JagMagMan

Ahhhh yes, good ol' buck fever!!!
As a younger hunter, I had that same problem! I have picked up the gun and just pulled the trigger without even aiming!
Tazman has a good remedy for it though. Learn not to rush, and think each step through! Good Luck!

Hector500

Cord, have you hunted small game before? I started out hunting squirrels and moved up to deer hunting. I think that helped prepare me for the challenge. Just keep at it and you will become successful.

Tazman

JagMagMan you know it is funny, the only time I ever got buck fever was on the biggest buck I ever killed, I was lucky and recognized the symptoms before I blew it! All I saw of him at first was this huge tall rack above the mountain Laurels, I got the shakes so bad it was not funny! []Luckily for me I realized I was shaking and talked myself down, I told myself to breath, the brush was really thick, I forced myself to pick out the only place I could get a clean shot through that I knew he would pass, three doe had just gone by the same way and he was HOT on their trail, he would take 15-20 steps and stop and smell the ground and then strut another 15-20 steps and smell again. I made myself wait until he put his head down to smell again and then pulled the gun up and aimed in the only open area and waited, he lifted his head and strutted another 15-20 steps, stopped dead square in the middle of the opening and dropped his head to smell again, I squeezed off two shots of double ought buck into the boiler room and he leaped about ten foot straight forward and dissappeared, I jumped out into this wide trail figuring if he was running it would be the only place I could get another shot.......nothing!!! []I am thinking " Man there is no way I missed, where is he?" . I heard this long drawn out kind of sigh.... from the direction I had shot, I pushed my way through the brush to where he had been when I shot, he was right where he had jumped when I shot, he never took another step after the jump, I thanked the Lord and thanked the buck!

Oh yea, where did I learn to control the fever? Well I had a freind who had it so bad that the first time he saw a deer hunting he fired both barrels of a double barrel into the ground in front of him, he swore he was aiming at the deer!!! My uncle had a talk with him and gave him the same advice I give to those who suffer the fever, I made a mental note of this talk even though up until that point I had never suffered the fever, I sure am glad I listened.[8D]

kevin1

Don' t beat yourself up CORD , we all get buck fever . Patience is more than just a virtue , it' s a necessity in hunting . Only through patience will you conquer the scourge of buck fever . When you see the deer look only at the spot on him you intend to shoot at . It' s kind of like the advice they give to actors , " If you get nervous on stage picture your audience in their underwear , and try not to laugh ." Picture your target , compose yourself , then take the shot . If I' m not 1,000 % sure of my shot I' ll pass every time . It' s better to lose the opportunity and let the deer walk than it is to screw it up with a bad shot . Mature hunters know their limits and respect them .

skeeter 7MM

Yes the fever affects us all. I will relate a story of a very calm and seasoned hunter that may help to explain how we can trick the brain into doing the job at hand and not worrying about the rack! 4 Years ago we were on our annual Bow moose hunt, one of the guys (a guide and very experienced hunter) was set up in a perfect position to get a shot off on a 50" bull moose we had working to the call. To shorten this story we found him beating himself up, asked what happened(all knowing to well it wasn' t good news)...he simply stated all I saw was that huge rack over my fireplace and my arrow split the up rights!!!! Yeap you guessed a bull moose that has a body cavity many time bigger than a deer and his arrow went between the rack[]. He said I swear I was aiming at his vitals, but must have went back to his rack and fired! The moose was less than 20 yards from him broadside! Now later that week he had an opportunity for redemption, this time getting it done. When asked what happened differently to ensure the shot was true, he simply stated " All I saw was a big freezer behind them antlers and focused on the freezer portion!!!!" In the past 3 years he has taken 3 bulls to follow, always focusing on the freezer portion....simple way of training the brain or himself what needs to be focused upon.

I can tell you there are times when I still get that rush feeling(bow or gun), but having experienced it like taz and my buddy. I think through what is required, before I take action.

JagMagMan

It' s funny how buck fever works! Now that I have learned to control it, after I make the shot, I' ll shake like a leaf! Even if I don' t take a shot, after they are out of sight, I' ll get the shakes for a few seconds! I guess your body has to release the adrinaline energy somehow. Buck fever affects the young or old, seasoned veteran and rookie alike! It has even caused heart attacks! As Taz said, once you recognize it, you can learn to control it.

DARTanian

the first deer i shot with a rifle had alot of buck fever involved. was watching some deer at 60 yds thru the trees when i heard a branch break to my right ........ i looked and seen a buck and a doe comming towards me at about 80 yds. the left side of my brain said " SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT," and the right side said was saying " NO WAIT IT' S COMMING STRAIGHT TO YOU" .............for 40 minutes my brain was arguing inside my head..........then the deer was 45 feet from me with a quartering away shot, " BOOMMMMMMM" both the left and the right side of my brain yelled " YEAHHHHHHHH" as it ran 20 yds and dropped. it was wayyyy coollllll with the adrenalin rush(spelling) and the whole situation.

you just have to talk yourself out of buck fever......but it' s such a cool RUSHHHHHHHH..

Deerslayer_37

hmm...i go into auto-pilot mode, i dont remember anything, i just shoot. And my rounds hit them where i want. my best is two shots quickly fired into the lungs. I just work the bolt and keep shooting till that deer is on the ground.


i would recommend just taking your time, not shooting, discipline yourself.


slayer