Since I have been around a baseball field for a good deal of my life, I've seen guys excel in tough spots and I've seen great ballplayers crumble to pieces when the pressure mounts. I'm sure you've seen it, too, while watching your favorite sports teams play throughout the year. What causes such great athletes to fail? It's not lack of ability or physical fitness. Probably has nothing to do with the argument that they had with their spouse the night before. More often than not, it has to do with the space that sits between their ears.
Pressure
We all know what pressure is. There's not one of us alive who doesn't deal with it at work or at home. There's never enough time in the day to get everything done and life becomes overwhelming. That same kind of pressure affects athletes and hunters alike.
Hunting is supposed to be a fun and enjoyable sport. For most of us, it is. But there are times when it becomes a head game of sorts. We start thinking about all the time and money we put into killing a specific animal, only to fail time and time again. What about the guy who spends thousands of dollars to go on a guided hunt and things aren't going the way he'd planned? The pressure and anxiety builds. Before you know it, depression sets in. The positive attitude is gone. And then, just like that, someone flips a switch and everything starts coming together. The buck or bull he's always wanted comes strolling in at 30 yards. In total disbelief and utter amazement, he draws his bow back. There's no thought of looking through the peep, no thought of which pin to use or where to put the arrow. He sees pins, hide and the arrow’s gone. We've all been there at some point in time during our hunting endeavors. Time slows down as the arrow sails harmlessly over the critter’s back. We ask ourselves what went wrong. The hunter was out of the game mentally. Physically, he was fine. The bow came back without any trouble. In the rush and excitement, the brain couldn't slow the situation down fast enough for him to think logically about what was taking place. He got to this point by believing he was never going to get an opportunity. He was expecting and accepting failure, not success. Attitude and confidence go a long way in being a good and successful hunter.
Adrenaline and Buck Fever
Pressure is something we put on ourselves. Buck fever is a sudden jolt of the hormone adrenaline as it explodes through our veins. The outcomes of a negative pressure situation and buck fever are usually the same: missed shots and broken dreams. Controlling buck fever is never easy, but there are things we can do to defeat the odds. Learn more about Buck Fever: How To Beat It here.
Visualization
We dream and think about big bucks all the time, right? Do you see your arrow passing through his vitals in that daydreaming moment? Do you feel your heart rate go up at that moment? You should. And you should figure out how to control it. I tell myself over and over to focus on the pin. I also shoot a 7-pin sight. Many think that's too confusing, but it makes me focus on something other than the animal. My brain doesn't override my system with adrenaline because I'm counting pins. It may not be the answer for you, but something like it will work. It's all about “tricking” your brain.
Killin’
You want to beat buck fever and become a hunting machine that doesn't miss many opportunities? Start killin’. Plain and simple. The more animals you shoot, the better and more confident you will be. Practice makes perfect, and there's no better practice than doing the real thing. Shooting does in areas where they need thinned out is a great place to start. If you are new to hunting, don't be so picky about the size of the buck you’re shooting. Get some critters under your belt. Learn how to control the rush and build from there. Hunting and shooting predators or varmints works, too. True, they don’t have horns or antlers but they are live, moving targets. They will get your heart rate up. Generally speaking, predators and varmints are smaller targets, making you focus even more to complete the shot. This sort of thing brings muscle memory and confidence with every shot, just what we need to ward off buck fever.
Backyard Dominance
We all practice in our backyards, shooting hundreds of arrows into a bag or 3D target. Arrow after arrow, day in and day out. Is this a good thing? Maybe, but I think many archers shoot way too much and most gun hunters don’t shoot nearly enough. Shooting hundreds of arrows a month is great for muscle memory but terrible for real life encounters in the woods. I like to see guys practice less and practice shooting greater distances. Everyone with a compound bow should strive for success on the range at 50 yards or more. Most whitetails are shot at a distance of less than 35 yards. When you are confident at 50 plus yards, 35 yards seems like 15 or 20 yards. When you are battling head games at the moment of truth, that confidence will make all the difference. That is the same reason I like to see fewer arrows being shot during practice. You get one chance to shoot at a trophy bull; practice that way. One arrow in the morning before work and one before you go to bed. There are no do-overs in the woods and that should be the same mentality you practice with.
Gun hunters, on the other hand, don't think they need to practice. After all, how hard can it be to put the crosshairs on an animal and pull the trigger? Believe it or not, I see gun hunters fall apart at the moment of truth more often than bowhunters. Why is that? I think many muzzleloader hunters only get their guns out once or twice a year. Add in a rapidly beating heart, the inability to find the critter in the scope as soon as the gun comes up, and you have unbelievable pressure in a very stressful situation. Staying sharp with gunpowder and lead takes more time because you need a safe place to shoot. While you can practice with your bow in your backyard, you can’t practice there with your gun. Shooting varmints and predators is by far the best practice for rifle hunters. Using the same rig you plan to use for big game hunting is even better. If that doesn't work for you, get a stock that matches your rifle and mount the same scope that you will be hunting with. Practice acquiring targets in your scope. Pick a spot and then throw the “gun” to your shoulder. Are you looking at the same thing through the scope? Keep practicing until you get it. The ability to find the animal in your scope and get the shot off quickly can play a big part in beating “the shakes.”
Conclusion
It's not a bad thing to get excited. If you don't, there's really no point in hunting. Learning to control the excitement or emotions that come with close encounters of the big antlered kind is not easy, but it is doable. Think the scenarios through that you are likely to face while hunting. Talk yourself through them and make the shot. After the shot, go ahead and let the buck fever take over! Enjoy the moment. These moments don't come often enough. Just be careful not to send the pics to your anti-hunting neighbor who lives across the street! There are many additional steps you can take to keep the odds in your favor this season. There are too many to list but you can find more here: 10 Deer Hunting Mistakes Sure To Ruin Your Season.
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