Looking for Deer Hunting Tips: Don't Get Caught With Buck Fever
Ever heard of the story of the hunter walking right off the tree stand forgetting it is 13 feet off the ground? (Thank god for safety straps.) How about the time someone seemed paralyzed and couldn't even get the rifle up. All things can go south it seems in the face of Buck Fever.
What is Buck Fever?
Just for the fun of it I did a search on it. Hunters know what it is. Doctors seem to think it is the elevated heart rate you get when you are out of shape, excited or physically exerting yourself after a year-long treatment of inactivity and office work. I even had a definition that included a heart attack due to deer hunting exertion. I think the true meaning of the word is kind of lost on those guys.
What I think of when I think of Buck Fever is the excitement, the elevated heart rate, the escalated breathing when your target comes into view. The moment you have been waiting for, training for, preparing for and drooling over since last fall! But the trouble is your nervous system is on overdrive and you seem to lose logic, capability and control...making for a very poor hunting story later or worse yet an injury to yourself or the game.
The Yoga of hunting
I have heard some pretty interesting ideas over the years on how to overcome this. Maybe we should call this stuff the Yoga of hunting…that is learning to control and override your body's reactions.
Trophy whitetail hunting
I have a friend who hunts for trophy whitetail and when he is in target practice, he runs around until he is breathing heavy and practically panting and then picks up his bow. He says it mimics the real thing. If you can control your heavy breathing, racing heart and hit the target, you might be better prepared for what that might feel like when the real situation arises. This may look silly, but nothing is more depressing than watching that Big One get away due to poor control of response out there.
Control the breath
I haven't tried that one, but the thing I find most useful is controlling my breath. The slowing of the breath, the deep inhalation and the focusing on the breathing makes my heart slow down and my mind stop racing. Then I remind myself mentally to take my time. If the shot is not ideal I don't take it. I have faith that there will be another opportunity and another day. I don't want to risk injury to such a fine specimen because I couldn't calm down. Hunting is legitimate, unnecessary injury is disastrous.
You see part of the problem in Buck Fever, is the mind takes control. Visions of hunting stories, trophies, antler chandeliers and so forth come bursting forward. The pressure is also created by the time line restrictions. Maybe this is your last weekend out there. So you are all pressured up to not fail, which in some ways make you more likely to fail.
Visualization
If you want to keep your mind busy, try visualizing the exact movement you will take in every point of entry where a buck may come forth. Tree stand time can be a little tedious anyway, so can't hurt to give the mind a little exercise. Make this exercise as realistic as possible. If you can almost smell the deer and feel the cool breeze on your face, and the excitement: then you are doing visualization correctly. Some people I know even try to pick the exact hair to aim at. Details such as head up, head down, deer standing still versus walking slowly all these can add to the realistic nature of the exercise and the amount that this will help you when the time comes. Visualization and mental imagery is used in all athletic fields to train the mind and the body about the outcome, it is no different here.
And for gosh sakes, if you see the deer of a lifetime and have decided to take the shot, NEVER look at the antlers again! Focus on the vitals and only the vitals. Never get distracted by the head again. This may be where the excitement is, but if you can't focus on what is important here, you will be having another "I almost had it" story to tell.
Good luck and may your trophy whitetail hunt be successful.
Dr. Judy McFarlen, is the author of DiyDeerFoofPlots.com a
Canadian Veterinarian with 20 years experience. Do you know what is Buck Fever? Get some Deer Hunting Tips. Don't get caught with Buck Fever.
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