cyberg

Good post.

Last year was my first year deer hunting ever, I used a gun. First morning up we had to move stuff into my friends house, got done and it was like 4 am so we just stayed up.

Got to stand about 5:30 AM bout 10 mins after getting into this row of pines where the stand was I hear this loud crash. I thought I was going to kick right there of heart failure. I was almost violently shaking I could barly get a bead on one of them. This was 3 does that came out of some tree's, and were going to cross the road they would of walked about 30-40 yards in front of me into a wide open field, but a car came across the road, they just took their time making a choice, go back from where they came, or cross the road and continue into our field. They went back. I have waited every day since last year waiting to get that feeling again.

This will be my first bow season this year, and I also was worried about controling myself. What I have been doing may sound funny, but I think its going to help. I don't want that super good feeling to go away, but I have to control my weapon. I get dressed up in full hunting gear bow and everything and turn on the outdoor channel, or OLN. There is a bunch of videos that have basically just the kill shot or scenes where the deer walks out. Sometimes I turn the volume all the way down cuz they play stupid music, but if they have the real sounds I leave them on. I try to pretend that I am in the stand, I even draw without an arrow just like I would trying to make it just like I hope to do in the stand this year and I concentrate on my anchors and procedures, where I want to place the shot. I am hoping because I saw it many times before, that I can control my emotions a bit better.

Now obviosly this is not going to be the same as in real life, but I am hoping it will take the edge off somewhat so I can be more controlled and can take the shot. I have to think of it as a method or procedure otherwise I am too excited. Plus I want to avoid a heart attack if at all possible.

Crazystups

Don't look at the horns, focus behind the front shoulder

nybowhunter

This will be my 6 yearbow hunting. Because of my family, I'm a weekend warrior. I can't get out as much as I want to. I got 1 button buck with my bow in 2001. I've missed bucks every year for one reason or another. One year I missed an 8 pointer twice. I was shaking so bad the arrow fell off my rest and spooked the buck.I changed to a drop away the next year to get rid of that problem. Last year I did a lot better with my nerves by concentrating on one area and taken a deep breath to calm down. I too do not look at the horns!

I love to bow hunt!I keep practicing and practing, knowing I'll get anotherchance sooner or later. And if I don't, I'm having a great time with my family and friends.

NY Bowhunter

If you can't beat it join it.
All the advice given has been great, but may result in not helping at all or at least not right away. Until you figure out how to control it so you can be succesful at shooting during buck fever you should try to manage it by practicing with it. Unfortunately there is NO way to duplicate the buck fever feeling you get.
The only thing you can do to come close is to get your heart pumping and your legs shaking and try to learn how to calm youself enough during those conditions to make an effective shot. Go run for .5 mile or so until your heart is pumping and your adrenaline is up. Then get in your practice stand and take ONE arrow and shoot at your 3d. Make sure you only shoot one arrow at it. You'll know you have one shot and mentally that will put you in a similar situation as buck fever. Physically you'll be in a similar situation. That's about as close as you can get to practicing under buck fever conditions.

DoctorDeath

IF YOU CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO CONTROL BUCK FEVER THEN YOU NEED TO BOTTLE IT .... YOU WOULD BE RICH !


ROLL TIDE
DOC

JoshKeller

another helpful hint is to control your breathing. nice slow steady breaths will help bring your pulse down a bit and will make you steadier when aiming. Also concentrate on form, then a small spot on the deer side you want to hit.

Talondale

I tend to get buck fever mostly when I'm cold. If I'm already chilled I can get the shakes from the extra adrenaline bad. So I try to stay warm. Worst case of fever I ever had was when I rattled in two does and I was shaking so hard the stand was making noise. I was laughing about it with my buddy on the radio but kept on shaking. I had been on the verge of cold the whole morning and those does just pushed me over the edge. I laughed and shook for a good 5 minutes. Good thing they weren't bucks or my arrow would have rattled off the rest. Of course I'm cold natured being a good ol' southern boy.

jamaltwy

make yourself a mantra something you say quietly while your getting ready to shoot!!!! this willhelp you concentrate on what your doing instead of on the deer. then pick a spot on the deer to aim at ( spot ) like a color patch or hair focus on that to put the arrow in, breath, squeeze, release, follow through, then watch the animal!!! after that i'm a bowl of JELLO!!!! shaking quaking fool!!!!

hope this helps

FL/GA Hunter

For me, it all depends on what you're focusing on. If I can see a deer coming, and I'm thinking to myself 'oh, he's about to come from behind that tree!' 'he's about to get within shot distance!' I'm toast. A complete, shaking mess.

What I do instead is after I see it, I almost try to forget what I'm doing. I'm conscious of where the deer is, but I'm focusing on getting into position quietly and slowly, breathing slow and deep, coming to full draw, and picking out that perfect spot behind his shoulder. By the time I let the arrow go, I'm thinking - hey! That's a buck! And the shakes get to me again. It's fun.

muley69

Buck fever is emotionally driven and yes, it is completely controllable like all emotions. I can tell you now, that I haven't had buck fever in 15 years. When an animal comes in I am all business, in fact, I tend to get real pizzed off at it. If a bull is slowly coming in I find it offensive and insulting. Yes, I know that it sounds ridiculous, but man is it effective. estially your taking one emotion and covering it up with another one, the result is deadly. If you find it difficult to get into that state of mind, then the next best thing is to talk to yourself. Talk to yourself in a very "matter of fact" way. EI: "Let's see, thats a nice buck, when he gets to that point I'll shoot him through the heart. Hmmm, do I really want that buck? Ok, why not, there he is now pull back and bang. Gotcha." The down side to my "piozzed off" control method is after the shot you dang near melt, all the "fever" emotions come rushing back and you shake like a webble wobble in an earth quake.