Shaking / buck fever..

[grampy]

21 minutes ago, DirtTime said:

I get it the longer I have to wait for a deer to either come into range or into a shooting lane. It seems the longer I wait the longer the adrenaline pumps. A few deer over the past few years have gotten a pass because of it.

Recently, I developed Afib ( while not necessarily life threatening, it's very uncomfortable and scares the shit out of me ) , and though I am doing better, when my adrenaline get flowing fast I start shaking really bad. It's going to be a rough deer season for me. It all comes down to that first deer coming in while actually out deer hunting to see how my body reacts.

Happy to hear you're doing better Rob. 

Hopefully you'll do just fine when one comes in. After its down, you can sit down and take a deep breath! Shaking at that point is normal!!!

Best of luck to ya out there this year.

[Hock3y24]

Used to get it bad, now i keep it together till after the shot, then a big adrenaline dump and one time had to sit down and hold onto me stand i was shaking so hard. 

[Pygmy]

11 hours ago, Robhuntandfish said:

maybe its just there isnt that challenge anymore on the home whitetail range  - would maybe a western Elk hunt get that feeling back?   

I  assure you that a bull elk bugling a dozen times  within 50 yards in close cover  ( coming to your call)  will get the adrenaline flowing...If it doesn't, you're dead... 

My one and only bull elk did exactly that..I shot him at about 15 yards with my muzzleloader...

[nyslowhand]

The opportunity to get that "rush" is what makes us get up at 4-5AM, sit in the stand all day or in the rain &/or snow - day after day, year after year!

We can do all the text-book things to control buck fever, but if it ain't there to some degree - will we continue to hunt ourselves???

Takes a lot of encounters to be able to (semi-) control your adrenaline rush. What's helped me with mature buck encounters is to only take the initial rack/BB assessment view of the buck's body/rack. The proverbial shoot or not decision. Then I try to never look at the rack again and focus on the shot opportunity, yardage, shot placement and my breathing. Like others, once the shot is released and a good hit is seen, the waiting for the crash or visual downed BB within sight is when I begin the shaking! Meat hunters can probably control this better than those of us simply looking to harvest a mature buck, IDK...

Edited August 24, 2019 by nyslowhand

[Four Season Whitetail's]

After living with them along with hunting them for 25-30 years the rush has mellowed big time. After one harvests many, many animals they will change. For me now to get any rush it takes a mature deer for sure but more so it takes a mature deer I have located, scouted and killed on his turf. Harvesting any deer is not much of an accomplishment anymore but to harvest the biggest, smartest brute in the woods still gets the blood pumping.


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[G-Man]

8 hours ago, The Jerkman said:

What about atalattl?

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I throw those for fun, started at flint knappers convention at letchworth many years ago, I would think it would.fall under spear but who knows this state may classify it a rifle cause you can throw it so far

[G-Man]

18 hours ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

Any deer I see, especially the first of the year, gets my heart pounding hardcore. I've never missed because of buck fever or shakes, but at times it feels like my heart is going through my skin. Like Grampy, if i lose that adrenaline, i'll stop hunting.

I dont have the rush anymore but keep hunting though last couple of years I question why . It come down to putting meat in the freezer I guess

[G-Man]

8 hours ago, DirtTime said:

I get it the longer I have to wait for a deer to either come into range or into a shooting lane. It seems the longer I wait the longer the adrenaline pumps. A few deer over the past few years have gotten a pass because of it.

Recently, I developed Afib ( while not necessarily life threatening, it's very uncomfortable and scares the shit out of me ) , and though I am doing better, when my adrenaline get flowing fast I start shaking really bad. It's going to be a rough deer season for me. It all comes down to that first deer coming in while actually out deer hunting to see how my body reacts.

This may be part of it as well the deer show themselves at my stand set up in range, you have to hear them coming ,shots are close under 20 yards most 5 to 15yards. They step out and  bam...dead if chosen to shoot.

[Robhuntandfish]

21 minutes ago, G-Man said:

I dont have the rush anymore but keep hunting though last couple of years I question why . It come down to putting meat in the freezer I guess

You sure do a lot of work and get some others that adrenaline rush for sure!  It seems now the biggest enjoyment is on the setup and work. So maybe not getting the rush but get the enjoyment out of the process.

I got it... Have each person you let hunt pitch in donations for your work and go on an African safari!  

[crappyice]

The rush comes with the distinct crunch of the leaves or the snap of a twig that can’t be a squirrel and when it IS a squirrel the disappointment and surprise when it happens again and it’s a deer(any deer). The longer I have that deer in my sight that I know I will take, the harder it is for me to control the pounding in my chest. But the trigger for me is deciding that it is a game I will harvest. Once that happens, if I don’t get a shot quickly I can unravel in the waiting. I never had a deer in the shooting spot and then suffered the shakes so bad that I couldn’t shoot but I bet I scared away a few who were not in the lane yet based on my twitchiness.
The big 9 I got last year showed up and was arrowed within minutes last year and only did I get the dump after i climbed down


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[Robhuntandfish]

26 minutes ago, crappyice said:

The rush comes with the distinct crunch of the leaves or the snap of a twig that can’t be a squirrel and when it IS a squirrel the disappointment and surprise when it happens again and it’s a deer(any deer). The longer I have that deer in my sight that I know I will take, the harder it is for me to control the pounding in my chest. But the trigger for me is deciding that it is a game I will harvest. Once that happens, if I don’t get a shot quickly I can unravel in the waiting. I never had a deer in the shooting spot and then suffered the shakes so bad that I couldn’t shoot but I bet I scared away a few who were not in the lane yet based on my twitchiness.
The big 9 I got last year showed up and was arrowed within minutes last year and only did I get the dump after i climbed down


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That was a nice damn buck for sure. I would've had my heart pumping out of my chest.  Did you have a mount on that buck?  

I actually like to see them for a while and I calm a little.  Sometimes when they appear quick I rush too much.  When I see them coming and watch them a bit I get a little calmed down. But hell a doe gets my adrenaline going.  Esp early season. 

[ncountry]

I have been deer hunting close to 30 years.I didn't bow hunt for the 1st 10.

I've always been able to get into the "zone" with a gun.. Settle my nerves and shaking , then everything goes into slow motion.. Close to 100% success rate after the shot.

With a bow in my hands, I fall to pieces. I cant seem to find that spot.lol . I can shoot the heck out of a target, but put a deer in front of me,  doe to 10points and I suck..So yes, I get the fever.

[CapDistPatriot]

I have honestly never experienced this. I have heard of it, seen people experience it, but me myself never. 

Now, to add context the only buck i have seen while hunting was a spike, and the only deer i have taken are does, maybe if i see a booner this will come up...

[wolc123]

I get an equal, but mild rush whenever I see or hear a deer.  It does not matter one iota how big it is or if it has antlers.  I only focus on the antlers long enough to make the choice if it is a "shooter" or not.  For me, an antlered buck is a shooter if it has three or more points on a side or is clearly more than 1.5 years old during the first half of the seasons (crossbow or gun).   They are all "shooters" if I have unfilled tags after the mid-point.   All antlerless deer are shooters if I have antlerless tags. That mild rush helps me maintain focus on making the kill shot.   With the exception of a few early archery mishaps, I can not recall messing up a shot because of "the shakes".   

Up until last season, it was along time since any deer that I shot at escaped the trip to "deer heaven" (our family's food supply).   Two does got away unharmed last year, thanks to a damaged scope on my slug gun, and an unseen branch during late ML season.   That bad scope has been replaced now.  I think many folks get buck-fever, and it costs them an occasional poor shot, because they are too fixated on the antlers.            

[Lawdwaz]

21 hours ago, G-Man said:

How many still experience this when hunting? I haven't felt it or shaken in years, probably why I dont really care about shooting anything myself, it's simply harvesting meat.  

 

How about when you killed the bear a few years ago, seems like there had to be some adrenaline coursing through your veins?

[crappyice]

That was a nice damn buck for sure. I would've had my heart pumping out of my chest.  Did you have a mount on that buck?  
I actually like to see them for a while and I calm a little.  Sometimes when they appear quick I rush too much.  When I see them coming and watch them a bit I get a little calmed down. But hell a doe gets my adrenaline going.  Esp early season. 

Yeah thanks...STILL WAITING!!!! I have been in regular contact with the taxi who assured me progress is being made and I trust him. At this point, why rush him? But this blank space is a constant reminder that he ain’t back yet!




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[Hunter007]

Shoot other game  besides deer and targets

And think about the pain in the ass of draging it out of the woods  and processing it .

That's usually works

 

[cdbing]

I get it the longer I have to wait for a deer to either come into range or into a shooting lane. It seems the longer I wait the longer the adrenaline pumps. A few deer over the past few years have gotten a pass because of it.
Recently, I developed Afib ( while not necessarily life threatening, it's very uncomfortable and scares the shit out of me ) , and though I am doing better, when my adrenaline get flowing fast I start shaking really bad. It's going to be a rough deer season for me. It all comes down to that first deer coming in while actually out deer hunting to see how my body reacts.

Kind of off topic but saw you mention your health condition. Had a similar condition treated with ablation and would recommend you speak to your doctor about it.

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[Robhuntandfish]

6 hours ago, crappyice said:

Yeah thanks...STILL WAITING!!!! I have been in regular contact with the taxi who assured me progress is being made and I trust him. At this point, why rush him? But this blank space is a constant reminder that he ain’t back yet!




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Lol.  I did the same thing. Had a spot cleared for my first mount this season. And paced by it til I finally got mine too.  Guess you gotta figure if you get it before a new season starts that ain't too bad.  Can't wait to see pics. 

[G-Man]

11 hours ago, Lawdwaz said:

How about when you killed the bear a few years ago, seems like there had to be some adrenaline coursing through your veins?

6 years ago now

[G-Man]

13 hours ago, Robhuntandfish said:

You sure do a lot of work and get some others that adrenaline rush for sure!  It seems now the biggest enjoyment is on the setup and work. So maybe not getting the rush but get the enjoyment out of the process.

I got it... Have each person you let hunt pitch in donations for your work and go on an African safari!  

I have no interest in African game.,  I agree I do enjoy setting someone up on game

[Lawdwaz]

53 minutes ago, G-Man said:

6 years ago now

WTH do you mean, "6 years ago now"?

So if that same scenario played out again late in November on a cold over cast snowy morning and you saw a brute boar (assumption of course) out at 175 yards through the thick brush, heading at a quartering angle towards your stand and you could see it was a BIG bear, much bigger than the one you shot six years ago, possibly a state record bear.  It would pass in and out of the thickest crap on your 330 acres as it made its way closer to your stand then it stopped, with its shoulder/lung area behind a couple of the chestnut trees YOU planted then slowly turned your way, offering you nothing but a poor head-on shot.  You surely had a big enough caliber/bullet combo in you leeeever gun to put this brute in the frozen ground but it just wasn't the shot you could take, ethically.  It stood there for what seemed like hours but must have only been a minute or so before finally turning broadside at about 60 yards.  

Now what, shoot or no shoot?

How's the adrenaline doing????

Edited August 25, 2019 by Lawdwaz

[Lawdwaz]

1 minute ago, Lawdwaz said:

 

 

Edited August 25, 2019 by Lawdwaz

[G-Man]

7 minutes ago, Lawdwaz said:

WTH do you mean, "6 years ago now"?

So if that same scenario played out again late in November on a cold over cast snowy morning and you saw a brute boar (assumption of course) out at 175 yards through the thick brush, heading at a quartering angle towards your stand and you could see it was a BIG bear, much bigger than the one you shot six years ago, possibly a state record bear.  It would pass in and out of the thickest crap on your 330 acres as it made its way closer to your stand then it stopped, with its shoulder/lung area behind a couple of the chestnut trees YOU planted then slowly turned your way, offering you nothing but a poor head-on shot.  You surely had a big enough caliber/bullet combo in you leeeever gun to put this brute in the frozen ground but it just wasn't the shot you could take, ethically.  It stood there for what seemed lime hours but must have only been a minute or so before finally turning broadside at about 60 yards.  

Now what, shoot or no shoot?

How's the adrenaline doing????

1st I have no place to see 175 yards out anywhere on my place. And I dont believe in would get excited, I shot a bear with bow 3 years ago at 3 yards. And an 11pt at 8 or so yards.. I just dont get an adrenaline rush. Both involved long waits till they presented a shot.  I know it doesnt seem possible but it's an automatic thing to shoot no emotion no shaking no heart racing,  even nephew getting a bear and tracking for him i was excited for him but .. my thought usually are great now I have to gut and get this thing out of the woods.. 

If it was cold and snowy I prolly wouldn't be out hunting , I'm not a fan of cold and snow for hunting nor do I hunt longer than a couple of hours for a sit  at anytime or any weather.. I always  have other things to do..lol

Edited August 25, 2019 by G-Man

[Pygmy]

23 hours ago, DirtTime said:

I get it the longer I have to wait for a deer to either come into range or into a shooting lane. It seems the longer I wait the longer the adrenaline pumps. A few deer over the past few years have gotten a pass because of it.

Recently, I developed Afib ( while not necessarily life threatening, it's very uncomfortable and scares the shit out of me ) , and though I am doing better, when my adrenaline get flowing fast I start shaking really bad. It's going to be a rough deer season for me. It all comes down to that first deer coming in while actually out deer hunting to see how my body reacts.

I also suffer from Afib, Rob,  and I have noticed that my shaking has become worse in adrenaline charged situations the last couple of years...

I just thought it was the whiskey,  but perhaps the Afib has something to do with it too...