Saberbabe,

When I was young, I thought it was nervousness about the shot, performance anxiety of sorts.... As I've grown as a hunter, I've realized that the "nerves" is nothing more than adrenaline pumping. Its the sub-conscience, meta-physical, spiritual energizing of your body to do battle with your prey. We may not chase down and man-handle our prey like a lioness or cougar, but we are no different in the fact that we are predators, partaking of our God-given spiritual connection to our prey. To deny this connection and only partake of the flesh and nourishment is to malnourish the soul.

Be it by claws and fangsor by arrow or bullet, that connection will always be there. The "nerves" as so many people call them, is the physical manifestation of that connection. Like so many others here, the day that connection fails to show itself, will be the day I hang up my "fangs".

Now with the mello-dramatic and poetic out of the way.... Just remember to breath, and trust your equipment and "training".... No one can tell you how to deal with the nerves, its something that each hunter or huntress must confront and overcome on their own. If anything goes wrong you can always blame Eddie for teaching ya wrong...

Everybody has raised good points and solid advice. Don't get down on yourself if you
did miss because it happens to everybody. I missed the first deer ever shot at myself so
I speak from expierience. Don't worry though, you will probably smack a big one the first
try. Good luck!!

I get the shakes after the shot. Usually anyway. The only advice I'd give, thats assuming your practicing, is to aim small miss small. Don't get nervous and just shoot at brown/grey. Pick your spot, exactly.

Tom

She'll be fine, I'll be there to coach her... Before we get to that point though she needs to practice some more, till i feel comfortable to let her shoot one. Dont want her first attempt to be a bad shot. Shes shooting better and better every time.

I shook so bad at my first bow shot that my dad had to sit at my feet and hold my legs still... hehe, i missed the deer but i was hooked on bow hunting at the ripe ol age of 13

everyone does babe just let huntined teach you and you will do fineon that note i missed my first bow shot due to the shakes

I'm the same way, at least with a rifle. This is my first year bowhunting, so we'll see. For me, my main concern is to make a good clean kill, so that helps me focus on the task at hand, rather than the potential trophy. After the shot though, I do get the shakes.

Don't worry so much about missing. EVERYONE misses! I will be the first to tell you thatif you hunt long enough you will miss completely and you will woundanimals. It stinks but that is the way it is as an imperfect being (don't tell my wife I admitted to that)Just make sure you are as prepared as you can be, TAKE YOUR TIME, and do the best you can. You will be fine.There is no substitutefor shooting at live animals.You, like everyone else, will figure it all out in time. Also, if I ever quit getting excited when I am about to draw on an animal, I am going to hang up my bow forever. That iswhat it is all about!

If that first deer happens to be a MONSTER BUCK, and it seems that it often is with beginners, I recommend not staring at the rack! That will make the most grizzled veteran turn to mush.

It's been said before, but establishing a very specific pre-shotroutine really helps. A lot of people talk themselves through it step by step in their heads.

The best thing that you can do for yourself, is to go scouting. Go right now and sit in a tree and scout for deer. The more you are around deer, it won't be such a shock to have them so close to you when the season opens. Believe me, this really helps.

That adreniline surge is one of the finer points of the hunt. I've got the attention of more than one deer by my foot tapping on my treestand!
Tha hippy hippy shakes!If it ever goes away, what would be the fun in hunting?