Mount Dave

Today i went out for the first day in Pa. It was my second year, last year i missed three doe and got one. Well i got into my ground blind not seeing anything, so i decided that if lunch came and i had not saw a buck then i would try to get a doe after lunch. After lunch my dad placed me in a place where i would overlook a hill, then he would try to drive the deer to my. After about an hour i see four doe wondering my way, i stop them at about 35 yards and i put my crosshairs right behind the shoulder and i pulled the trigger. I was sure i had hit it so i waited untill they went down over the hill and i got up to where they were standing, there was no blood. I followed the same path they took and didn't find any blood. I am getting frusterated at not being able to hit anything. My gun is a Savage 243, it is sigted in to, i shot when i got home to make sure it is still on, it is. Does any one have any tips or anything for becoming a better shooter? Any websites or anything. I think for this what i do is just pull the trigger as soon as i see the deer instead of really aiming, so how would i fix this? Thanks in advance.

jpm8920

The keys to hitting the deer, I think, are practice and experience. The more times you shoot at deer the better you'll be. Also the more practice you have shooting the better you'll become. But buck fever gets us all, and I have yet to find a cure for it. Just don't let this get you down and in time you'll improve. Good luck.

John3200

If there's nothing wrong with the gun and/or scope then the problem is you. You're probably jerking the trigger something terrible and/or flinching. Next time you shoot rest your front hand on something and the rifle in your front hand then make a deliberate attempt to SLOWLY SQUEEZE the trigger. Be deliberate with your shot, no snap shooting, no yanking the trigger because the crosshairs are in the right spot and you want the gun to go off RIGHT NOW! Shooting a standing deer is no different then standing paper target. Use the same technique.

Tazman

Okay I can tell you your problem, BUCK FEVER!!! Yes it can be induced by does also.

The cure?

Okay the first thing you must learn is the second you see a deer, do not pull your gun up, first tell yourself to breath. Once you know you are breathing slowly pull the gun up, but make sure your finger is not on the trigger and keep reminding yourself to breath. Now pick out a spot on the deer to shoot and aim there, remind yourself to breath and make sure your finger is not on the trigger. Once you have the crosshairs on the spot you picked on the deer make sure you are breathing and slowly move your finger to the trigger, now recheck that you are still breathing and the crosshairs are on the spot you picked and slowly squeeze the trigger. When the gun goes off it should surprise you, if it doesn't you have slapped the trigger and your shot will pull either up, down, to the left, or the right.

I know this sounds stupid and drawn out, but I promise you that if you force yourself to think and react slowly about all the mechanics you will kill every deer you shoot at if the gun is sighted in and you are aiming at the vitals. With time buck fever will normally fade, but not always. Remember to always take your time and think, what is happening is you see the deer and shoot thinking you have done everything right, break it down into simple steps always forcing yourself to breath and double check yourself.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

frizzellr

Taz pretty much covered it, but I would like to add my 2 cents. If you are pulling the trigger you are fouling up. Triggers are made to be gently squeezed. Take your time, get comfortable, pick a hair on the deer and aim for it. Take a deep breath, let it out part way, hold it and squeeze the trigger. You shouldn't know when the gun goes off. I am sure you do this on the bench, but the trick is to remember to do it in the field when you have a deer in the scope. Hang in there, you will make it. I got buck fever over a doe this past weekend myself. Fortunately it was after I had dropped her with my 7mm-08 Rem. If you don't get excited when you see a deer then there is really no use to hunt is there?

hornetguy

...lots of good advice here.. I want to add my thoughts... I think that shooting at an animal can be an un-nerving experience, if you are an ethical hunter...you are wanting to kill the animal quickly and cleanly, and are subconciously afraid of messing up... at least I was that way, starting out. I believe there are two things you can do to eliminate that nervousness.
1) Practice. Shoot your rifle enough off sandbags to know its accuracy potential. Then practice standing... leaning on stuff, as you would in the field.. sometimes point of impact is different when using something other than sandbags. The point is, practice enough that you have NO doubts that the bullet is going where you intend for it to go. NO doubts.... that gives confidence.
2) Mentally rehearse what you would do in any given hunting scenario. When sitting in your blind, be thinking.. "Ok, if a deer comes out around that bush, when would I shoot?" or, "if the deer were standing facing slightly away from me, where would I aim?"... just go through all the "what-if" scenarios you can think of. If you do it (shoot the deer) mentally time after time, then you will not be flustered when the actual time comes... you will have already done it many times... mental preparation works...

"Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness..those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Santayana

Dane007

I know exactly how you feel, this is my first year deer hunting and while i was belly crawling up on 3 does i stopped to look back and see where you brother was, and on the way turning my head i noticed a deer 3 yards to my left, i waited and it came to 20 and turned broadside, i thought i lined up (which i probably did) but what i cant remember doing is squeezing the trigger so i figure i jerked it because my brother said he saw dirt fly up under the deer a few feet back. It really upset me but i feel it is a very good experience..the way i think of it is im glad it happened on a smaller doe or spike(couldnt really tell) than a nice buck.

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model722

Nicely put turkey_hunter I'ld like to add one more thing stay as calm as possible.

SCBUCKHUNTER

I like to call it Deer fever because yes it can happen with does as well as bucks. Trust me it happens as will 99% of the people on this board will tell you. All I can suggest is what everyone else has suggested. Practice, Practice, Practice. That and experience in the field will help the problem.