequently.

Together, I refer to this work as "organization".

It's all about removing any gear that's not relevant to your hunting style.

And creating a 6S-type setup as a foundation for flow.

Regarding flow, over time, I became more aware of how I used my gear.

My rifle in particular. I've taken plenty of detours with long-range shooting.

Like using free recoil-ish techniques. This works well for heavy rigs, but not with lighter hunting rifles. That was another "habit" that Andrew at WMS helped me correct.

In addition, episodes like the kudu story taught me that shooting is not just about pulling the trigger.

It's a chain of actions.

To create flow, you need to place yourself in a hunting scenario. You need to understand how you are likely to shoot.

Practice for that.

Your gear must be optimized for your style of hunting.

For hunting, for me, “optimize” is the way I create flow.

Which is the second component of becoming a faster hunter.

To become a faster hunter, you need to:

1. Organize your gear, and
2. Optimize the way you use it.

Simple but powerful

A simple approach to "act fast".

If I had followed it, I would have had a better plan regarding what gear to bring and how to put it to good use in South Africa.

I certainly wouldn’t have let it get in my way.

And I would probably have a set of long spiral-shaped horns mounted on my wall.

Prevent empty spaces on your wall

Organizing your gear and optimizing the way you use it makes you a faster hunter.

This way, you won't end up with an empty space on your wall, like me.

Thanks for listening so far.

I hope you gained some food for thought.

Even if you have a slightly different take on hunting. I hope that my ideas have inspired you to reflect on this passion of ours.

It’s all about helping you spend your time the best.

Certain gear and knowledge will be relevant to your style of hunting. Others won't.

Remember: "Act fast", "Organize" and "Optimize" — this will help you make the most of your time and money.

Looking back, it's really not that complex.

As a matter of fact, it can be easy. It just requires a structured effort.

DRSOOS = faster

I personally wanted more structure than the two steps.

I wanted to break down "Optimize" and "Organize" into smaller and more manageable steps.

Over time I've developed a six-step process to help me get faster.

I refer to this as DRSOOS:

• Define,
• Record,
• Simplify,
• Organize,
• Optimize and
• Standardize.

I know, I don't have a cool acronym for it.

But hunters that I respect, tell me it works.

If you're on a journey to become a better hunter, then "acting fast" is an excellent place to start.

You’ll also get far with Optimize and Organize...

But if you want to take it a step further, I'd like to share DRSOOS with you.

If you sign up, you’ll receive six emails detailing the process.

Please don't sign up if you're not excited about learning about the process.

I think you treasure your time as much as I value mine.

And I want to respect that.

However, if you're the type of person who gets excited about structure. And you work hard to stack the odds in your favor for hunting. DRSOOS might help you as much as it's helped me.

In that case, you can sign up with your email below.

In addition to the process, I’ll also tell you all about the day in Kazakhstan when my guides were shaking their heads in disbelief. While we hunted ibex on a steep mountainside.

All the best,

Christian

Send me the emails about DRSOOS

PS. The series will be sent from RedKettle. And each email will have the "fast" prefix together with it's number in the sequence.

PPS. Don't worry about spam. After the DRSOOS emails I will will share other thoughts on hunting via my newsletter. You can leave the list at any time if the ideas don't give you any value.