I thought I'd do a little write up to share with you folks something that I have been really working hard on over the last few years and I think this year really summed up all of my hard word and dedication. Lets me preface this by saying that I am no way bragging about my success this season. I'm merely passing along information that I learned and method I've put together in hopes that it may help others here, especially the newer guys in our sport. I think we've all at one point or another, even recently, came down with a case of "buck fever". Whether it be your first buck with a bow, first giant buck, or even a doe. You know what I'm talking about. Racing heart, uncontrollable shaking, heavy breathing, etc. We've all been there. In fact, even if you're a seasoned bowhunter with dozens or more deer under your belt, and you don't get jacked up, you might want to find another hobby. Its why we love what we do folks. There comes a point however, where its either so out of control, or you find yourself making mistakes that prevent you from being successful, or making bad decisions and/or shots. I found myself in this position a few years ago, when the biggest PA buck I ever encountered was a mere 31 yards from the stand and I proceeded to send an arrow a foot over his back (he wasn't 40 yards my rangefinder later told me). This happened because I was not prepared and not mentally as confident as I should have been. So, here is what I've done and do in the treestand that has helped me drastically in the last few years. Confidence: You shoot all year. You spend countless hours each week when time permits honing my shooting skills. You can hit a tennis ball sized spot at 40 yards all day long. But, as that buck steps into your shooting range, you suddenly have doubts, or the "omg, I hope I make this shot!" types of thoughts race through your mind. This is wrong, dead wrong. You have to clear your head of this. Think about it. The act of shooting a deer is not much different than shooting a target from a mechanical standpoint. You've done this time and time again. Once I thought about this more, I quickly realized that the shot part should be the easy part of the whole thing. Think about this for a moment. You are at full draw on that deer. He has not clue you're there. You beat him. The hard part, beating him on his turf, is over. All that's left is shooting him, the part you rehearsed in your backyard over and over again and the part you should be able to do without even thinking. I told my best friend this year that I was so confident in this that if I get you (the deer) at full draw inside of 40 yards, checkmate.. its over. That might sound arrogant and maybe it is a little. But the fact is, it works for me. I honestly felt like I would not miss a shot. My confidence was so high this season that when I was at full draw on each of the four deer I killed, I could almost envision that arrow disappearing behind their shoulder right before the arrow was released. I do not recall the release itself as I was so locked in on the pin, the spot I wanted to hit, etc. It was an awesome feeling and one I hope I can keep moving forward. I also started talking to myself at full draw. When I'm settling the pin on a deer, I'll say "focus, focus, focus... " until the shot is off. This for me is telling myself to focus on the spot, focus on the shot. This I borrowed from a fellow BH.com member here who does something similar. It works! Preparation = More confidence Yes, the shooting part I had down. But, there is more to it than just that. You also have to prepare mentally while you're in the treestand. I started realizing that my processes in the stand itself where off. I had too much to think about. Range, shooting lanes, position in the stand, etc. I quickly found areas that I could improve. We all have been there. Everything is flying by in your mind at warp speed, he's closing in fast, maybe from a direction you didn't plan, etc. Its easy to let it all come unraveled. This applies to both old stands and new. As soon as its light enough to see your suroundings, or right after climbing into the stand, break out your rangefinder. Range ONLY for 30 yards. What this does, is it cuts your guess work by 2/3 if your effective range is 40 yards. Now, you longer have to think about 20 yards or 40 yards. As long as you are decent at figuring out that the deer is 10 yards closer or beyond that 30 yard marker, you're in good shape. As your ranging things, make sure to do so in at least 4 directions around the stand. Pick easily identifiable trees, rocks, etc. After your done, sit back and start visualizing where, if a deer approaches from this spot, that you're going to kill him. Plan it. As you're watching for deer to approach, envision that buck coming in from this direction or that direction, etc. Look for lanes that will give you a shot. Keep that in your head. Keep doing it over and over all sit, not just once. It keeps you occupied for one, but it also keeps you focused. Look at everything you do in the tree leading up to shooting. If it seems complicated or you feel rushed, look for ways to simplify it. Bow, clothing, treestands, etc. If anything takes your focus off the task at hand, you need to figure out ways to fix it. What all of this does is simplifies things in the tree for you. At least it did drastically for me. Now, I don't think about yardage at all after ranging my 30's and I also have a very good idea of the ideal lanes to kill him in. All thats left is to get that bow back undetected and its game over. What I've found is that all of this helped slow things down considerably for me. I feel like I am in control of the situation and not the deer (of course we know thats not really true). I realize that unexpected things will and do happen in the woods. Deer will do things we didn't expect. There is always that chance that your shot won't be as good as you hoped, the deer moves slightly out of your lane, etc. It's hunting. But these things really helped me. This year, I had the season of a lifetime and best ever for me personally. Four deer, including my largest buck to date. What I'm more proud of than anything is that each shot was spot on and the kills were clean. I attribute it all to the things I learned and worked on over the last few years. I really hope that this might help others here as it did me. If anyone else has tips, I'd love to hear them!
I will admit I don't get excited at all when I see a buck approaching my stand no matter the size. I don't understand "buck fever".
My first buck I didnt get excited, he just "popped" up out of knowhere. I didnt have time to get nervous. I just picked up my bow, ranged him and shot him at 32 yards. Now, on my 20th wedding anniversary, I watched a nice 8 point coming my way, needles to say I was a bumbling fool! Shaking, moving around like an idiot, ranging him looking for stuff I didnt need as he was heading right to me! I stopped him at 18 yards to my left and squeezed the release! 20 yards later, he was done for! No giants, either buck, but here they are! I couldnt be happier with my seson! Thank You GOOD LORD ABOVE!! PS: I get nervous when a doe comes in!!!!!!!!!
I don't get excited until after I shoot. Then I better sit down...lol. They way I look at is, seeing deer is great. If you don't make a good shot and stay calm...seeing the deer don't matter unless you follow through and make a good shot. Sent from my Z665C
Great points muzzyman. I'll be taking them to the stand with me next time. I'll add that I only practice with 2 to 3 arrows and each shot I try to think of it as THE SHOT and really sharpen my focus. I used to sling 8-12 arrows at a time but found myself worrying more about the average and not each single shot. I do get buck fever whether I'm taking aim on a buck or a meat hog but it's more about getting that perfect shot off so that after I release the arrow I do have meat. Kilboars Hunt Club
I get buck and doe fever haha think its mainly because we dont see many deer and you'll go 10-15 hunts without seeing one and then one pops out and the old heart starts racing. I LOVE IT!!! thats why i do it
Good one Afflicted. I too noticed that when I cut down on the number of arrows I shot, I just shot better. It's interesting to hear from the vets on here how they don't get excited any longer when a buck comes into range that they're going to shoot. I don't know, I really hope I never lose that part of the hunt. Bootlegger, I'm with ya. Thats where I come unglued now. LOL.
Meant to ask if your doing a surprise release on your shots. Something I'm working on but not always confident with. Kilboars Hunt Club
I get excited about bucks, but I get more "jitters" for does for some odd reason. I think its because when I see a buck I kno im going to shoot I consciously shut everything off and get tunnel vision on "my spot." Once that arrow hits its mark then the excitement and adrenaline RUSHES thru my veins....anyone who has seen my videos can attest to this haha. Headgear or not its a rush that has no equal...been over a month since I last pulled the string on anything, but I have had my absolute BEST season ever this year and for that I am extremely grateful. First season killing multiple bucks, and both are goin on the wall (one shoulder mount and one euro mount)..I killed the most deer ever in a season with 5 kills and to top all of that off I have killed my #1 target buck for the 2nd year in a row! great year, I have one more stop in Bama so hopefully the luck will continue!
I'm glad I'm not the only one....lol. I use to get tore up before the shot when I started bow hunting in the mid 90's. I missed the first 2-3 deer I shot at ...lol. Then finally convinced myself not to get tore up. Just take my time and make the shot. Cause if I do t make a good shot....then seeing it didn't matter all that much if I missed. Once I drill them I better sit so I don't fall :p Sent from my Z665C
I tend to think I don't while hunting. In the backyard, I work on that all the time. But, while hunting, I try to squeeze the shot off more like a rifle trigger. I guess my reasoning is that you may have to kind of "shoot on command" in hunting situations. That said, I've gotten myself to a point now that I do not recall me squeezing the trigger on the deer. I think the fact that I'm so focused on picking my spot and aiming that I don't realize that I'm slowly squeezing the trigger. So I guess in a sense its a surprise. But its certainly no like a back tension surprise release.
the term "shot sequence" can lead to trouble, b/c it implies a specific set of actions taken, and in reality what happens in the stand is more of a dynamic set of events that could play out in many different ways. Once you can eliminate any mental "sequence", and just react to the situation presened by the deer, you greatly reduce your chance of messing up the shot or being busted.
I believe you're right. But if you read the post, you'd understand it wasn't a step by step type thing I was trying to get across. Its more of an approach to hunting, preperation, mental aspect, etc. I think more than anything, simplifying and taking out as many of the variables as I can is what has made me a better bowhunter over the years.
It still amazes me that despite tons of pre-season practice[I hope they practice] many archers make horrible shots on deer. I admit I have made a few out of 500 to 600 deer[ have lost track] I have arrowed over the years and most of those in my early days back in the 70s and early 80s.. I get so aggravated when I see TV guys with the best of the best as far as equipment hit a deer in the hindquarter or guy at 25 to 30 yards standing still and broadside,it makes us all look bad .. Now I practice daily have much better equipment and seldom miss my mark by more then a few inches. I also attribute it in part to fact I am able to keep my emotions in check even if if it's a pretty good buck, don't ask me how I just can, it's not that I don't get excited I do it just happens after the shot..
For me it is a sequence but not in the micro sense of everything....draw, lock, release is always gonna happen (lock being resting into shooting spot and finding target). The issue for many is when they break the "sequence" down to so many variables, sometimes a sweet short thought here, here and here is best....I know it's helped me, as I even whisper or mentally say draw, lock, death
I agree. I can't believe they then put the horrible shot on their show. I saw Fred Eichler hit a doe in the hide quarter at 26'yds and chock it up as That's Hunting. Of course he was using a recurve but if you can't make ethical shots that far stop taking them. Seen Tom Moranda make some lousy shots as well. Kilboars Hunt Club
Bad shots will happen, regardless of what we may think. I know I"m guilty of it. I agree that TV sometimes distorts things so much. The one that always makes me laugh is the footage of the hunter in the stand, grunting the deer in, ranging it, then shooting. Yes, that does happen sometimes, but I can't recall too many times where I had that much time or could get away with that much movement during that moment. I have to guess that a lot of that footage is staged to make sure they get the latest grunt call and rangefinder into the scene for sponsors. The point I was trying to convey, more than anything is that when you come to full draw on a deer, whether it be a buck of a lifetime or a doe, you should be confident and know that deer is dead. I hate to say it like this, but have that killer instinct. You owe it to that animal to do so. I think too many folks get the thought of what can go wrong at the shot in their head, you know.. "omg I hope I don't screw this up!". tynimiller, I believe you explained it better than me. There is some type of sequence we mentally go through. Its a simple one, just to ensure we don't miss anything. draw, anchor, settle, release for example. It's simple and keeps you in check. Simplifying things makes the curve balls that a deer will throw at you a lot more manageable and you're less likely to get caught up in the battle with your nerves.
I use to get tore all to pieces when I saw a buck. The first buck I ever saw while bowhunting from a stand I could actually hear my heart pounding and almost forgot how to breathe! I never got a shot at him and was actually gasping for air after he left. Over the years I've calmed down quite a bit but hope I never lose that excitement.
Exactly, no shot presented to me by a buck isn't going to involve draw, lock (anchor), death (release)...keeping that in mind and focusing on where you're arrow is heading eliminates a lot of the issues for people. I mean shoot I'll be honest I may be experiencing a touch of shaking but once I draw it becomes just like any other shot, that kill area is my target and that deer is toast!
