I knew I would get these comments before I even made this thread. I realized this myself.

This weekend will be fun. Same strategy, same stand, hopefully a decent buck walks by. I'm sure there will be more bucks or possibly the same ones again. They didn't spook too bad even after they saw me.

It's hard to miss with a rifle.

I did the "hand me down" bow thing for a while. Practiced for hour upon hour to get accurate, just couldn't do it. I bought a used PSE Stingray early this year, first time out target shooting I was shooting tight groups at 30 yards, something I couldn't even dream of with my old bow. Take my advice, put the old bow to rest and take advantage of the technology available with the newer bows.

Although I have seen plenty of deer, I am still deerless mainly because I get busted as they move in close. Still working on this, hope to get at least one this year, but if not, I have learned a whole lot this season.

- Rick C.

WOW tough luck I would say just practice to get your aim back on.

Glad to hear that you've chose to put the old bow down. I'm sure you'll score with a rifle. My advise would be to save up and get you a good, Hoyt, Mathews, or Bowtech. Have the pro shop set it up for you with a good drop away rest, sights, and try a release. Practice as much as you can during the summer and you'll be ready next year.

The more you practice the more confident you'll become and have better control over Buck Fever and won't be taking pot shots, trying to hit something.

Rick; Sounds like you need to get higher up in the tree. I had the same problem untill I got my tree lounge. Now it is a very rare occation that the deer have any idea at all that I'm above them!!! Getting up out of their nose range does wonders!! And there is a thread here for home made scent killer that works like a champ---and it's cheaper than dirt to make. Good luck with the rest of your season!!

There is no shame in realizing your not good enough to hunt with a bow yet.

Put the old bow on a shelf. After the rifle season, look for a quality bow and tune it to your style and practice. Instinctive or sight doesn't matter. Just practice. Practice includes putting yourself in stressful hunting situations so you can lick the buck fever you get. I'll bet you can't remember a single thing about the shots. When I battled buck fever like yours, I found that I didn't remember anything. Then when I put it all together, I remembered every single second of the shot.

I took two years off when I realized I wasn't where I wanted to be. Your lucky, I wounded several deer - you missed by five feet! That was in 1986/87. Now I have all of the confidence in the world. AND I love archery hunting more than shotgun or muzzleloaders.

Pick up the rifle, and get back to bowhunting next year. A little soul searching and a lot of hard work worked for me.

Greg