im getting nervous!
 

As the opening day gets closer, I am beginning to worry that Im going to get nervous shooting my first deer. I don't want to miss!! How can I prepare myself for getting shaky? Anything that you guys do that helps?

RE: im getting nervous!
 

nothing thats the joys of hunting sweetheart. Its the greatest feeling in the world to have a nice buck or doe under yourstand and you draw back and the shakes kick in. The feeling is the greatest feeling the world.

RE: im getting nervous!
 

Not worth hanging from a tree if you don't get that feeling. Breath, pick a spot, pay attention to your anchor and squeeze !

RE: im getting nervous!
 

You wouldn''t want to hunt if you didn't get like that. It is what it's all about.

RE: im getting nervous!
 

Getting nervous is part of it. After hunting for 16 years I still get nervous shooting any kind of deer. When I have a deer coming that I know Im going to shoot I instantly start talking to my self and go through my head on what I need to do. For example: "Don't peak, ease off the trigger, figure out the yardage, picking the right time to draw." I just keep concentrating on what I need to do until it happens. Sometimes you won'teven remember the shot becauseyour concentrating so hard.So thinking about what Ineed to do and concentrating helps me get rid of the nerves.

Hope that helps....good luck!

RE: im getting nervous!
 

thanks for the advice...I guess I'll have to experience this exciting nervous feeling for myself, I don't quite know what thats like yet. i just hope i dont choke and miss!

RE: im getting nervous!
 

Yeah, it is an excellent feeling. I get it everytime I see a deer when I'm hunting. And it magnifies itself once you decide to shoot. just breath, remember your achor points, and remember to aim at a spot on the deer not just at the deer. You'll do fine, and after the shot you realize why we are all addicted to this sport.

RE: im getting nervous!
 

Saberbabe,

TscHammel, raised good points- its good to follow a preshot routine. A good way to deal with the heavy breathing and shakes is to go run a few laps, get your breathing labored then take a pratice shot. Make the situation as real as possible, make your one and only shot count. I usually do this after i spend several weeks getting sighted in, then i repeat this anywhere from 6-12 times a night.


Jerry

RE: im getting nervous!
 

saberbabe.....if you get the opportunity to take a doe....do it. Once you get past getting your first deer with a bow, it seems to be a little less nerve racking. You WILL get the shakes.....that's part of the fun of bow hunting. Hopefully it will be after the shot.;)
Hunt safe, Diann

RE: im getting nervous!
 

Yup, you'll be nervous, At the age of 39, this Nov is my 40th and I've been carrying a bow to the woods for over 20 years and I too still get nervous...when the draw comes I calm, use my experience in 3D and mentally prepare to get the job done, after the shot, I come unglued and shake like a leaf.....It's all part of the love I have for bowhunting.

RE: im getting nervous!
 

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".... :DNo 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... ;)

RE: im getting nervous!
 

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!!

RE: im getting nervous!
 

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

RE: im getting nervous!
 

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

RE: im getting nervous!
 

everyone does babe just let huntined teach you and you will do fine;)on that note i missed my first bow shot due to the shakes:D

RE: im getting nervous!
 

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.

RE: im getting nervous!
 

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:D)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!

RE: im getting nervous!
 

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.

RE: im getting nervous!
 

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.;)

RE: im getting nervous!
 

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! :D
Tha hippy hippy shakes!;)If it ever goes away, what would be the fun in hunting?

RE: im getting nervous!
 

Thats what ist all about baby!!

RE: im getting nervous!
 

No worries, I missed my first 6 or so whitetails the first year I hunted (hit a plate every shot at 40 yards but couldn't hit the broad side of a moose at 10!!!). Don't be so anxious to lose that excitement. I wish I still got that nervous feeling but now after 20+ years of it, I've got to the "stone cold killer" point that my heart rate doesn't even fluctuate (I think it's a survival trait necessary for throwing sticks at really big bears, but I miss it.)

RE: im getting nervous!
 

i missed my first and only bow shot soo far, it would have been my first deeer too, a doe at 25 yards and i put the 20 yard pin on her and missed her twice, now i mark trees for yardages just for that reason

RE: im getting nervous!
 

The first few times you get "That feeling" will be unlike any-other feeling you've ever had. It can be intimidating at first; but, like with all things, experience will help you harness that feeling, control it, and you will come to LOVE the feeling. I now LIVE for that feeling.....

Shoot, shoot, and shoot some-more. You simply must become "one with the bow" in-order to make it happen at the moment of truth! Practice is the best thing you can do before the season to prepare...

Good luck this year little lady!

RE: im getting nervous!
 

Hey Sabe. That feeling is the reason people bow hunt. The day I lose that feeling is the day they throw dirt on top of me.For me, I get that feeling when I see a deer and then as you pull back you kind of forget about it. But once that arrow is released it is back. Enjoy that feeling and don't worry about it.

RE: im getting nervous!
 

I LOVE that feeling! But you've gotta keep it under control enough to execute the shot.

1. Pick a spot.
2. Squeeze don't punch
3. Follow through.

I write the above steps down on 2" by 2" piece of paper and tape it to the top limb of my bow as a reminder when the moment comes. It WORKS! I'm 3 for 3 so far.

RE: im getting nervous!
 

The nervous feeling is the adrenaline from the predatory instinct that we have. This gave primitive peoples the strength and endurance to chase down prey and follow the kill through to completion. It also sharpens your perception of the senses and concentration. Quite frankly, if you don't have this at least to some degree, your not really a hunter.
I'm betting you are a hunter.
You've never really lived until you experience that feeling, BTW.

RE: im getting nervous!
 

Good luck. I'm in the same boat this year myself. We will see how everything turns out.

RE: im getting nervous!
 

Man it feels good.

RE: im getting nervous!
 

If you think you'll shake before a shot just wait until after you shoot. I get some sort of palsy after I shoot, but what a rush!!!

RE: im getting nervous!
 

Saberbabe

Like everyone else said, you'll be fine and you will know the feeling that we have all experienced. Best part of hunting if you ask me.

Let Ed handle the bucks....hes on my team.;)

RE: im getting nervous!
 

Saberbabe,

My biggest mistake on my first deer was wanting to drop the bow to see where the arrow hit. Don't make that mistake, keep that arm straight and just watch the deer's reaction.

RE: im getting nervous!
 

"GregH" hit the nail on the head! He is exactly right. I forget where,but I read an article recently which talked about "Buck Fever", and how even the most seasoned of hunters still have problems dealing with this nerve ratteling feeling. It went on to mention that by spending more time around deer, the better off and more comfortable you'll be when you're ready to harvest one. Whether your in your stand scouting, glassing, or just driving around, the morevisual contact youhave with deer, the moreconfident you will be come season. Good luck and happy hunting!

RE: im getting nervous!
 

your going to get the shakes...that part of hunting. It is an awesome feeling! If you don't get that feeling, then maybe you shouldn't be hunting!!

RE: im getting nervous!
 

It could be the best part of hunting! I can remember the first doe I took with my bow, You would have thought I had just taken a boone&crocket(LOL) And after more than 23yr bowhunting Its still the reason I keep comming back yr, after yr, "I hope I never lose that feeling"...The onlyadvise I could give other than what has already been sead is Practice like you plan to hunt? If you plan on hunting from a tree! Practice from a tree using 3-d targets, each time you shoot pretend it`s like the real thing, then practice, practice, and practice,and when you think you have practiced enough? Go practice some more.

RE: im getting nervous!
 

Practice and simulate the real deal the best you can.

I like to practice a little different as it gets real close to the season opener. It's easy to sit there and wing arrow after arrow at a 3-d target and put them in the zone on a consistent basis. That's good to get your form down, sight your bow in, etc....

If you want to simulate "the moment" try this. Set up a stand where you can practice. Get in your full hunting gear. Put a target out there at 20-30 yards (vary everytime you do this).

Climb up the stand like you would like you were in the woods. Knock an arrow, get situated, be quiet, etc.... everything you would do like you were going out to hunt. Then sit there and wait for awhile again like you were in the woods hunting. Stand up, grab your bow, manuever for a shot and simulate the scenario like there is a live deer and nota target.

Now......... you only have one shot. In the back of your mind you know that's the only arrow you have to shoot at that target (simulated live deer). See how you perform. It puts a different perspective and mindset on things rather than just firing 50 arrows in a row at a target at ground level. Practice this at different angles, distances, and light conditions.

I equate this to the golfer that can sit at the driving range and smack balls like he/she was a touring pro. They go to the golf course and can't hit the broadside of a barn.[8D] It's all how you perform during the moment. All you can do is prepare as much as possible and simulate the real deal.

RE: im getting nervous!
 

Some people run sprints to get the heart rate up and then practice shooting. It's not quite the same but you get used to shooting while your heart is pounding, breathing heavy, etc.

RE: im getting nervous!
 

As part of my shot routine, I crank up the Van Halen on my internal stereo (brain) and it helps me calm down to take a shot. Feel free to use the music of your choice (though you can't beat Van Halen).[&:]

RE: im getting nervous!
 

posting pictures of yourself may help.