James B

I got it the first year I hunted deer. Never have since. I quided hunters for quite a few years though and I have seen it happen BAD. I took a guy and his son on a mule deer hunt. The dad had hunted all over the world as he was a commercial pilot and good fly anywhere he wanted free. The first morning he missed a big mule deer buck three times at about 100 yards. An hour later his son did the same thing. The second day the dad dropped a nice buck at about three hundred yards with his Sako 300 Win Mag. That afternoon the son got a nice buck with his 270 at about 150 yards. It was his first deer. It seemed to me that many hunters miss the easy shots when they do miss.

Sniper151

Do you notice how its called Buck Fever. Not doe or deer fever. When you see it's a buck, get your eyes off the rack and concentrate on the shot. Than Buck Fever will be a thing of the past.
Good Hunting...

hunter_jere

why we get buckfeaver is just because of aderdlin( i suck at spellin) and it gets you excited

Striper Phil

Annie and Nomercy you two put it so well!!!! A few hints to dissipate the “Buck fever”.
Try to situate your stand so you have shooting lanes in and area where once you see a deer he is ready to shoot at in a few seconds. 9 out of ten deer I shoot are dead 5 to 20 seconds after I see them.

Don’t stare at the deer, as soon as you see him move your attention to the scope at the likely shooting spot, just peep over the scope to see where the deer is moving and back to the scope at the shooting spot. DO not follow the deer through no shoot areas checking him out. Concentrate on the shooting spot. Deer don’t vanish even though it seems so some times and if he does when in a no shot area it really doesn’t matter anyway.

Like nomercy said a few under the belt helps so if you must go on a fixed hunt probably expensive but get a good rack on the wall.

thenuge15

I can tell you I will always get buck fever. Its the reason half the fun of the harvest. My heart starts racing even if I hear a crunching noise that turns out to be a squirrel!

LAbushman

Buck fever is one of the reasons I hunt. It is similiar to the reason I go to an amusement park and get on the rollar coaster (the rush).

Jimmy S

To me, there is a big difference between getting excited at seeing a deer and buck fever. With one, you feel the excitement and can adjust, the other is that situation where you cannot calm yourself enough to gain control of what's at hand. The main objective at that time is to make an accurate shot at the animal and we all know it can be easier said than done. There are a few things that may help, that I have used over the years. First of all, expect to see deer when you're hunitng and play over in your mind what you'll do when you finally see him. Be prepared for the unexpected (which can happen quite often) and how you will react. What if he comes from the side? What if appears from behind me? Play these situations over and over in your head during the course of the day, so you can be better prepared when the time comes. The other thing that I have found helpful, is "Now what do I do"....when I have found myself face to face with that buck. Don't be afraid to talk to yourself, tell yourself, "OK, let's be cool here, take a few deep breaths and try to settle down. To, me, being patient is the key here....if you decide to rush things because of your anxiety, you will give that deer the one thing that he needs to survive....that is he reacts before you. The big picture here is to see and know the deer is there before he knows you're there. So you can get prepared to take an accurate shot. Buck fever happens to almost everyone, there is no shame in it unless you let it continue and affect your success as a hunter. Anticipate where you expect to see deer, decide what you'll do if all of a sudden he materalizes within range and tell yourself you must take the necesary steps to try to avoid getting buck fever. This will take time and practice, but having a game plan if/when it happens is a lot bette than being at the mercy of the fever.

bronko22000

almost every hunter gets buck fever. this is caused by the rush of adreneline into the system upon seeing a deer. This is especially true with new/young hunters. The trick is to control it. Some can, others can't.
I usually get it after I shoot and the animal is down (or if archery hunting if the animal runs away after the hit).
The day I don't get buck fever is the day I quit hunting. Its a natural high.

willtill

Ditto..... I like the way that my senses come alive, the way that my heart starts thudding, an especially the warm rush that I feel. Kinda like sex That's why I do that too

Kindest Regards,

-Will in Maryland

Gary10ec1

I don't understand "buck fever". It amazes me when folks that I hunt with miss and claim buck fever. And these are guys that are deadly at the range so I know that they can shoot. My rush comes after the shot but up until that point I am all business. I have watched deer for half an hour waiting for the right shot and the tension is awesome. Still need to work on waiting to get down from the stand though. Got a tendency to not wait which could prove to be a big mistake some day. Good huntin yall! Gary