Buck Fever....What is it?

[BT]

akdd said:

The moose that I ended up taking was probably the smallest that I have taken in 30 years but the excitement was as high as ever.

I never knew the face that took that Moose akdd
Glad that you posted yourself with that other Moose and hunter

[michihunter]

Not sure I'd call what I get "Buck Fever". Never really had any adverse effects from the rush I get before, during, or after the kill. I get very calm when I know that I'm gonna get a shot off. It's a different type of feeling that is very hard to explain. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to recount what actually happens. It's almost like an out of body experience for me. I see everything happening alll at once in my mind before anything actually takes place. Even after the kill I remain steadfastly calm. It's not until I actually get to the animal that is down and I touch it for the very first time that a flood of emotion takes over. And that ebbs over even greater when my hands are inside the chest taking out the guts that I have disabled with my arrow knowing that it was me that took the life of that animal. It's a very religious feeling for me. Hope that makes some type of sense to you guys. As I said, very hard for me to explain.

[bambeklr]

I have had all kinds of buck fever from mild all the way to ceasure like. My blood gets pumping the moment I think I even hear and animal coming. I think this year I had the worst case ever. I arrowed a giant buck I am guessing in the 170" class. I am ashamed and dissapointed to say I made a bad shot. I am not sure exactly where I hit the buck but after he ran off I could not even climb down the tree in my climber. I couldnt keep my feet in the sturups on the bottom half of the stand. They would jump right out of them. I had to wait 45 minutes to get down. I even dropped my back pack and my quiver out of the stand. And if I hadnt done that I know for sure I would have dropped my bow. I missed the hanger and luckily the bow fell ino the crotch of the tree behind me just 2 feet away from the hanger. The only way I can explain it to you is by saying like earlier " ceasure like". I have never felt like that before. I watched the buck for what seemed like and hour even though I am confident it was only a few minutes. It was at last light when I got my chance, AND BLEW IT!!!! I beleive that knowing that the buck was approaching and him stalling for those ungodly amount of times just plain un nerved me. This was a serious case of buck fever and I fell silly talking about it but I do know that it is a felling I dont mind having over and over again. As long as I get excited I will always come back. The day I fell no emotion is the day I will quit deer hunting.

[BT]

Wow!.....not just me huh?! ;D
I used to just close my eyes and try and concentrate on my breathing when that would happen.
It worked for me at times

[bambeklr]

Thats right, you arent the only one. Sometimes I think it isnt even safe for me up there. But it is such and addicting feeling that I cant stop. UI always say " they will have to pry by bow from my cold dead hands"

[steadyeddie]

I love it, for this is why I hunt to get the excitement and be able to overcome it and make a great shot. The only thing that made me more like buck fever was on a patrol in the war. It is pressurized and you are on total alert. Once your have been in the military and on a mission and in the action. It really makes one aware of their surroundings. So on a stalk in the woods still hunting you are a much better hunter due to military training. To help this out you need to be totally confident and have everything that you are able to control, control it.

[BT]

I can see the parallel
Recently I was even shaking on a ground hog ;D
The 3-D helps alot also since it just takes the presents of mind to think about what you do at that point in time and then simply redo that.
At least thats what worked for me

[azslim]

If I didn't get the fever I probably wouldn't hunt. Once I see game I am going to kill I no longer look at the antlers. If I do then the shakes and second guessing/over analyzing goes full bore and the bad decisions and "oh crap's" take over.

My first year after desert deer was Jan 2004. Was sitting on a hill overlooking a drinker in my ghillie nestled up to a saguaro and saw a 180+ buck coming up the wash towards water. I got the shakes so bad the arrow was rattling on the rest like teeth chattering. Was the 2nd time I had seen him at this tank and both times I positioned myself wrong. Anyway he nailed me dead to rights at 100 yds or so, walked within 10 yds of the blind that was built where I should have been sitting and did a circle around me staying out at 50 to 60 yds. Since I had a recurve my personal range limit was 25 yds and I never even drew. As I was sitting there with the mega-shakes I thought to myself "man, I haven't felt a rush like this in years!" The big guy got away again and I went to bows with training wheels so I can have a little farther range. My guns now think I am mad at them since I never shoot them anymore and my archery gear and skills have improved immensely since that time. At one point I was going through 2 to 3 lbs of powder a month reloading and shooting pistols & rifles. Now I fletch a dz or so arrows every now and then and shoot in my backyard alot.