Hi everybody. My name is Matt. I've deer hunted since I was 11 with a shotgun and rifle. I'm 25 now. I started bow hunting last year and love it, even though only one deer came within bow range and I spooked it. I get really nervous when a deer is within range, which for me is under 30 yards. I was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to calm yourself under that pressure in the "moment" so to speak. I have to nice bucks coming to my corn feeder daily for hours on end. I don't want to mess this up. IfI don't feel confident enough, I'm afraid I won't sit on thatstand untilmuzzleloader season starts.
Forst thing I have to remind myself is to take a breath and remember to release it. I dont get as nervous anymore cause i;m paying to much attention to other things. Body Posture, where they are loking, wind direction. place i'm goin to take shot. I find that i am alot less worried about the shot itself and more relaxed when i do take the shot.
One thing i do while practicing is i will run around my house once or twice pick up my bow and try to take a shot. this is the closest thing i have found to simulate the fast heartbeat and shortness of breath. you willlearn to calm yourself pretty quick.
I don't have an answer for you. I still get nervous I have been bowhunting for 16 years. I try and calm myself but it just doesn't work. But one thing I have gotten better at is slowing down my movements to get ready for the shot and I don't spook near as many deer. Heck I get just as nervous if it is a doe or a good size buck.
I was so nervous last year, I completely forgot what to do. I froze. I had a 100 pound doe about 20 yards in front of me. I had my bow upright in my hand by the time I could see her. I wasn't nervous until I seen her. I drew back and before I come to full draw, she snorted and ran, blowing all the way out. It was a rush like nothing I've ever felt while deer hunting!
I know the feeling matt, i have been there and still am but not as bad. This is going to be my fourth season bow hunting, my first season i was a wreck anytime i saw a deer within 200 yards. I would be shaking so hard that i didn't even want the deer to come close because i feared that i would just wound it with a poor shot. One thing that i think helped me a little is actually shooting at a 3D deer target. I have the ability to zone out and pretend that this target is the actual thing and i can even get the shakes from it. Another thing that helped was going out and shooting squirrels with my bow, sounds crazy but it actually helped me out some. The best thing that ever happened to me was when i shot my first two deer. Each one was two seasons ago while walking through the woods. I jumped two deer on separate occasions and each one ran 20-40 yards and stopped to look back. I always had an arrow knocked when still hunting and when it happens that quickly you don't even have the time to get the shakes, you just point and release. Taking those deer took a lot of pressure off of me and helped to calm my ass down. Anyways, just thought that i would share some things that helped me out.
I think you are thinking too much. I'm 25 too, so I can at least relate to you, unlike some of these old farts.
Seriously, I prepare myself everytime I am out to see a deer. I visualize what I am going to do and take a deep breath and let the arrow fly. When you're practicing with your bow, you should visualize yourself in your stand taking that shot. Let your heart race a little bit and then calm yourself down with slow breaths.
You are experiencing buck fever, but it can be controlled. I always say, do what scares you.
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I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. -Thomas Jefferson
Matt...Did you grow up small game hunting??? I feel that this is very good practice, in both stalking and and being able to learn what you can and can't do around game...Turkey hunting is also excellent practice, if you can hold it toghther while a gobble is strutting and gobbling until he gets into 20-25 yards than you are on the way...It's also harder to get a turkey into that range without being noticed than a deer, a turkeys eyesight is much better than a deer and they are more wary...
So, long term, I would also take up turkey hunting, varmit hunting and squirrel hunting...
Sort term, practice with your bow until you can raise and shoot without thinking, it should be second nature...When a buck comes in, don't look at his antlers, look away if you need to, just concentrate on the area behind the shoulder where you plan to put that arrow...When he is in position and has his head turned or it is behind a tree, keep your eyes on that spot and put an arrow right there...
Something else, they are just animals, they don't have super human powers, relax and have fun...
Finally, kill some does, this helps get your confidence up and will show you how to draw on a deer and not be detected...
As you gain experience are are around deerat close range more, it will get easier...
Talk to yourself... seriously. Under your breath, tell yourself what to do and how to do it. Saying a quick prayer also helps me to slow down and focus.
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"We cannot expect the Americans to jump from capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving Americans small doses of socialism until they suddenly awake to find they have Communism" - Nikita Krushchev 1959
New bow hunter with bad nerves
