Wise Words from Big Buck Killers

  As deer season begins around the country, I was curious as to what separated a guy like me, from those guys on the Outdoor Channel that consistently kill big deer and never seem to get rattled (excuse the pun). Every time I see a deer and make the subconscious decision to shoot, my entire body begins this insane ritual where every possible bit of adrenaline in my system completely dumps all at once and it takes every single fiber of my being to hold it together just long enough to make a shot. Unfortunately, this also affects my judgement as I often perceive things while in the moment as being much longer and rushed than they actually are. This leads to rushed shots, which ends up in three ways for me, by the grace of God I pull it off and make a perfect shot, I make a marginal shot, or I miss completely. 
  I was able to determine that my mindset was the main cause of my downfall, I get too excited, too quickly. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, everyone should get excited to be in the woods and even more so when a critter is within range, but what was it that separated me from the guys that consistently hold themselves together when there's a once in a lifetime buck standing in front of them at 20 yards? What better way to find out than to ask every one of them?! (Or at least the ones that would take the time to talk with me.)

  So, I started off by asking, "What would be the best thing to work on in the summer to prepare you for when that big buck comes out and presents a shot?" it eventually evolved into what do you do to mentally prepare you for that shot, how do you not get nervous?! 

“The secret to buck fever is to not get rid of it. The secret to buck fever is to embrace it, yet, still perform through it. Forming muscle memory with countless hours of practice is the trick. I call it ‘going into auto pilot.’…think of it as practicing something so much that you’re still pretty good at it while you’re drunk. Your mind is all screwed up, but your body is still able to pull it off because you have done it a million times. You can’t fight or get rid of being drunk; all you can do is practice so much that you’re able to do it drunk.

Believe it or not, I sometimes will smile at the deer. A slight chuckle inside then I smile. Sounds crazy, but try it. Deep slow breaths to lower [the] heart rate. Once I realize it’s a shooter, I never look at the rack again. It’s all about ranging him and picking a small spot to aim. Just letting your pin float around the vitals didn’t work for me. I pick a small spot on the deer, like a fluff of hair or dark spot, or a crease, or rib. 

That and make sure to practice in all your gear, like masks and gloves. That stuff can change your anchor point. I’ve had thick gloves and masks screw me up on big deer.. I practiced in my fall shit, but switched to heavier gear in the winter and I missed a couple deer before I realized what the problem was.”

           - Chip Spaulding (aka Chip City)

“As far as equipment… Practice, practice, practice. I try to shoot a few arrows every day, and sometimes in the clothes, gloves, face mask, etc., that I’ll be hunting in to prepare for that moment as close as possible.”

- Jeff Lindsey (The Lindsey Way)

“… focus on the mental side. Focus on how you mentally prepare yourself for these situations. What you do to calm your nerves, focus on the task at hand.”

 - Clint Casper

“Savor every second, even if you don’t get a shot, you work all year for something that’s only going to last 20 seconds, so try to savor every moment you’re in the presence of that buck.”

- Austin Chandler

  After taking in every bit of advice these gentlemen gave me, it confirmed how different they all are. Every one of us shares that absolute drive to get better, to get out there and just get after it; but these guys are able to consistently put big deer down and each one has their own method. 

For me, I'm going to take bits and pieces from each of them and hopefully build a method/ritual that works for me. I'm going to savor every second that buck is there, and smile, I'm going to focus on remaining calm and making smooth methodical movements to settle my pin on that tuft of hair just behind the shoulder, and slowly squeeze off my shot and follow through up until impact. Granted, this sounds good on paper, so let's just see how it all pans out. 

Good luck to everyone that's heading out to the woods this season, please be safe, wear a harness, bring water, and God bless!

-Chris Johnson