What was yours?

The post I responded to in the photo section go me thinking about this.

Mine was trying to shoot a doe, when I first got into bow hunting, this was going to be my first bow kill. I watched a doe for what seemed like forever, before I knew it, it had gotten into my range. As I raised the bow up, I could even get the arrow to stay on the rest, when I finally released, it wasn't even close. The arrow flew about 10' over the doe, it looked around and then walked off. I stayed screwed up a good ten minutes after that.

Had the same thing happen to me on a doe first morning I ever bow hunted. Doe came in broadside at about 15 yards. Stood really still for me to shoot her. Couldn't have had and have never had an easier opportunity. I shot probably a good foot over her back. That was some time ago I don't get that shook up anymore on does..

Mine had to have been bow hunting also about 13 years ago, whenever I also had first began using a bow. I had walked up and spooked a few does and they darted back into the woods. I circled back around the tree line and tried to head them off, and was actually sucessful. They walked right into my range and I froze. It was my first shot that I ever had to take a deer with a bow. I was shaking so bad, and raised my bow, and drew back. As I was drawing back, my arrow clanked against the bow, and the deer looked right up at me. The closest one that I had a shot was standing behind a briar patch. I held the draw for what seemed like forever for them to look away and the one I was aiming at to move away from the briars. Man, when I finally let that arrow fly, it missed completely by about 2 foot and ended up square in the middle of that same briar patch I was working so hard to miss in the first place.
Go figure...

When I hunted East Texas, I was bowhunting one morning and it started raining. It was a 2 mile walk to camp so I figured I might as well just stay. The only stands we hade were 2x4s or clamp on seats so staying dry was out of the question.

I saw some deer feeding under some Oaks so after they left, I went and hung my seat in one of them. Then walked back to camp to wait out the rain. That afternoon, it had quit raining and I had dry clothes on so I trekked back to the stand.

Shortly after I got there, the deer started coming to the acorns. Pretty soon, I had about a dozen Does under me. Then here come the bucks. First it was small ones, then bigger ones, then a shooter. I could see another deer's legs in the brush so I held off on shooting. Out comes the biggest buck I had ever seen...and he was on a dead run. He chased Does all around me for an eternity (it seemed) and when he had chased off all the Does, he started fighting the other bucks. When he finally chased them off, he stood there hooking the grass/dirt and throwing it in the air.

All this took over 20 minutes and all of it happened within 30 yards of me. By the time he stood still, I was shaking so bad I couldn't believe my arrow was still on the rest. I drew, shot, and missed him so bad that it didn't even scare him. He just stood there.

I figured rather than risk another bad shot, I'd wait till I calmed down. By that time, he had walked off and I never saw him again. But I had my shot! To the best of my knowledge, that's the only time I've ever gotten Buck Fever before the shot.

Mine was with a rifle @ 6 years ago. I've hunted the family ranch in Sterling County for better then 25 years. Low fence, many years with "brown, it's down" hunters all around us, so darn few bucks were taken over the years.

Brother suggested rattling, as it had worked for him the previous morning. With no experience at it, I tried it one afternoon @ 3:30, doing what I had seen the TV personalities do. Within 3 minutes, I see the biggest deer of my life (12 pointer) coming 1000 yds. out, making a bee-line across the neighbor's open field straight at me...neck blown up, trotting at me & ready to fight. I tell myself, "If he jumps the fence, booyah!". About the time I switched from binoculars to scope, the shaking began.

By the time he cleared the fence & made it 100 yds onto our place, I was shaking so bad I couldn't keep the darn thing even within the scope. So, at 80 yds I took a deep breath. At 60 yds, I bleated at him and it didn't even slow him down. Bleated again...no luck. At @ 45 yds, I tried to settle the crosshairs on my Rem. 742 .30-06 on his right shoulder and get a shot off. I was shaking so bad, I hit him in the neck just under the chin...on a shoulder shot...at less than 50 yds.

So, I missed my mark by a whole 2+ feet, and still got my buck. Lucky day. Haven't seen a deer like him since, but I sure hope I can keep my wits about me better the next time.

Worst case of buckfever I can remember wasn't me, but when I was a kid about 12 years old I tagged along with my Uncle just to sit with him and if we saw a deer he said he would let me shoot it.

We didn't see a buck while on stand, but walking back to the truck we walked up on a big buck that immediately broke in a full run only about forty yards away, and my Uncle who was carrying the Winchester 94 raised the rifle to his shoulder and started working the action rapidly ejecting every round in that rifle until the buck was long gone without ever firing a shot.

I kidded him for years after for his impersonation of Chuck Conners of the Rifleman! LOL!

That is priceless

It had been a long time since I'd done so, but I did it 9 days ago while hunting a buddies place. I was on a management hunt looking only for mature bucks. He was sitting in the blind with me and we saw a couple of potential bucks early in the hunt. I didn't shoot either as I was just really enjoying my time as this blind had some remarkable views in every direction from the top of a tall hill.

With about 30 minutes of hunting light left, a very mature buck just sort of appeared at the feeder. He immediately put his head down eating facing directly away from us. I got my gun up waiting for a shot while my buddy watched through binoculars.

After about 7 minutes, he first raised his head which was the first good view I got at his head gear and all I could tell was that he was much wider than I initially thought.

A few minutes later, he looked up again and I heard my friend say "wow, look at those browtines". I focused in through the scope and started wondering if this buck was a bit larger than we'd agreed I could take. I asked and was told, "nope, if you like him you can take him".

I don't really know how big the buck was or what he would score, all I know is I could feel my heart racing. I've shot dozens of bucks and other game, but for some reason this one got my blood flowing. I think it was mostly the anticipation as I watched this buck through the scope for a good 20 minutes without him providing me a decent shot.

Eventually another old buck started coming in from behind the feeder and my buck decided to challenge him. He ran about 15 yards towards him, faced off, then the intruder turned and left.

And there he was, I had my shot. I kept hearing "okay, take him... take him.. fire...". I was shaking like a kid and just kept saying "I can't get the gun still". I finally pulled the trigger with my buddy watching as the bullit hit the dirt a good 5-10 yards short of the buck.

Just an absolute awful miss from about 200 yards. He ran back, giving me another shot at 240, but he moved just as I pulled the trigger and it was a clean miss again.

I was embarrassed and disappointed, but it was a great night none-the-less. Sometimes we worry too much about the harvest. For me, that night was one of the best hunts I've been on in quite a while even if I don't have a trophy to show for it. I'll remember getting excited for a long time to come.

Yep, Only 2 kinds of hunters - those who have experienced "buck fever" and those who are gonna experience "buck fever".

20 or so years ago, bowhunting down around San Saba. Being quiet minding my own business sitting on a stool behind 3.5 ft high camo cover. Looking to my right and when I looked back to my left a big 10pt was standing 10yds away looking straight at me. He had come up on my blind side behind a bunch of tall Oak brush.

I'm a lefty and I let him walk by going to my right and was going to bring the bow up and draw. I was swinging to right and drawing, and came to a sudden stop - THE ARROW CAME OFF THE REST.

Between me fighting the urge to scream, my heart pounding like a hammer on an anvil, and my feeble attempts to get the arrow back where is was supposed to be while at a full draw - the deer just walked on by. By the time I got the arrow back on the rest he was too far away to shoot. Now I usually get it after the deer is down......heart beat, heavy breathing, shakin like a leaf.

This happened many moons ago when I just started hunting by myself, late 50's early 60's. Dad dropped me off at a dry cedar tree with a 2x4 or 2x6 for a seat. There was a heavy used deer trail coming from the draw and hills leading to an oat patch. This tree was near the trail and in heavy cover. Getting toward dusk, a buck is coming down the trail about 30 yards away, heading straight toward me. I get buck fever so bad, the whole dry cedar tree starts shaking and rattling. Don't know what the buck thought but it took a slight detour on the trail but headed to the oat patch where my younger brother hunting with dad shot it.

My worst was Bull Fever. After several DIY Elk hunts in New Mexico that resulted in no kills. My BIL and I had scouted the unit we were hunting quite well. We had found an area holding a lot of fresh sign. It was obvious the Elk were feeding in this area at night, and that we were going to have to catch them leaving at first light.

So we drive over to the area that morning. On the way we discussed our plan. We got there, parked the truck, and dawned our gear before heading out on our agreed paths. I had hung back at the truck for about fifteen minutes waiting on shooting light while my BIL, who had a longer walk, struck out down the two track. When I could barely see thru the scope I took off walking 5-10 steps then stopping for a good bit. I had made it about 100yds from the truck when I hear the woods come alive. It sounded like a herd of cattle running for the feed truck. A herd of about 15 cow elk were coming down off the hilltop we'd been seeing the sign on. Their heading, I estimated in about .5 seconds, would bring them across the trail I was on about 200yds directly in front of me. As they came down the hillside I could see the bull was running faster, making his way thru the herd to take the lead. At this point they are moving at a good clip, like an Elk can, and are about 100yds from crossing the trail. I only had enough time to get my rifle to my shoulder. I could tell the bull was not huge. But this could have been my first Elk, so "legal" was a trophy to me. The bull slows up as he approached the trail, makes it about 50yds across the trail and stops to allow the herd, which he had put some distance on, catch up. he was broadside at about 200yds. I had the rifle up and ready. As soon as he stopped I fired. As soon as I did, the Bull took off at a pace that would have made Dale Earnhardt proud. No chance for a follow-up. The cows were right behind him. They all continued down the mountain and out of site. So I went to where he was standing when i shot, found his tracks, and found no blood, no sign of a hit. it took me about 20 minutes to even start thinking clearly again. I then tracked him for over 500yds down the side of that mountain, and found no sign he'd been hit. I flat screwed the pooch.

I still rehash that morning in my head. I ask myself if there's one thing I could have done differently. i went back to that area and went over the scenario and the terrain thoroughly trying to see what I could have done differently. As it happened, i didn't really realize it. But the bull was standing on the other side of a slight rise, only his body showing. He had stopped perfectly in a gap of the thick forest. He had given me the only opportunity he could, and I took the only shot I could. If I had knelt down his body would have been covered by the rise. I was on borrowed time because as soon as the cows caught up he would have been gone again. The free hand shot was it, and I choked.

it's a toss-up between opening day of bow season this year when I missed "doublebrow" at an embarassing 22 yards or when I took my buddy out to get his first buck a few years back.

The buck I call "doublebrow" would have been my first whitetail with a bow. Almost made me sick, literally. Still after that darn old man. Got a score to settle with him. My buddy's buck... well, that was just me either way too excited for my buddy or me having nicotine withdrawls , but I was shaking the entire blind with my binos on the window sill from the time I spotted him coming down a trail some does had come in on earlier until he took his first...second...third...and fourth shots, lol. We sat in the blind from an hour before sunup until he shot around 11am and I packed the wrong can of copenhagen. Had MAYBE one full dip in it and the full can was in the truck. At least that hunt ended in success. Pretty sure I was more excited than he was, and that's sayin allot.

Man ive been laughing uncontrollably for the last 20 minutes at this. my family thinks im an idiot. i would have pee'd my self.

Mine worst case came from having a decent buck chasing does almost run me over, then stopped and wanted to start something... There I was, midstream, doing my bidness in a grove of holly trees with bow on the ground, shaking and looking like one of those yard sprinklers.

Buck fever set in in 2007 whenever I spied the first ever 10 pointer on my place in a lifetime of hunting (formerly leased out for over 40 years and heavily hunted when I didn't own the land - all bucks got blasted). He came behind my stand and I could have hit him with a rock. I started shaking so bad that whenever I pulled the trigger, I failed to take into account that he was very, very close and I didn't compensate for it. He ran off and stopped at what I thought was 200 yards and I fired two shots from my .30-06 (later measured at 233 yards). He just continued to stand there. I finally concluded that I had better just give it up. We searched for nearly two hours after finding blood where he was standing and across the fence. I was just sick about wounding and possibly wasting this beautiful buck. Fortunately he showed up a couple of weeks later in another area of the place, but he was limping pretty bad on the left front leg and was too far away to shoot. He never appeared anywhere near our deer stands and I didn't get another shot at him that year.

Fortunately I set up a portable stand in 2008 and this same 10 point came walking right towards me. I sat as still as a mouse and waited until he turned away from me and offered a quartering away shot at about 100 yards. This time the "fever" didn't set in so bad and I made a good shot. He fell on the spot. I felt very fortunate to have not lost this buck in 2007 to my buck fever and his injury. The bullet just grazed the edge of his leg and there was no major damage. When I shot him in 2008, the wound had healed completely.

I find that the longer I watch a deer and wait for the right moment, this is when buck fever affects me the most. Last year I shot a big 10 pointer and only had seconds to get the gun in the window, aim, and fire. I didn't get nearly as nervous.

A good friend inm Mississippi had the biggest buck I ever saw, Huge nontypical that was well over 200 at about 25 yards, he emptied his 30-30 Marlin 336 and never fired a shot. I saw that buck one time at about 325 yards and didnot take a shot as he chased a doe in a soybean field. I had never shot at anuthing that far and did not try a shot. The next day I tried shots that far and was busting quart plastic bottles at same distance. I never saw that buck again.

Took a friend mule deer hunting back when we were in college and we jumped a so so buck and my friend was carrying an old 30-30 that I let him borrow. He raised the gun to his shoulder like he was going to shoot and then dropped it down and ejected a shell and proceeded to do this until the gun was empty. I asked him what he was doing and his only reply was that he got so excited that he had no idea what he was doing. The shells tinkled down the side of the mountain, the deer stopped and looked back, snorted and went on his way and I laughed, while my friend stomped back to the truck.

When I was about 18 years old, I was hunting around Castell. There was a kid (~14) in a stand not too far from me hunting with a 30-30. I hear a shot. A few minutes later, another. A minute later, another. I didn't count them but he fired at least 15 times. Kind of worried about him (and a little about myself) I eased over to see if he needed help. He was sitting in his stand shaking so bad he couldn't climb down. He had shot a little buck (his first) and dropped it in it's tracks. Worried that it would get up and run off, he decided to shoot it again. OVER AND OVER till he ran out of ammo! When he finally got down and we went to look, he had killed the buck with the first shot and missed it with every single follow up shot. We got to the buck and he started getting woozy and had to sit down. I gutted it for him, hung it up, and walked him out of the field; carrying his rifle for him.

I hope he still gets almost that excited.

Was on a high fence doe hunt with a buddy who had set the deal up for free. Me, him, and the landowner are sitting in a blind when the first doe comes out and the LO says take her, which I did with 1 shot DRT. We sit, talk and are enjoying the afternoon and I think I am done when a herd of MONSTER deer show up. After looking at them and hearing the talk about the "cull" in the group another herd of doe show up. One of them must have been hot because all of the bucks were on her fast. The problem came up when the "cull" was about to do the business and the LO says
"shoot her now!!!!" Well, my nerves were shot, big bucks were everywhere and of course the doe was running around like a cutting horse. She finally gets clear for a second and I take aim and do nothing more than miss..UUUUUUGGGGGGG
We get out and look for about an hour and find not a speck of blood. Game camera shows the shot low and off we go. I was extremely embarassed because it was a chip shot.

I've known at least one hunter who reportedly did the same thing, then later had people scoff in disbelief. The guy reportedly got so excited that he cycled three shells through the chamber without ever shouldering his rifle.

It's seems to be a total over-reaction when you think about it. Your first move to prepare a gun for the hunt is to chamber a shell. It's as if some people get so excited they can't get out of the "get ready" state.

I'll tell off on my BIL here too.

His first deer, a doe.

We were hunting family land, where I am back hunting now in fact, in Freestone County. Back then, it was an "it's brown it's down" county, and property. We had one doe tag, and since he'd never killed a deer, we told him it was his if he got the opportunity.

So the weekend rolls along, and Saturday evening we hear BOOM from his direction. Followed by BOOM,BOOM,BOOM,BOOM,BOOM until it was obvious he was out of ammo. So I wait a little while, and here comes my BIL walking down the road toward camp. I asked if he got a deer. Yeah, he says. So we go get the truck and drive it down to get his doe. After we got back to camp, I asked exactly what all the other shooting was about. He had gotten so exited that he fired the first shot at the body of the doe, he hit her in the throat and she ran off leaving a 4" wide trail of blood thru the woods right to where she bled out and expired. The other two doe ran the opposite direction, then came back across in front of him, running, to go the way the first doe had gone. So he had stood up in the box blind and pulled a Chuck Conners with his 30-30 Marlin until it was empty. That funniest part is..............The blind didn't have any high windows! he was hip shooting, cycling that lever gun and staring at a piece of plywood 1" in front of his face.

He's a much more experienced hunter now. But we still give him a hard time about that day. He laughs about it right along with the rest of us.

Having helped a lot of guys track their deer, I always ask "Where were you aiming?". You'd be surprised how many say "I don't know".