I just heard from my friends son '17 y/o' that was drilling me on why did he miss the buck of his life time when i have been teaching him archery!?!? So i thought about it, talked to him to get more details, and figured it out.

When we usually 'target' shoot we're calm, collected, and have no problems making a vital shot (at a target) at different various ranges with either a bow or a firearm. However, when we're out in the woods and that "buck of a life time" walks by what happens??? Heart starts to race, you get excited, and for many of the young hunters out there, that means a miss! Why he missed though is because the pulse in his hand raised the pin ever so slightly and he shot over the deer (and trust me, this kid is a crack shot). How we found that out is because he shot at a 3D target he has up at the camp, and while still excited he shot 3" high, (which may not be the exact reason why because many things can/do come into factor but every indication points to that scenario). So i hope the buck comes back around for him and he's able to make a clean shot.

I do have to ask though with gun hunters using scopes.....How many sometimes notice your reticle jumping because of your pulse (i know i have!)?

515034s10ring wrote:

I do have to ask though with gun hunters using scopes.....How many sometimes notice your reticle jumping because of your pulse (i know i have!)?

I have definately noticed reticle jumping because of heartbeat. Sometimes the reticle makes like a figure 8 pattern when I'm holding on the target. As for the young friend missing the buck of a lifetime, buckfever can get to anyone. It should be a good learning experience for him. Hopefully he will get a second chance and make the shot. I still get buckfever when I see a nice buck or bull. The day I dont get excited when I see a good one will be the day I quit hunting. IMHO, if you dont get excited out there, whats the point of going.

Isn't that the fun of it, all the excitment and shakes. When I don't excited anymore I'll take up golf.

longwalker

I purposely tell myself to relax before every shot... run down a quick checklist in my mind... make sure I keep a firm but still light grip on the weapon... then I tell myself MAKE THE SHOT just as I'm squeezing it off. I dunno how silly it is but it works for me.

My wife on her first ever archery hunt would get so excited she failed to look through the rear peepsite and ended up shooting over, and under half a dozen bucks before she figured it out... drilled the very next deer she shot at after that.

I think the most important thing to tell yourself is just to relax. Odds are you have plenty of time to make the shot.


-DallanC

It's funny because when i was a teenager shooting with my dad he always had me jog to the car because he "forgot something" then i'd come back to shoot and not even hold 5MOA at 200 yards. Then i finally got what he was doing (although never admitted) and i now take that expierence and pass it down to my daughters.

As I've said before haven't hunted much but I ran into a guy at a range in PA. He checked out the sighting of the rifle. He told me how he had come out, made sure the gun was sighted in properly, and that his shotting was on. He went out hunting and had a shot at a really nice buck. Will he totally missed the deer and sent it running. He couldn't believe it. Something had to have happened to the scope to knock it off. After a few shots back at the range he had to laugh and admit buck fever had hit him and nothing had hit the scope. The gun was sighted in just fine.

Yep, and I hope that feeling never leaves me. I do have to talk to myself. It's just a deer, or hog, or whatever. Deep breath, squeeeeeeze. BOOM! Usually works just fine.
Yotebuster

Well missed a nice buck today. Guess the fever got to me... Heart was pounding and was shaking like a leaf. Man what a feeling!..I agree.... if i ever lose that feeling whats the sence in going anymore

I agree the feeling is great......But the tricky part is learning to control that feeling because it will get the best of ya all the time.

515034s10ring,
I'm cool,collected,calm and calculating as can be prior to the shot. Ice water in my veins. But, afterwards when its on the carpet,I'm a total mess! Can't fill my tag out for 1/2 an hour. Even vacated a meal a time or two. Almost walked off my treestand once,twelve feet in the air!. All I can do is sit down, pour a cup (well,half a cup,most of it spills) of coffee and try to relax.
I guess when the day come that I don't get all frazzled, that might be the time to give this up and collect toy trains!.

Bill