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You spot a deer and it’s coming at you
- Thread starter Exhumis
- Start date
I tend to perform better this way, too long in front of me and the adrenaline is kicking up the HR and BP. but like @Hall17, I can get settled if need be, it just comes in cycles. it does kind of depend how the season has gone for me though. If I have been hunting hard and not having a good season with as many encounters, when it does happen I get jacked up more than if I am seeing a lot of deer that season.
Mentally I'd of course prefer to spot him from afar and carefully watch him come in and take my perfect shot. But my track record shows that I screw these shots up wayyyyyy more. The ones where I have 5 seconds to react and shoot turn out much better. I guess I just get into my own head a little too much when I have the time.
I prefer to have enough time to prepare. However too much time for me is bad. Once I had a big 10 coming across a field and down a ditch, heading to an alfalfa field behind me. The most of the field I did not have permission to hunt on. Once he jumped the fence he was fair game. It took him 15 minutes to work his way to me. All the deer spooked for some reason and ran back. They started coming back out again. anyway the whole process took an hour before he got to me. I could seem him most of the time. The anticipation just killed me. By the time he got 30 yds away from ground blind, I was a wreck. I blew the shot. Now if you give me at least a minute or even 30 seconds to prepare, most likely he's going down. I don't get worked up until after the shot. The flip side is surprises are fun. There's nothing like looking down and there is a deer you want to shoot. They are hard to kill because sudden movements will get you busted. I prefer a little time. I have even moved to different trees because certain trees allowed to deer to ghost up on you.
I guess I would prefer to have time but there's something about the last-minute part that I seem to do better with. Oftentimes I'll see something from afar and it heads in a different direction so that's a bummer. There's something exiting about the moment of truth. How many times does a deer come in with no clue then all of a sudden it starts acting squirrelly and then the predator in you says.... kill, kill, kill?
I’ve only had a few encounters, and even fewer shot opportunities. But the last one was a surprise and it went down bad. I had a perfect chip shot on a totally unaware deer and missed due to rushing the shot. When I went over it in my head, I didn’t do anything right. My preshot routine went out the window and I flat out missed……
Although I’m still a rookie, the rushed opportunities haven’t panned out well for me, I like to take my time, observe behavior, and go through getting myself set as best as possible. Although I don’t get the shakes until after I’ve hit my mark, once I see one go down I get shaky and excited.
If I had to choose between 30 seconds heads up time and 20 minutes, on a big buck, I'll take the 30 seconds.
I want enough time to get positioned and not feel I need to rush the draw. That's all I need. So, I guess a medium amount of time (not a voting option) is ideal.
I don't want a lot of time. Once, I had a huge 8 point loiter right out of range for 20 minutes or so. I couldn't calm my heart rate and my blood pressure spiked to the point that I could not focus my eyes. I shouldn't have shot but did and missed clean. This was 5 years ago and then and now I don't have high blood pressure or any issues and this is the only time in my life that has happened.
I'm guessing it was blood pressure or heart rate, really. All I know is that my heart pounded like I was sprinting for 20 minutes, and then eyes got fuzzy. Maybe I needed more cardio at the gym. As soon as the deer left, eyes were fine.
I want enough time to get positioned and not feel I need to rush the draw. That's all I need. So, I guess a medium amount of time (not a voting option) is ideal.
I don't want a lot of time. Once, I had a huge 8 point loiter right out of range for 20 minutes or so. I couldn't calm my heart rate and my blood pressure spiked to the point that I could not focus my eyes. I shouldn't have shot but did and missed clean. This was 5 years ago and then and now I don't have high blood pressure or any issues and this is the only time in my life that has happened.
I'm guessing it was blood pressure or heart rate, really. All I know is that my heart pounded like I was sprinting for 20 minutes, and then eyes got fuzzy. Maybe I needed more cardio at the gym. As soon as the deer left, eyes were fine.
I may be an oddball with this one but I don't get the shakes with buck encounters and I'm not sure why but give me time to watch a doe come in and think about how the shot should play out and I may start twitching. Funny thing is once either the doe gets under the tree or I begin to draw, the shakes go away.
I had a perfect scenario a few years ago. I heard a squirrel barking about 70 yards away so I got out my binos and glassed up a small buck through the brush. This was pre-saddle so I went ahead and stood up, clipped on my release and got ready. He got a little closer but it didn't become obvious he was going to come my way until all of a sudden he started jogging, crossed a ditch, and stopped exactly 20 yards away broadside. Happened just fast enough I didn't get the shakes until after but I was able to get ready for the shot.
that's about perfect for me
it's like a fist fight....you don't want to be sucker punched....but also no long drawn out thing where flight or fight gives you a nice adrenaline dump
I like to hear them walking from afar. Then I can get ready the have them in shooting range when I see them!! Kinda like how I turkey hunt! When I see them I want to be able to kill them!!
afar is for sure better - EXCEPT that it can create situations where buck fever take hold... (don't ask how my season went)
Everything I do in my life is last minute. Why should this be any different?
With a gun, let me see them a long ways off.
With the bow, I have fared better with quick encounters. Less time to overthink. Less time for me to make an I'll advised movement that gets me busted.
With the bow, I have fared better with quick encounters. Less time to overthink. Less time for me to make an I'll advised movement that gets me busted.