With the New Year here, it is common to hear about resolutions people are making for the year to try to better themselves. While the most common ones revolve around self-health such as eating healthier or working out more to get into shape, it may worth considering a more radical resolution.

Outdoors-focused resolutions should be on recreationalists’ minds. Whether your goal is to shoot a bigger buck or just to go fishing more, setting smaller goals as stepping blocks will help you achieve your larger goal.

Deer hunters can set goals for different times of the year to help them stay on track of shooting a bigger buck or just seeing more deer than they did last year. Mid-winter is the best time to prune fruit trees to help them be healthier and produce better crops of fruit. Remove vertical branches that will shade out lower branches once they have leaves on. Also look for horizontal branches that shade other branches out. Dense canopies can also lead to mold and mildew problems due to moisture getting trapped under the leaves and not fully drying out. Some winter scouting can help hunters see where deer are traveling thanks to the snow. Be aware that deer change feeding patterns sometimes in the winter as food sources run out or get covered with too much snow, but this should give you an idea where to hang trail cameras in the summer.

Depending on what food plots they want, spring and summer can be devoted to working the soil and planting food plots. Either way, a soil sample should be taken in the spring so that the proper soil amendments can be made before putting seed down. In the middle of summer, put up trail cameras to start seeing what deer are around. Bucks will still be growing their antlers but knowing deer are using an area can help you decide if you want to move stand locations. If you have a new stand to put up or are just relocating an old stand, get it hung up in August so that the deer can get used to it being there before bow season rolls around.

Turkey hunters can spend more time scouting before the season opens so they have a better idea of where mature toms are hanging out. Maybe they want to try shooting a turkey with a bow or crossbow, which means that they should make time to practice shooting with those implements from seated positions. It can be tiring walking all morning while trying to get a bird to gobble, so go for walks when the weather starts to break in the spring so that you can hunt all morning without your legs feeling like jelly the next morning.

For anglers, resolutions may be simpler or more complex. If the goal is to fish more, worry about getting other tasks done so that you can block time in the week to fish. Whether that means doing yardwork during the week so you can fish on the weekend, or vice versa, stick to your plan. Maybe buy some sort of new equipment so that you have more reason to go. Investing in a fly-tying setup so that you can make and then use your own flies to catch fish might give you a more fulfilled feeling than using flies someone else made.

Another great route to take is to make a resolution to help outdoors groups with their missions. Organizations such as the National Wild Turkey Federation, Trout Unlimited, and Ducks Unlimited can always use more volunteers. Do some research and see which group has a mission that best fits you. Local rod and gun clubs are almost always looking for more members and more people who volunteer to help. Helping any of these organizations can help ensure that hunting and/or fishing continues to be an option for future generations.