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Hunting on target to help brain fatigue TOM VENESKY OUTDOORS

Sunday November 30, 2008 | 07:40 AM

When I climb into my deer stand tomorrow and spend the day watching the woods around me, I will be doing more than waiting for a nice buck.

I will be recovering from brain fatigue.

Will Conyngham of The Lands at Hillside Farms sent me an article a while back about how one can overcome brain fatigue by simply looking at natural settings.

Judging by the scenic Hillside countryside that surrounds Conyngham, his brain is probably not fatigued.

The article was printed in the New York Times and basically concludes that when we perform a task that requires attention and concentration, it causes brain fatigue.

Taking a test, working on a project at work and writing a column are a few examples. When our mind is diverted to a pleasant view, it is rested.

Simple, yet so true.

And that leads me to the view from my deer stand, where I can see a hemlock-covered hollow, open hardwoods and rolling hills.

Even if a deer isn’t seen, it is still relaxing to simply sit and watch. So relaxing that I can spend the entire day in the small stand without leaving.

But if you move my stand into the middle of New York City and that feeling of relaxation would be replaced by one of stress – and brain fatigue.

Concrete, crowds and traffic don’t soothe like the trees and rolling hills.

There are plenty of other places and sights that ease brain fatigue. Any place with a view of woods and farms will do.

I encountered such a scene a few weeks ago while hunting turkeys with my father in Bradford County. As we crossed an expansive hay field toward a rugged hillside that always holds turkeys, something made us stop.

All at once, we forgot about turkeys, hunting and everything else.

It was the view. The clear air and high elevation enabled us to see for miles and miles across Bradford County to the New York border.

It was a view of trees, fields, barns and lakes. There were no cities, industrial parks, highways nor any evidence that urban sprawl was encroaching on this paradise.

It was reassuring to know that such areas still exist, and it was relaxing to sit and appreciate it for a bit.

Still, a relaxing view doesn’t have to be one that extends for miles.

There is a small stream where I hunt that meanders between two steep hillsides. On one side, the terrain is covered with dark green hemlock trees and towering oaks. On the other bank is a vertical cliff where the water pools below.

During hikes in the summer, the spot often makes me stop and stare at the enormity of the trees above and the rock formations exposed in the cliff. With a steady gaze into the clear pool, I patiently wait for the colorful native brook trout to appear from under the rocks.

I suspect that brain fatigue is a major reason why many of us hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors. Sure it is fun to be active and outside, but the calming effect that occurs when you are surrounded by nature is what matters most.

And that’s why many of the almost one million hunters will head into the woods tomorrow.

To give our fatigued minds a much-needed rest.

Good luck as you head afield tomorrow. Be safe, shoot straight and, most importantly, relax and enjoy the view.