BUCK FEVER!!!

[Cody Gruchow]

now i usually dont get to nervous when i shoot at a deer, but i start to shake at a decent rate after the shot, even the smallest deer i have shot i shook. just wondering how everyone else deals with buck fever or how bad they get it

[stevejedlenski]

when i see deer i dont get nervous, its as soon as i see one and know its a shooter. once i figure that out its almost like auto-pilot until hes out of sight. thats when i start the shaking, especially if its cold. then i try to remember what happened and where he was and where he went

[HD]

I use to......Many moons ago.....

When I shoot a deer, it's old hat.
When one of the kids that I take out gets a deer....that's where I get my rush!


Hunter

[cole]

I would not say I get nervous but just really excited and only when I see a deer that I know I am going to shoot.  It seems to be a lot more heart pounding and fun when it is a decent sized buck but even a doe gets my pulse going, honestly if I did not get amped up when I saw a deer I was going to shoot I don't think I keep hunting, it's just part of the fun. After I shoot and know the deer is down I shake a bit too.

[stevejedlenski]

thats what its all about, there has to be a challenge and the excitement otherwise it would just be like shooting cattle.

[Stensethfan]

Last week after having a doe 8 yards from me and not able to get a shot I started shaking terribly once I sat down.  Almost like I can control the emotions when the game is "on" but as soon as I knew the eccounter was over the emotions flooded in.  I think it took ten minutes for me to bring it back together.  Honestly if it increases with the deers size I might need medical assistance if I shoot a booner or something! 

[antlermass]

Oh geez i get the heart pounding shakes for a second when I'm debating if its a shooter or not, just for a second though and then right after the kill I get them also! 
Geez just talking about this is getting my heart a pumpin'   

[Ryan]

I know my heart starts pounding when I see the first deer of the year.  I guess that does not really change until I get one.  After that I am a little more calm when I see them.

I'm with antlermass, just thinking and talking about it gets me a little excited.  This is by far the worst week of the year to be at work.  All you do is think about hunting and it is hard to get anything else done.

[mathews4ever]

now i usually dont get to nervous when i shoot at a deer, but i start to shake at a decent rate after the shot, even the smallest deer i have shot i shook. just wondering how everyone else deals with buck fever or how bad they get it

just like that. You can't hit your target if your shakin like a paint mixer.

[JCAMERON]

I've been deer hunting for three years now, and i get it bad sometimes. My first deer i did not get it at all until after the shot. But the first deer I saw bow hunting... you would have thought I was having a seizure. Needless to say I missed. I'm anxious to see how it goes this year. I'm not big on taking a shot without the right composure... Does anyone have any good tips to calm the nerves when you start shaking?

[22lex]

To me it is like speaking in front of a crowd. I usually take a couple deep breaths, compose myself by thinking about how the shot is going to turn out, and shoot.

I still get a racing heart when doe come anywhere near me, I just have to take deep breaths and after a couple seconds it goes away.

[stevejedlenski]

make the decision to shoot or not then dont look at it again until you get ready to shoot. keep an eye on it but once you make that decision, just think about what you need to do to get that deer. once situated wait until the deer is where you want it to be then concentrate on the shot. after that then start breathing again and hold on if you shake too much

[deadeye]

If I can see the deer before hearing it, i'm ok.  Things really get hairy if I can hear one but can't see it.   

[guythathunts]

Hearing it and then seeing it = bad news! I can pull it together for the shot, but it comes right back! I have never had nervs get in the way of a shot. On thing that I can tell you though - I have to wait about 20 min b4 I get out of my stand or I will shake myself right out of the tree!

Good luck this weekend, unless you hunt in 221, then don't shower and move arround alot! 

[22lex]

I know my heart starts pounding when I see the first deer of the year.  I guess that does not really change until I get one.  After that I am a little more calm when I see them.

I'm with antlermass, just thinking and talking about it gets me a little excited.  This is by far the worst week of the year to be at work.  All you do is think about hunting and it is hard to get anything else done.

I'm there too. I'm not even gun hunting this weekend and I cannot wait to hit the woods Sat. with my bow and wait for the calls from my buddies to give them a hand. I've got a hand drawn scetch of a woods my friend and I are going to sit for muzzleloading season figuring out the funnels, food, bedding, etc......man productivity is going down at an alarming rate at work this week!