Dealing with your nerves while attempting a shot at a deer can be a frustrating experience. Buck fever is a form of target panic. The sight of a deer that you want to shoot can turn even the best of shots into a quivering mass in a tree. For most of those afflicted with frazzled nerves the result of the shot is usually a complete miss or worse yet, a wounded deer.

The root of this problem lies in controling your excitement. Even the most experienced hunter gets excited when they see a deer they want to shoot. If someone says that they weren't excited they're either lying or shouldn't be hunting.

If you or your buddy say "I wasn't nervous", it's a dead give away that you were indeed nervous. I have a friend that has wounded big bucks three times in the last 3 seasons. While describing the shot, the first thing he says is that he wasn't nervous. I know that he's lying! It's like asking a little one who ate all of the candy and have them stare down at their shoes and say it wasn't them. A dead give away, it's called denial.

The first step in correcting this problem is to admit that you have to work on controlling your excitement.

The following steps are what I do to control my excitement while making a shot at a deer.

1) Go out and scout from a distance in observation stands. Gradually work your way closer to the deer. Get used to seeing them. Look at the exact spot where you'd aim if you were to shoot that deer. Concentrate.

2) When you first spot a deer that you want to shoot you'll probably get an adrenaline burst. Take a deep breath and slowly let it out while you are preparing for the shot.

3) As the deer starts coming into range, narrow your focus to the exact spot where you want to rest your sight pin or your arrow to hit.

4) When the deer is in range of your shot, narrow your focus some more so you can only see a spot on the animal about 4 inches in diameter. About the size of a bullseye.

5) Center your pin or aim in the center of this bullseye and slowly squeeze off the shot.

6) Follow through. Do not take your eyes off of this spot until your arrow is in the target or the ground. Do not anticipate or peek around your bow to see the arrow hit, you'll throw off your shot. I try to see my arrow hit as if I were still looking through my peep sight.

7) Watch the deer run off until you can't see or hear it anymore. Then make a few mental landmarks of trees or rocks etc of where the deer went, before you get down from your stand.

The reason for narrowing your focus down to such a small spot on the deer is to help your aim and prevent you from aiming at the whole animal. It also keeps you from looking at the antlers. It is fact that the larger the antlers, the more frazzled your nerves will be. You will get a better look at the antlers once they're in your hands. Gospel.


This works for me and I hope it works for you.

Good luck!

PS. More tips are welcome