Buck Fever

[Mini_Me]

Hey I'm 14 and i just got my core so my dad took me out deer hunting with the 30-06. He saw a doe and I jumped out the car and I got a bad case of buck fever :oops: . The deer ran off before I could take a shot off. But do you guys know any tips to help me?

-cody

[brotherjack]

Experience, experience, experience. You just got some. Go get some more. :)

[MB_Boy]

Mini.....welcome to the forum.

I had a bit of laugh at your post as I think we all have had it at one time or another......I am past being a newbie or youth, but I'll tell you this much....it is something you just either will get over....or you don't. There are a lot of older guys who get it too.

Bear in mind that when you are bailing out of a vehicle your adrenaline is going from zero to sixty in no time flat (not to mention you are a newbie) and you quite often are in a rushed position to get the shot off if the animal doesn't look as though it is going to stick around. If you have the time.....take a few deep breaths and relax (we all get excited believe me) and don't try and rush your shot at all. Better to ensure you get a good shot off then a rushed shot while shakin' like crazy that could wound an animal. Something that I may recommend as it is a bit more of "subdued" type of hunting is try doing some stand hunting (if that makes any sense, basically not quite as fast shooting) Quite often you have more time to see an animal working towards you, which will allow you more of an opporunity to calm your nerves.

Just a few thoughts.....but just remember to relax and a few deep breaths may help calm the nerves. Once you get #1......then your nerves may also calm down a bit.

Good luck out there and keep us posted with your progress.

[reach]

I'm a new hunter too, so you might want to take this with a grain of salt... but it seems to me if you get out of the car slowly and deliberately, no sudden moves, you will both calm yourself down and be less likely to spook the deer.

I don't have much experience here so hopefully others will add their $0.02.

Good luck on the next one! (There will be a next one... not to worry...)

[DropTines]

yep, just move slowly and breathe, and make sure your steady before you shoot, I wounded the first buck I shot and never did find him, sucked, but its my fault...(he was a big bugger to)
Straight shootin'
________
Ford lio ho picture (http://www.ford-wiki.com/wiki/Ford_Lio_Ho)

[JMac]

Hey thats hunting! That rush is what it's all about. In time you'll be able to concentrate on getting the job done first. Then the fever sets in after he's/she's tipped over. I miss those days when a spike or two point would get me jacked (any buck would do). Enjoy it.

[Caveman]

I think we all experience buck fever, but it is how you handle it that dictates your response and ultimately your success. Relax, take your time, take a deep breath and squeeze. I'm sure you'll hear this from your dad if you haven't already. When you don't get buck fever anymore it's time to quit or worse you're already dead. Your day will come, enjoy it and good luck Mini Me.

[MichelD]

I'd have to agree with MB Boy. I'm 53 and shot my first deer at 17 and I still get it.

But that is the worst, driving around and suddenly somebody says "There's one!" And everybody gets hyper. The driver hits the brakes, you're trying to find your gun, your cartridges, keep an eye on the deer, open the door, find a shooting position, meanwhile the deer is watching all this frantic activity preparing to flee.

I really really suggest hunting slowly, quietly on foot. Or as was suggested, sitting still on a trail or the edge of a cutblock with some sign around.

Then you might spot game before they see you, and you have time to get excited, then focus, calm down, plan your strategy, then shoot.

[kishman]

I'm a new hunter too, in fact I just shot my first Deer yesterday, and I'm 36:oops: ! Maybe the one thing that helped make my first kill a clean one is practice with my gun, I've done alot of shooting with it since I bought it last spring. I do different things like try and get the target sighted and shoot as quick as possible, or just shoot for accuracy. Anyway, when the time came (finally:lol: ) all I had to do was pick my target and shoot like I'd done all those times in practice. Good luck!!8-)

[Mini_Me]

Thanks Guys for the tips I hope I could put them to use in the near future. Thanks kishman and MichelD, it seems it put some pressure off my back from kids at school talking about when they got their frist deer. Thanks again guys.

-Cody

[30-06]

i never did get it my my brother who is older than me got it and missed 4 deer in the same weekend

[Rod]

I think most of us here have had it at some point, I have had more problems AFTER the animal was down... gone to pieces quite a few times then.

Experience will help but nothing is guaranteed, I moose hunted with a friend in Northern Ontario who had taken a couple of moose before, this little bull grunted and groaned and made a heck of a racket while staying within the trees for about a half hour before finally showing himself.

When he finally walked out my buddy who was all worked up by this time put his bolt rifle to his shoulder and proceded to work the bolt and dump 3 or 4 live rounds on the ground before the moose walked away. He lowered the gun and panting like a dog asked if he got it!

Meanwhile I just sat there with my mouth opened and never even thought about using MY rifle..

[4pointer]

It's all fate. Doesn't matter what your skill level is, when its yours, it will be waiting! This years summer moose hunt, I was the last guy a road where we saw several moose. There was already 3 hunters along the road there so I turned around. My moose was waiting at the beginning of the road and thats where he met his fate, right there on the road.

[Nails]

Hi Mini, Keep breathing and just remember to listen to your Dad, he will set you up on another deer soon. Buck fever is great eh!!!!!

[mapguy]

Being new to the sport you will probably get buck fever a few times .
First off no hunting from the vehicle .If you want to hunt properly you need to go in and play on foot .Its all in the breathing you need control let half your breath out before you shoot .Go up and down hiles and keep control of your breathing . When you see an animal don't shoot .See how close you can sneak up on feeding or bedding deer. Get into a trailside blind see how close a deer will get 5 ft is my record .Get up high and see what goes by .When you've done all that you won't have buck fever well maybe just a touch when that monster walks out .

[30-06]

got my first deer this year.i dunno i didnt get it .i was just sitting in the back seat of the truck,they were like do you want your deer.not even thinking i said yep.got out of the truck like i normally would,loaded nice and easy and looking at the deer through my scope like it was a paper target.then when i went boom and it dropped first shot is when i realized it was no paper target.but then again it was a doe.still it was exiting for me.

[sealevel]

If you don`t get excited when shooting an animal then you should do something else. Every hunter gets excited and maybe buck fever but experence will help you overcome it.

[bsa30-06]

Mini Me, lots of good advice already posted here, you may want to take a minute and find yourself a rest, a tree to lean against , or a stump to steady your rifle on or try shooting from a different position such as sitting or prone.If at all posible i always try to find a rest to shoot from i would rather take the extra second or two to find a rest rather then blow a shot and loose a wounded animal.

[TravisC]

hey mini me
the best way i can get away from buck fever is once you've identified its legal to shoot and you have to freehand it dont try to hold your shot pick your shot before you've got in your scope and then lower on to your target and shoot . one smooth quick motion . try this at a range you shoud be able to see your targe as one so when you bring your rifle up and make sure your higher then your target you will still be able to see where you want to shoot and in one motion lower the rifle till you see your shot point and fire one smooth motion and lower your rifle on the exhale. if you look at it too long you will get more excited and shake more.. i have a post in a princeton hunt fourm from this year where my wife had a chance at her first buck ..the fever happend and it was the funnies thing id ever been apart of. enjoy. the rush of the fever is awesome but be sure you are sure when you shoot. looseing an animal is a horable feeling i never want to feel that again when your sure it will not survive and you can't claim it. everything happends in a split second when in a truck or spooking one it the thickets a couple quick breaths and one smooth exhale when lowering will help out alot... if your as excited as most of use the fever will never be gone you just gotta learn how to harness it. good luck

[416]

If you don`t get excited when shooting an animal then you should do something else.

X 2........and just about the time you learn to shoot inspite of the adrenalin, you may be fortunate enough to see a truly trophy sized animal and the it strikes all over again and in a bigger way!! :)
Best advice l would give is practice shooting.......lots, if you have the opportunity, shoot until your rifle is an extension of yourself. The more you shoot, the more confidence and comfortable you become in your ability to hit what your shooting at, even under excited conditions. And remember your first shot is usually your best opportunity, so take your time and make it count.

[Mini_Me]

Thanks guys for the great tips I hope get to use it some time this spring.

find yourself a rest
My dad tried to get me to lean on the hood of the car and this doe didn't to hang around much longer. So I had to take it quickly. Looking back I wish I could do it all over again.

[bsa30-06]

Thanks guys for the great tips I hope get to use it some time this spring.

My dad tried to get me to lean on the hood of the car and this doe didn't to hang around much longer. So I had to take it quickly. Looking back I wish I could do it all over again.

Don't worry if it doesn't hang around long enough for you to take a clean and accurate shot, there will be more deer.Besides the feeling of that deer getting away is alot better then the feeling of that deer getting away with a poorly placed and rushed bullet in him.Better to let him/her walk then to wound it.I let several probably about 4 bears walk this year because i didn't get the shot i wanted.No shame in letting them walk there will be more.

[30-06]

If you don`t get excited when shooting an animal then you should do something else. Every hunter gets excited and maybe buck fever but experence will help you overcome it.


i was exited i just didnt rush it and didnt take it like shooting a deer so i didnt get buck fever.just my way of keeping myself under control so i dont get off a bad shot or no shot at all.

[rock]

I still get buck fever even after years of experiance, it's all part of the hunt, with a few years under your belt you'll be able to cope with it easier, good luck mini

[DropTines]

I had buck fever on a really big buck earlier, on and I ended up wounding it... boy oh boy do you ever end up feeling bad, you lose your sleep to.
________
Juggalo (http://juggalos.org/)

[Dragginbait]

In the off season you could try scouting and shooting them with a camera to see how close and steady you can be, plus it'll give you a good idea where to be opening day too. Go shed hunting with your dad and take a camera with you.

[greatwhitehunter_30.06]

I'm 16 and I've shot 2 bucks and an elk but i've lost count how many times i've either frozen and forgot to pull the trigger or been too shaky to get a good shot. Keep with it and you will definatly get deer.
1st
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r116/yakalotuncorked/aHunting128.jpg
2nd
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r116/yakalotuncorked/aHunting1195.jpg
No elk pics handy.
GWH_30.06
Good luck and shoot straight when you see the wall hanger!!

[Mini_Me]

Nice bucks. Thanks for the tips I can't wait to go back out again.

[johnes50]

Join the crowd, it's only natural to get a little excited. Everybody I know gets a little "Buck Fever" once in a while.

I've had friends that have cycled all their shells out of a gun, dropped their shells on the ground, try to put shotgun shells in a deer gun, forget to put their parking brakes on their trucks, and all kinds of other stupid things cause they got excited.

This year when I went to take an offhand shot at a nice buck my gun was doing figure eights all over the place. I took a couple of deep breathes tried to relax and took the shot and got lucky and dropped him.

The more you hunt the more relaxed you'll become.

[blacktailslayer]

I would make one other suggestion,that is try not to road hunt when you go. Nothing against going for a drive, we have all shot deer from the truck.
The problem is you don't have much time to shoot, the animal is usually full alert, and ready to bolt any minute. I would try sitting with your dad for your first deer. The gun will already be loaded, and all you will have to do is flick the safety off. No buck fever fumbling with shells etc.
The other thing while sitting with your dad is you will have lot's of time. He can talk you through it. Tell you the range,where to aim,tell you to relax and squeeze the trigger. Try this next season and see how ya make out.

[The Hermit]

I'm 16 and I've shot 2 bucks and an elk but i've lost count how many times i've either frozen and forgot to pull the trigger or been too shaky to get a good shot. Keep with it and you will definatly get deer.
1st
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r116/yakalotuncorked/aHunting128.jpg
2nd
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r116/yakalotuncorked/aHunting1195.jpg
No elk pics handy.
GWH_30.06
Good luck and shoot straight when you see the wall hanger!!

Oh man that is an AWESOME buck... I am 55 years old and have hunted since I was 15 years old and never had one like the second one dude! And an Elk?? Damn skippy you are the MAN!!

[Rob]

I know that i've never had buck fever! .But there was a couple times(3 bucks and 2 bears)that something made my scope move around alot and shake, could be something like the Bermuda triangle or something:lol: . One of the things ive learned is to get a solid rest. Also if you can get out to shoot other animals with your deer rifle, before deer season do it. Like coyotes and bears, this will help you build confidence with you rifle.Take advantage of doe seasons if applicable to your region, and dont be fussy with your bucks.Keep cruising around with your dad and you'll eventually run into a buck! good luck!! And remember its not buck fever!:) Rob

[Soup]

I can't ever remember getting a bad case of buck fever...perhaps a mild one though. The first 2 deer I harvested I had missed the first shot. Neither deer was aware of my presence and both were close. Both occations I jerked the trigger, since then I have always squeezed.

I think one thing that helped me a lot was all the bird hunting I did. Ducks, grouse and pheasants. I remember I used to empty my gun before the birds were in a better range.

[Walksalot]

No matter how cool a cucumber a hunter is when confonted with a potential harvest scenario they were where you were at some point in time. Don't beat yourself up just chalk it up to experience and carry on.
Having said that, having the ability to shoot off hand with accuracy is a very good thing to have in your arsenal of shooting skills so get out there and pound some rounds out.
The day my heart doesn't start pounding at the sight of an animal is the day I will hang up my rifle.