Buck fever got me today

[neonomad]

Another non scientific piece of advice - I suspect the Bowmar nose button might help a little to keep form, if you do calm down enough to draw the bow. Part of the reason I run it is to add a bit more ritual to the process — establish the little prick on the nose.

 

[thedutchtouch]

Having a mental mantra might help. I use an ez v bow site, so I've been saying (in my head)
"Frame the vitals, square your frame, relax and let the bow go" or something along those lines. I was having more problems with tensing up my bow hand and torquing the bow than getting the shakes though. I also made myself completely ignore the antlers and instead focus on the shoulder joint to pick where my arrow was going last week, which helped me treat that buck as "any other deer". I'm not claiming it was a monster, but it is to me, and it seemed to help.

But I've still messed up a few shots on does this year as well, and I'm definitely in the "shoot any legal critters" camp/plan to get past this kinda thing with more experience as well

 

[redsquirrel]

That's what it's all about. As someone who has had lots of buck fever in the past, the best solution is to shoot a lot of deer so your body can natually react to the situation in the moment. I guess you're almost desensitizing yourself. It's a balance between making it "just another deer" vs getting the rush that goes with it. Sometimes I don't get the shakes until after, sometimes not at all. One of the bucks I shot last year my leg was literally banging against the tree and I thought I was going to get busted. The quicker everything happens the easier it is to fend off buck fever. When the deer is hanging around giving you time to think about it is usually when its the worst. When buck fever starts to take over I try to focus on controlling my breathing and that seems to help.

 

[Loopwing]

I still get the shakes on a doe. You will learn how to control and breathe. Honestly if your laws allow it, just shoot deer. Don't wait for a buck. Buck fever is all a mental thing, and the more pressure you put on yourself the harder it will be. Let the arrows fly. There is absolutely nothing you can do in practice to make you not feel the fever when you pull back on a live animal. The moment you don't get the fever, find a new hobby.
Good luck man, congrats on the encounter!

 

[Iron_llama]

Have you ever shot competitively? Even informal competition can induce some degree of stress, and learning how to shoot under stress will help.

That said... man, if I ever experience the day I don't get amped up when I see a deer while hunting, that's the day I should probably quit hunting.

 

[Black Titan]

Have you ever shot competitively? Even informal competition can induce some degree of stress, and learning how to shoot under stress will help.

That said... man, if I ever experience the day I don't get amped up when I see a deer while hunting, that's the day I should probably quit hunting.

Not in any official capacity, and not with a bow.

Honestly my main concern with buck fever is having anxiety over buck fever, which makes it worse lol. I don't like my heart to race like that and BP to raise. I'm already on BP med and heart rate med. I'm afraid I'll be calling Elizabeth telling her this is the big one!

BT

 

[Kevin2]

Well welcome to bow/deer hunting! Awesome isn't it! I still get buck fever as bad as 50 years ago! LOL...I actually perfer when I don't have time to think. I see the deer, grab my bow, aim, and shoot. Now, if I have to wait for the deer to get into my lane OR broadside, I hope it is a longer wait, which will give my buck fever some time to simmer down a bit.

In the heat of the moment, just get into your pre-shot shooting routine. That way, your going to aim straight. If you don't have a routine, then develope one when you are practicing at home/range. I do absolutely everything the same when I shoot, haven't changed my routine in years. So, in the heat of the moment that part of hunting is automatic AND I'm less likely to make a aiming mistake.

My routine is this, grip, pull back to anchor point on my jaw bone, drop nose to string, center sight housing inside peep sight, aim pin, shoot ONCE I aquire my target. In that order every time. Nothing more, nothing less.

DEEP breaths. Move only when his eyes can't see IF possible. Might consider turning your bow down to 60lbs, which might give you a better chance of actually getting it drawn back.

Hope you get another chance at a deer soon. Keep us posted!

 

[Jammintree]

Adrenaline is a medicine our body makes to give us the edge we need to succeed in these life or
Death moments. Use the Force. Channel that intense chemical coursing through your veins. Turn it into hyper focus, acute hearing - seeing - smelling - sensing. Lean back into all the practice you’ve done and focus your power on being motionless until the shot opportunity presents itself. Once you’ve loosed the arrow continue to channel and focus the energy. Stay in control of that intense feeling. The hunt isn’t over until you’ve stood over the deceased animal.

 

[Halfstep]

Were you ground hunting or in a tree?

 

[Black Titan]

Were you ground hunting or in a tree?

This time I was on the ground in a tree seat. I had climbed twice the day before and then hiked a bunch to scout out some other locations. Being tired and lack of sleep made me decide to ground hunt that day.

BT

 

[Halfstep]

This time I was on the ground in a tree seat. I had climbed twice the day before and then hiked a bunch to scout out some other locations. Being tired and lack of sleep made me decide to ground hunt that day.

BT

The pucker factor is a lot higher when ground hunting than when tree hunting. The intensity is noticeably higher when face to face with a deer. If you find it difficult to contain yourself then try hunting from a tree stand until you get some experience with controlling the rush.

 

[Fgirtyman]

My third day in this spot. Been hunting morning and evening, no sign of deer. Im situated on top of a knob in a ridgeline. Finally this morning about 9:45 I hear a blow off to my 2 o clock down the hill. I had been using my grunt. Just a couple grunts every 30 minutes or so. After I heard the blow, I stood up, gave a soft grunt. All of a sudden I spot movement to my left. At first I thought it was another tree rat. I saw brown at ground level. But it was the head of the deer coming up the hill.

I raised my bow, hooked my release, and the deer came out perfectly broadside, about 15 yards away. I thought it was a doe at first, but it turned its head and I saw it was a spike. I was hyperfocused on a small quarter sized spot behind its front shoulder.

Now, this is only my 5th sit, and 6th hunt. I've never killed a deer.

I could instantly hear my heartbeat going a gazillion miles an hour, and im trembling, ragged breath, telling myself to calm down, and I just stood there froze. I don't think I could have even drawn a 10 pound bow at this point, much less my 70 pound bow.

All over a darn spike. This whole thing felt like an eternity, but I bet it played out in less than 30 seconds. The deer got even closer, looking around frantically. I was happy my grunting actually called one in. He then locked eyes with me and froze, me still sitting there with my bow raised, pointed right at him, not moving a muscle except for the trembling. He threw up the white flag and bounded down the hill towards where I heard the other deer blow, then I heard several more blows right after he disappeared.

So, long story short, I let him walk, decided to give him another year. Lol.

Any tips to get over buck fever? I don't know if my heart has ever raced so fast.

BT

I would say once I made every mistake you can make hunting and still somehow shot my first deer.... miracles happen. I still mess up and get excited, but I know I can do it. When I don't get pumped before or after a shot its time to take up shuffleboard.

Once you have some success you will know you can do it again and again. We all screw up out there but without an occasional blunder the successes don't seem as sweet.
If you don't believe me ask that Still Kicking guy....lol

 

[BTaylor]

I've said this before but deer hunting is everything you o until a deer is inside your effective range. At that point the hunting stops and the killing starts. Nothing beats killing critters for helping keep your nerves in check. Until then especially, you need to have a well rehearsed shot process. Think Joel Turner here. You have a job to do now and that job has steps. Plan your work and work your plan. Decide where you are going to kill the deer and get in position for that shot, decide when you are going to draw, draw, put the pin where you want it and stop aiming, focus on breaking the shot as clean as possible while maintaining good follow through. You dont need to see where the arrow is going, you already aimed and the bow is going to send it there so stay in the shot. Develop a mantra that walks you through your steps and say it every shot, all year long while you are getting ready for the season.

Mine is a little different because I am shooting a stick bow without sights but I repeat it all year practicing so I dont know how to take a shot without doing it when killin time arrives. Mine is pick a spot, see the shot, execute. Pick a spot is my reminder to focus on a tiny spot on the deer. See the shot is for when I anchor and my reminder to verify alignment with my spot. Execute initiates focus on keeping my bow hand pushing to the target and while I expand through the shot breaking. When your mind has a sequential job to do, it wont be distracted with foolery like buck fever.