I think it’s safe to say that most of us have had to deal with Buck Fever at one time or another I know I have a nice 10 point buck, I could tell exactly what it looked it. But as most of us know, it’s how you deal with buck fever that will decide whether or not you go home with a deer or not.

Buck Fever is the condition that comes over a Hunter when they have an opportunity to take a deer. The deer may be right beneath their tree stand or 100 yards away. For many hunters, the sight of any legal deer puts them into an uncontrollable jerky convulsions. Hitting a deer at any range under these conditions is pure luck.

Even the best of us get buck fever. It’s how you deal with it that counts.

Here are 5 tips for dealing with Buck Fever.

1. Get out and see deer. For people who never see a deer except during deer season, the sight of a legal deer within range can send them over the edge. Get out and watch deer. Go to a game farm if you must, but get out and see deer. Not only will it help with Buck Fever, but you might also become familiar with the body characteristics of Bucks and Does.
2. Control your breathing and thoughts. When you see a legal deer, focus on controlling your breathing. Nice deep breaths and slow exhales. Whatever you do, don’t hold your breath! Also, don’t freak out and start thinking “Oh my God, there’s a deer, I better shoot quick before he/she is gone”. Concentrate on making the shot. Focus on a spot. Count backwards if you have to in order to get your mind off the deer. Anything that will help you focus on making the shot.
3. Visualize yourself making a successful shot. I often sit in my stand and visualize myself making a successful shot on a deer. Even when I’m not in the stand, I’m thinking about making a good shot on a deer. See yourself remaining calm, cool and collective. Visualize yourself easing your weapon up and getting a good sight picture and focusing on a small area. Visualization can be very important in controlling Buck Fever.
4. Practice, Practice and then Practice more. It was three years of bowhunting before I took my first deer with archery equipment. The previous two years I had many opportunities, but failed for many reasons. On year three, the second weekend of the Season I had three Does come through the brush near my stand. I’d spent all Summer practicing with my bow. That year I had switched from shooting with sights to instinctive shooting. I never gave it much thought, but one thing I realized when that Doe was at 15 yards was that I was going to drill her. I couldn’t explain it, but I KNEW without a doubt where that arrow was going. Practice with your weapon until you know it intimately. Practice builds confidence. Confidence in knowing you can hit what you’re aiming at goes a long ways in settling your nerves.
5. Hunt small game. For many Hunters, deer hunting may be the only time when they have an opportunity to shoot anything. Buy a 22 rifle if you don’t have one or take your bow and get out in the woods and hunt small game. Squirrels, rabbits or even varmits. It doesn’t matter. The same dynamics that go into putting a deer on the ground are the same that goes into putting small game on the ground. Sight picture, control your breathing, steady aim, squeeze the trigger. When you can consistently take Squirrels at 40 and 50 yards with a 22, you’ll be ahead in your deer hunting game. And who knows, you might find that deer hunting hotspot you’ve been looking for.

Control your Buck Fever until after the shot. That’s when the shakes will hit you hard. Your right leg gets short circuited and starts thumping like it has a mind all its own. There’s no shame in getting Buck Fever. But you need to work at controlling it until after the shot. Then you can shake so hard that you knock all the leaves off the surrounding trees!

Lori Cobb

www.theoutdoorsmangallery.com

Here is an information blog that I found is very useful, please read and share and feel free to add your own ideas and comments If you are thinking of hunting bear, you can go for information many places. The internet and government websites and books are only a few of the places that are available for information. Books will tell you that hunting bear is a thrilling, exhilarating, and enjoyable experience. This is not far from the truth. The thrill of the hunt is intoxicating. The exhilaration you experience when you bring down your target. Both of these feelings are enjoyable. Government websites will tell you when the season for hunting bear is open, and what permits you will need. It will also tell you how many you can bring down. You can apply for your permit online – it is faster and more convenient. They will also tell you want protective clothing is required by law to wear while hunting bear or any other type of animal. The internet is abundant with information. This could be your key resource in finding information for hunting bear. There are websites, outfitters, and other types of information that can be of great assistance. Outfitter sites will tell you where they will take you, what it will cost you for them to guide you out to the wilderness, as well as what equipment, other than your firearms and ammunition, you will need to bring. Other websites will tell you where you can find the kind of bear you want to hunt, what the terrain could be like and what some of the bear’s body language means. The information that is available on hunting bear can help you with all your questions. If you want to know which bear is most popular to hunt, a site will tell you that. If you would like to know which bear is the most aggressive, most sites will tell you which one that is. These sites will also tell you where you can find them, if these are the bears you are interested in hunting. If you are a new hunter, with no equipment, bear hunting sites will tell you what kind of gear you need, from weaponry to protective gear. They will explain that you will have to apply for a firearms permit and go through the process of getting the weapon of choice. This is to ensure your safety and the public’s safety. The sites could also tell you where the best places are to get your choice of weapon. When you go and pick out your weapon, tell the clerk why you want the weapon, and they may advice you differently on the choice, but ultimately, that choice is yours.

Its Here, Archery bow hunting is a great adventure. There are some very common things that keep hunters from being successful. Once you recognize that fact, you can take steps to correct these simple mistakes; your archery bow hunting will improve as I am learning right now.
Many people simply misjudge distance in archery bow hunting. This can be remedied simply by using a range finder and measuring distances to get an idea before you hunt. This is especially helpful when using a blind or tree stand. If you are going to be archery bow hunting in a fixed position, a range finder can totally eliminate misjudging distances. You can use a branch or rock to mark distance if you need to, but naturally occurring things like trees work just as well.
The second most common mistake in archery bow hunting is missing the kill zone. Anyone who has ever wounded then lost their prey knows how horrible that can be, Speaking from expereience this is not a good feeling at all. In archery bow hunting, there is an explicit obligation to be aware of our game’s kill zone, so that we never take the risk of leaving a wounded animal to suffer. Deer should be a straightforward broadside shot. Recognizing your shot is important too. If you take your shot while the animal is facing away from you or with its head behind a tree, you are likely to get off a good shot without spooking the animal.
If equipment is in ill repair, you have wasted a hunt. Nothing is worse than realizing after you are out on the hunt that your bow is out of tune. You can only hunt with good equipment, so check and maintain your equipment often.
Drawing too much weight is another big mistake. Accuracy is much more important to good archery bow hunting than speed. Setting your draw weight beyond what you can handle, is a sure way to handicap your self. Be sure to consider the added difficulty of drawing your bow in a tree stand. It is much easier standing, so if you will be sitting, take this into consideration.
Often people don’t recognize the mistake of over hunting an area. Every time you go to a specific area, you are leaving your scent there. No matter what you do, you leave that calling card behind and the deer know it. By going only to the same place over and over, you practically guarantee that no deer will come anywhere close to the place.
One final mistake is shooting before you should. If you get over confident and don’t wait for the perfect time, slow and easy is the catch word of the day and the best way to approach archery Bow hunting.  So Go to your Local Sporting store, Get your bow tuned up. Good luck, Have fun and always Remember to be SAFE !

Lori Cobb

www.theoutdoorsmangallery.com