For the same reason that fishing is called fishing and not catching, hunting is called hunting and not killing, stalking, or spending time huddled under a bush in camouflage in the cold. For the fisherman who goes out on the boat every morning, he’s casting his line many times before he even makes a catch.

For fly fisherman, the rate of casting is much, much higher. For a hunter, there are unlimited hours spent sitting around, keeping still, waiting for your prey to come into view. There’s an art to the kill. Sure some folks get lucky, but if you do your research, there are ways you can ensure you bring in the kill on your next hunting trip. Here’s what you need to do:

Bring Proper Tools

There are some tools that can be described as luxuries over necessities. Maybe as a hunter you don’t need some fancy $500 dollar Cabela’s tent, or you don’t need a brand new truck. However, if you want to feel confident in the fact that you’re going to hit your mark this hunting season and bring something home, you need to invest in the right and proper tools. Get a rangefinder, get a good gun and practice using it at a range. Know your instrument like the back of your hand so that in that moment where your prey is within range, you can take the shot and solidify the kill.

Research Your Neck of the Woods

Great hunters are like the hunters back in hunter-gatherer days. They don’t hope that their meal will come into their camp. They go after and hunt for their prey. They earn their meal or they starve. If you consider yourself a hunter and you want to ensure that you’re going to able to bring home some meat, research the land you’re hunting on. Study tracking and animal habits and migrating patterns. That’s how you’re going to know if your prey is in the area, and if they aren’t, that’s how you’re going to know where they went and how far they’ve been gone.

Cover Your Bases

People do hunt alone, but when you do, that just means there is more work for you to do. You’re setting up camp, keeping yourself company, and if you do kill something, you’re gutting and cleaning and getting 200+ pounds of meat home by yourself.

That sounds great if you want to keep 200 pounds of meat all to yourself, but maybe you could think about covering your bases and bringing several others on the trip. This way, you spread out while you’re in the woods to have greater chances at getting the meat, and if somebody does aim and hit their target, you can arrange that you all get a share of the meat. It’s a win, win situation.