Nerves

went on a great hunt today. before we left, my son and i did some target practice. right in the bullseye at 100 yards!

the property we were hunting is MLD (managed) we were allowed 1 buck and 1 doe and they are pretty picky about the bucks.

well i got in the stand at 3pm. at 330 a large doe walked out 20 yards from the stand. i wanted to take her but i wasnt in a hurry to end the hunt either. i just got set up and my son and his grandfather were just getting set up in another stand about 1/2 a mile away. so i watched her for a while hoping more would come out. she hung out and then got spooked by something, i think it was another doe that came out that caused her to blow.

so the other doe wasnt a shooter. she was maybe 50lbs. she hung out for 20 mins or so and then a buck came out. he wasnt a shooter either, small 4 point with a 10 inch spread. they both enjoyed the plot for a while and a large buck came out to join them. this guy was about 110, maybe 120 lbs with a nice rack! not super wide but he had really long tines. they had to be 12 or 14 inches.

i figured id take him. at 125 yards he gave me a broad side shot. i was shaky and rushed the shot. completely missed! he walked a circle around a tree and stared at me, broadside. i took ANOTHER shot and MISSED at which point he turned tail and left. the other two stayed on the plot. its 4:00 pm

i couldnt believe i missed him, let alone twice. i knew i blew the first shot and i wasnt confident in my second either because i was so shaken and didnt even slow down to breath but i couldnt imagine missing twice when i been so on taget all week.

so after 15 mins i came out of the stand, which spooked off the other two deer off but i just couldnt stand not knowing. i searched the spot where he stood and about an acre of woods in the direction he left. i found no blood at all and the whole time i was replaying the even in my head. he never kicked or jumped like he had been shot. that kinda sux but i was also relieved because at this point i was sure it was a clean miss.

at this point its 5pm and i start heading back to the stand quietly. on the way i spotted a cull buck. 5 points on one side and 2 on the other, he busted me and split, then made his way up to my sons area and grandpaw said let him walk.


altogether we seen 10 deer today including the rides to and from the stands on the side by side. we didnt bag any but we had a great time and im looking forward to next time. any day in the woods with family is a good day.

 

Buck fever

It happens


Never to me, but some have been hit hard.

 

Man I get as pumped up shooting does as I do bucks. Just focus on the job at hand. You know what needs done. Breathe, be steady, and shake afterwards.
I do better reactive shooting than I do watching them make their way to me.

 

When you go to the range, artificially raise your heart rate with pushups, sprints, or running in place, then practice taking a shot. Mess with it and see what it takes to calm yourself down.

 

100% this. Also, don’t stare at the deer. Stare at the spot you want to hit on the deer. In your mind it’s more like shooting a target, less like shooting an animal.

 

This is one reason I don’t like antler restrictions have to look at antlers count them . I liked being able to look quick and if antlers above ears legal if no antlers it’s a doe. Go rite from fast look at head to rite behind front shoulder and pow done no time for shakes

 

I have found just watching them through the scope (actually any and all if the critters that come up) helps. 125 yards away you could probably even do some dry fire practice without spooking them.

Then when the one comes out, you do want, you just go through the exact same motions.

 

As my patients tell me... you have good days and you have bad days. In your case good shots and bad shots. Perhaps deep down you just didn't feel hungry and let him go. Perhaps Saint Hubert had other plans for the buck. As you pointed out- any day in the woods with family is a good day. You won't miss any meals and you have a moment you can use to teach your children to be gracious in loss. Sounds like a win to me.

(unless you planned to give the hide to my sister in law in which case... HOW COULD YOU???)

 

Have you practiced shooting from a tree stand much? Or at least shooting from odd positions? There are a lot of folks who zero their weapon using a shooting bench and then that's it, not realizing that real world shooting positions aren't the same as shooting off a bench. Shooting at an angle changes you POI too. How much depends on the angle, distance, weapon and load. What are you hunting with?

Another thought for next time. If you shoot and you're not sure if it's good or not, give the animal some more time, if at all possible. A half hour, at least, preferably more. If you did hit it but not well, pushing is likely to make it jump and run, making it that much harder to find.

 

thats a great idea

 

oh yeah man. ive taken 4 or 5 deer from this exact stand. only difference is i havent shot at a buck in a couple years. the old buck fever for sure

 

I always have to have the killer's instinct going for me. Is it legal? If yes, either shoot right then or forget it. If I watch it awhile and then decide later to shoot is when I miss or mess up the shot.

I also concentrate on a killing shot like neck, heart or double lung. If I have to track a wounded deer, I want it to be fast and easy.

 

When and if the day comes that my blood pressure doesn't rise is the day that I quit hunting. I thought that I was getting close, but yesterday I had a deer slip in on me at 15 yards. It was an instant jolt of adrenaline. Turned out to be Dinky Buck. I have seen him several times and have him on 2 different cameras. He has 1 inch spikes. Nearly shot him once thinking he was doe.

 

Any chance the sights or scope got bumped between the practice and the hunt?

 

i seriously doubt it. i plan on doing some shooting this weekend. ill let ya know if its off.

 

What I've found helps me is envisioning the deer stepping out, me putting my rifle up, and shooting. If I imagine it enough times it makes it less jarring when I do it for real. I go over it in my head a few times every time I climb into the stand.

I imagine you could also practice bringing your rifle up, aiming at a tree or rock or something else to focus on, and dry firing while in your stand. You could do it when heading in from the morning hunt when you'll be moving and making noise anyway.

 

to make a good shot with this gun usually takes me a couple minutes to get the rifle steady and my breathing under control and not jerk the damn trigger. a solid minute of that it seems is gently applying pressure to the trigger to get it to trip without moving off target. Otherwise, without all those steps and focus im 6 or 8 inches off at 100 yards.

i think i need to burn a few more boxes of ammo to get comfortable with this old 700.

 

guys i sure do appreciate all the comments. thank you so much for helping me out.

 

sorry i never answered your question. its an 88 model remington 700 chambered in 30-06 with Hornady American Whitetail 150 grain soft point ammo. ive had some really good groups with the combo but i havent shot it much. i did get a doe a couple weeks ago with it.

 

The same adrenaline that gives us "buck fever" gives us the thrill and excitement of the hunt. Without it, the majority of us would not hunt.

 

How is the trigger on that rifle? Sounds like it could use some help. A CRISP trigger at 3 to 4 lbs makes hitting stuff a lot easier. Now that my rifle is sighted in, I spend most of my range time hitting 10 inch steel plates from offhand at 200yds. It makes everything else feel like child's play.

 

trigger kinda sucks. i wish it were easier to pull. but if i get on the very bottom of the trigger and pull easy it eventually trips without getting off target

 

Trust me when I tell you it is worth the money to either have a smith work that trigger over , or to replace it with something like a timney. I had a timney in a mauser that is , unfortunately, at the bottom of the snake river and it was awesome. I have a rifle basix on a stevens 200 that is great as well. Just a tiny bit of creep then bang! Catches most people completely off guard at 3lbs. Savage accutriggers are ok but just ok. Shoot a good trigger once and you'll fall all over yourself upgrading all of them.

 

I think you are worrying about how you shoot and take too much time. You should practice getting your rifle on target quickly and getting your shot off. Dry fire and live ammo. Too many people wander off target mentally and physically.

 

it does seem to trip alot easier dry. lol!
maybe recoil flinch is the problem