How to close the deal when a giant buck appears
I’ve heard hundreds of blown-shot stories over the years, many of which could have ended happily if the hunter had held his composure. Those accounts were from the few who were brave enough to admit they’d failed. Far more hunters keep their botched opportunities a secret.
It’s heartbreaking when weeks of work and planning go up in smoke in a matter of seconds, but everybody messes up. Try to think of those failures as opportunities to learn, and then move on. I’ve missed plenty of deer over the past 14 years, but I try to never make the same mistake twice. That’s how we become better hunters.
Messing up because of lack of experience is one thing, but what can you do when you miss a deer because your excitement level is out of control?
Adrenaline rushes are a big part of why we hunt, but getting excited and coming un-glued are distinctly different. If you struggle with keeping your cool when a buck comes into range, it’s time to make a change. What follows are eight tips that will help you enjoy adrenaline’s effects without losing your mind.
1) Practice
To some hunters, practice means pulling a bow or firearm from beneath the bed days before deer season and shooting a target a few times. Let’s be clear: That is not practice.
Bowhunters should not only shoot throughout the year, they also need to practice different shot scenarios. I like to create obstacle courses realistic to what I might encounter while hunting. Don’t just shoot a broadside deer target from 20 yards. Add angles, elevation changes and obstacles to your practice, and shoot at least several times wearing your hunting clothing.
I also practice from distances considerably farther than I’ll ever shoot while hunting. I commonly practice at 100 yards, knowing, in most cases, that hunting shots will be under 30. Long-distance practice boosts your confidence and makes most hunting setups feel like chip shots.
Firearms hunters can benefit from practicing beyond expected hunting ranges, too. I’m also surprised how many gun hunters never practice shooting freehand.
If you practice under less-than-ideal conditions, you’ll be prepared when the time comes. You’ll also be less likely to panic if things don’t go perfectly.
2) Artificial Rush
An adrenaline rush inhibits our ability to make decisions, and it also affects shooting performance. The more experience you have dealing with the effects of adrenaline, the better you learn to deal with the negatives.
Fortunately, you can simulate an adrenaline rush in your backyard.
To do so, engage in activities that spike your heart rate. Examples could include pushups, sprinting or a riding a bike. Once your ticker is going, shoot at a target.
You don’t have to train that way every time you shoot, but do it often enough to deter-mine your effective range while under the influence of an adrenaline rush.
3) Be Confident
Lack of confidence — more specifically a fear of failure — is one of the biggest contributors to missed opportunities. An internal cognitive thought tells you you’re going to blow the shot before you even draw your bow or click off the safety. Again, you can learn to deal with panic.
Start by talking to yourself. Entertain positive thoughts and tell yourself you can do it. Then, believe you will.
Feed your mind with positive thoughts to drown out the negatives. If you practiced like you should, there’s no reason to buy into negativity.
4) The Muscle Flex
I remember deer encounters during my teens when I shook wildly while preparing to shoot. Warm camouflage clothing was out of my price range at the time, and the adrenaline rush made the cold Wisconsin temperatures feel that much worse.
I learned to combat those shivers by tensing every muscle in my body and holding the flex for 5 seconds before relaxing. When I say every muscle, I mean every muscle. While at-tending college marketing classes years later, I learned individuals who struggle with nervousness do this exercise backstage prior to giving presentations.
It gets blood flowing and generates heat, and I still use the exercise to this day.
5) Don’t Look
Back in high school, my driver’s education instructor taught us that people tend to steer where they’re looking. He said, aside from glances in the mirror and to check blind spots, we should focus ahead of our vehicle.
The same concept applies to hunting. Once you decide to shoot a buck, focus on where you want to shoot.
Of course, remain aware of the buck’s surroundings so you don’t take an unsafe shot or hit an obstacle you didn’t know was there.
In addition to pulling your shot off target, focusing on antlers also increases your excitement and panic levels.
You’d be surprised how many bullets and arrows head right for a buck’s antlers. Some guys forget to aim altogether.
Concentrate on the vitals, pick out a particular spot, and properly execute the shot.
6) Close Your Eyes
In some instances, you might have to watch a buck for minutes or even hours before he presents a shot opportunity. The extended anticipation of a shot, along with the constant worry something will go wrong, can wreak havoc on normally confident hunters.
Instead of thinking about the negative, use the extra time to rehearse what you’ll do to make a great shot.
If you feel yourself getting nervous, close your eyes or simply look away. It’s easier to think and calm down when you’re not looking at the deer. Start by getting control of your breathing, then go back to positive thoughts. When you look back at the deer, don’t look at the antlers.
7) Be a Deer Nut
The more you’re around deer, the calmer you’ll be when a shooter buck appears.
Spend as much time as possible watching deer. Photograph them, study their habits and watch them through binoculars. Become so immersed in their presence that you forget nervousness when you hunt.
If you’re holding out for a buck and several does come within range, think about how you might get in position for a shot. Watch their every move and try to guess what they’re going to do and where they’re going to go. Observe their body language and think about how privileged you are to be so close to such an amazing game animal.
The more you look forward to being close to whitetails, the less nervous you’ll be, even in shooting situations.
8) Shoot First, Shake Second
Years back, a Wisconsin 14-pointer pushed my nerves to the limit and forced me to use all these steps. I was bowhunting on heavily hunted private land with plans to take the first mature doe to offer a shot. I’d arrowed a massive record book black bear 17 days earlier, and was feeling confident after having double-lunged the 490-pound bruin.
As the beautiful September evening unfolded, a hefty 8-pointer emerged into the alfalfa field I was monitoring. The 14-pointer came out behind him. I raised my bow and drew back, but as I settled in to take the 30-yard shot, the bucks locked antlers and ruined the angle.
Once they broke apart, the 14-pointer quartered toward me. I remained at full draw until my muscles weakened and I began to shake. I had to let down and wait for a better angle.
My heart beat like a drum, and when my body started quivering, I tensed every muscle, held for several seconds, and then relaxed. I had to do it twice before he finally turned broad-side.
It was one of the most intense moments I’ve ever experienced. However, I’d practiced and prepared mentally for an opportunity like it, and I knew I could keep my composure and make the shot. When he finally turned, I sent my arrow on its way. The buck ran 80 yards, stopped and tipped over dead.
As I hung my bow on the hanger, my knees knocked together and my muscles quivered wildly. Shaking after the shot is perfectly okay.
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This article was published in the September 2016 edition of Buckmasters Whitetail Magazine. Subscribe today to have Buckmasters delivered to your home.