bigjohnson_63

Hey guys and Girls! My name is Ben and I was wondering how all of you get over "Buck Fever". I practice all summer and spring. I have no problem with hitting my target. I tune my own bow. I always keep it in check. So to say the least I do do all of the right things up until I see a deer or animal I want to take. Now when I'm in my stand I decide I want to take the shot, I get the right yardage, I take a deep breath, I concentrate at where on the animal I want to hit, Settle the pin, Then I release. Sounds good right? But on EVERY release I get to excited to see how my shot was and where the animal is going to go that I drop my bow arm. It forces my shot to be off of the mark. It almost caused me to miss my biggest buck with a bow. I have noticed I have ALWAYS done it. I have just gotten lucky and still got a mortal shot. I was wondering if any of you have any ideas on how to fix this problem. Right now the only way that I can think to fix it is have the confort of having someonelse there in the stand to watch the shot so in my head I have the security of knowing that they will see it. I won't have to pay attention to that. Thanks for the help! Ok I was trying to upload pics of my buck but it says it is to big. Any help with that would be great too. Thanks!

JoshKeller

Perhaps getting some of the lighted nocks will help you track the arrow without moving the bow out of the way. The best way to fix your problem is to use a surprise release. Without the anticipation of the shot going off, you wont have the reaction time to be able to throw the arrow off nearly as much. Also, shoot lots of does if possible, then when a big buck steps out, you'll know in your head you have made the shot many times before.

diamondrack

I always thought practice makes perfect, It might be a benifit for you to practice shooting a few more deer.. If you have doe tags practice with that.. Talk to yourself, take a deep breath, and let the arrow fly... It almost sounds like your not only getting a little of the fever but you are questioning your ability to to shoot at the deer.. Try to forget about all that and just let the arrow fly!! Have a little fun with it and maybe it get you over the hump.

kickin_buck

I have always thought that shooting targets and shooting deer were two very different skills. I have a good friend of mine that is on Hoyt's national shoot staff, he is an amazing 3D guy, but is horrible at shooting deer. I think the best way to get "good" at shooting deer is to get kills under your belt. Take a bunch of does and over time you will start to settle down. I don't know how many kills you have in your life, but I know I was the same way for a while and then one day, it just all clicked and came together.

How about a picture of this buck?

Howler

Buck fever is all mental. By practicing all summer long, you should be building self confidence and the shot should become second nature, automatic. You should get to the point that every shot, practice target or live target, should be automatic. Get your mind wrapped around the idea of "IF I get a shot, I WILL make the shot", as I've done hundreds of times in the back yard.

Could try what Chuck Adams does, when you see your intended target, tell yourself that you probably won't get a shot, that things probably won't work out, that way your mind does get all worked up before the shot presents itself.

Let's see some pics.

dyb3and88

IMO, buck fever never goes away. If it does, then you don't enjoy hunting anymore. You will settle down some, over time, but there will always be that monster that will mess you up all over again, lol.

LittleChief

Amen, brother.

The only way you're going to get over this problem is to work on your mental discipline. Talk to yourself (mentally of course) when the deer is coming in. Work on a mental checklist, and in your case, remember to tell yourself each time just before you shoot to "keep aiming until you see the arrow hit."

Another thing - I shoot white wraps and white blazers. If I keep aiming until the hit, I have no problem seeing where that arrow hits even with my imperfect vision. This is made easier by the fact that I shoot with both eyes open.

I tried the lighted nocks (Lumenoks), but my 70 pound draw punching against a 500 grain arrow kept breaking them.

dylandaniel

I'm with dyb3and88. Buck fever is what hunting is all about. Now overcoming it and not letting it make your shot bad comes with time.

hadler54

how i "try" beat buck fever is when i see the deer walking into the set up i try and get a path to where the deer will possibly travel down get the distance then im ready for the shot.. but i also before i take the shot take a deep breath then glance away for a moment... get myself settled in again and then im ready for the shot.. i understand that sometimes it happens a little fast and personally i would rather have it happen fast because then you can sometimes shot before buck fever hits you to hard.. this is what i do may not work for you but it works pretty good for me.

c_str

Ben what you are experiencing is totally normal and I think everybody has that at first, I certainly did. And don't worry, even after hunting for over 20 years and shooting 3 deer every year, when that big boy shows up with a rack that will fit a case of beer inside it, you will feel that buck fever all over again!!! It's all part of hunting, mostly it's a matter of just realizing that you are going to feel that way, and getting used to it. Also I have found that sometimes you just don't have time to get nervous, things happen too fast. My blood pressure still kicks up for the most part, but I expect it.

Some tricks that I have done to help:

1) When you practice, that first practice shot is the one that counts. Make sure that you pretend that you see that buck out there, imagine him walking by, you get your shot and take it! During the season, I try and practice every day - just 1 shot only. (and more practicing from time to time)

2) This will sound silly, but you can get your gear on, run around to get your blood pressure up high, and then take your practice shot. This will get you used to shooting well when your adrenalin is going full bore.

3) Maybe in your case concentrate on a 2 second count after you release your arrow. "Still as a statue" or something like that. Do that enough and you will have muscle memory like the athletes use, everything will happen all by itself then.

4) When you are up in your stand, plan out how exactly you will shoot a deer depending on the angle of his path. You know, at this tree I will pull back, at that shooting lane is my shot. Then when the real thing happens, you follow that plan. This also gives you something to do while waiting. When shooting at the deer, concentrate on a specific hair that you want to hit.

Mostly, you need to concentrate on the mechanics of the shot, you will have plenty of time to worry, get excited after the shot is made. Easier said than done!

Just some thoughts. It will get easier to deal with the more experience you get. But it is also what makes bowhunting exciting!