• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

Buck Fever

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Nov 17, 2013
Messages
10,105
Reaction score
6,526
Location
Northern AZ
NEVER had buck fever before. Always Mr cool until after game is down.

No more :redface: Sunday AM after sitting two days on water finally had a buck come in. Saw movement, saw an antler, expected to see a forked horn mulie. Grab TC, silently cock, slllooowwwly bring gun up. Deer stopped behnd trees (right?). Finally comes creeping out. OMG it is a trophy wall hanging book making white tail (coes deer). :redface: :redface: :redface: at 35 yds sights all over deer, shaking almost hyperventilating. TRIED to squeeze trigger, wouldn't shoot? Forgot set trigger. Set trigger, deer behind brush all the way to water. I had one shot, head shot. Dont do it says me. Heck he's 25 feet away! KILL IT. Fired and watched him bounce away thoroughly wet from the splash. Took 3 hrs to calm down.

Now why would that happen after 45 years of MR Cool? I have shot really big 6 pt bull elk as MR Cool, a 30 inch mulie as Mr Cool, and numerous other big game. BUT THIS TIME? Only thing I can think is because it was a coes deer and a big un and I have never seen a coes deer buck. Several does had come in. They weighed about 50 lbs. This guy was fat and estimate 110lbs on hoof.

Anyway work is still here :( Will try to get back for another 5-6 hr water hole time. Maybe he's calmed down? Didn't haul arse away like you'd expect?

FUN though, seen several groups of mulies, 3 groups of white tail, does, several singles of each, a wounded? crippled cow elk. 650 tree rats (as close as 4 feet), watched a large red tail hawk attack a squirrel and it got away. Watched a smaller hawk take a 10 min bath. Saw a redish flash of a black bear at 150 yds hauling butt (no clue what scared him, I was too far away and nothing ever winded me?).

So what ya think made me a buck failure? Literally close enough for any pistol shot and I couldn't fire!! Then missed at 25 feet :doh:

Might have to start fishin more. :shake:
 
I think we all been there done that. I had been out hunting in cold wet nasty weather with out a sight of any thing. Walking back home a big buck jumped out right in front of me, not fifteen yards. I jumped back and stumbled, and almost fell. I got my feet underneath and the deer stood there and watched me. I through up my gun and squeezed. Nothing had not cocked the gun. Tried again set trigger and cocked and boom... right in to the ground under him, I was channeling pat mc manus, or maybe the deer was i I swear he was laughing at me.
 
Oh yeah. Never know when it's going to hit and it doesn't seem to matter which deer.

My worst was in fact a little bitty doe. Spotted her a long ways off and was looking for any meat, so I put the Piute sneak on her. I wasn't doing a very good job and she wasn't being real cooperative, so a fair stretch of time passed. Got within about 30 yards and was ready to do the deed, but she stepped behind a bush. Next time I saw her she was about 10' away and looking right at me. Must have finally got curious what I was and came looking for me. Raised the rifle for the head shot I wanted, and I couldn't hold it on the whole deer. Let her walk away and thanked her for the good laugh.
 
If I even get where I don't experience "buck fever", I'll hang the gun up and stop hunting. It's not the meat nor the horns I'm after; but rather that electric thrill I get seeing a deer close enough for a shot, whether I take the shot or not.
 
I had it happen with a big doe last week. I was bowhunting and hadn't seen a deer for 3 days. Last Friday morning they started coming out of the woodwork. I had seen 5 big does and a fawn but all were 60-80 yards away. I kept urging every one of them to feed my way but no luck. Finally, at 10:15 a big doe was 35 yards out feeding behind some brush and trees. She took her time and I got antsy. Just before she would have stepped into a shooting lane, she froze for 3-4 minutes then bounced out at an angle going away from me. I neglected to adjust for the 5+ yards she had moved away. I could hardly hold my bow still and shot right under her.
After she took off, I shook for about 5 minutes ... and that was for a doe. :idunno:
 
Well I ditched work for the final day Thursday and sat in my blind the whole day. VERY windy and winds swirling. Not real good. Another coes buck did just about come in (and I was back to MR cool) but he winded me about 10 feet from a shot. Not near as nice but still a wall hanger. So now I have seen 2 Coes bucks and a spike mulie all season.

FUN. Other than sippin papa's recipe all day I dont know how to avoid what happened to me but it will be a forever memory replaying frequently in my mind (and I dont drink n hunt).

Luck to ya'all, gonna concentrate on tree rats now!
 
It happens. A couple years ago, I had a trophy deer at the meat processor. The next day I was back hunting and missed a doe at 30 yards, with my flintlock, then went back a couple days later and missed another doe, at close range.

Here's what I figured out. The big buck was to my left, so being right-handed, I was able to get a good rest, which helped steady the rifle. The doe's were to my right and I had to move and could not get a good rest, and the extra movement had already alerted the deer, which caused me to shoot sooner, than I normally would have. Once I missed the first doe, I just got out of whack, on the next shot.

Went out Tuesday, of this week, and shot a doe, with the bow. She was to my left, making a very comfortable and successful shot. Bad news...she died in the middle of a large creek, where I had to wade in, up to my knees.

Muzzleloading season opened yesterday, but rain won't stop.
 
I've had them show up on my right - I'm right handed - and will switch to the left shoulder in those situations.
 
No excuse, I had plenty of time and straight shot. Just went to pieces :redface:

Last day (thursday) and real nice whitetail buck arrived and I had no shot. They come in real slow and swirling winds sent him a nose full of ME :shake: But I was calm again! He was a wall hanger but nothing like the first one :idunno:

I had fun! :thumbsup:
 
I used to scout and I also bow hunted, which helped me be more relaxed during the gun seasons.

I don't scout much, anymore, but I do still bow hunt. Getting close to the game, takes a little of the nerves away.

If you watch some good hunting videos, especially bow and muzzle loader, you also can learn a lot about patients. One of the main things, that can calm me down, is knowing which way the wind is coming. If I have the wind in my favor, I tend to be more patient and that will often calm my nerves.

I'm 67 and am continuing to learn, about hunting.

I had a deer wind me, last week, and I was able to calm her down, using one of those bleat cans. Her curiosity, seemed to over-come, her fear.
 
He, he, he...Whenever I see a deer I shake like a "Lady of the Evening" in church; always have, always will - it looks like. The statute of limitations allows me to admit that I've missed a deer or two due to the "shakes". But I do love that thrill that goes through me.

And I used to shoot lefty as a kid so it's not so foreign to me as it could be; now I shoot by sense of smell. :shake:
 
My Dad shook like he was freezing even shooting at a squirrel. Me on the other hand settle down more when sighting at game.
 
hadden west said:
I've never tried shooting left handed. Might be worth practicing.

I'm right handed and left eyed so ya....I shoot left handed. Which was perfect set up with this situation, him coming from my right :shake:
 
I took my first deer at age 7. I'm 35 now and the adrenaline starts pumping the same way 28 years later as soon as I decide I'm going to take a shot. If that ever stops happening, I'll most probably call it quits on deer hunting.
 
wait till the shakin, trembling, 200BPM heart rate and hyperventelation (as quietly as possible) kick in and report back. :blah:

I do get "keyed up" every time but this was ridiculi :redface: :shake: :td: :doh: :barf: :surrender:
 
hanshi said:
I've had them show up on my right - I'm right handed - and will switch to the left shoulder in those situations.

hanshi, I learned to do that years ago while squirrel hunting. It seems that at least half the time they appear on my right side, so it is simpler to shoot lefty than turn completely around. Also, less movement means less likely to alarm game..........robin :hmm:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've taken over 50 deer, including some "book" sized bucks, and rarely got excited until after the shot. However, I have got the shakes bad before, when a small doe was headed my way, and I was sure I would finally get a shot after a slow season.

I was worried I would have a heart atack! You just never know when it will strike.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top