Preparing your self for the shot?

[walley]

Do you get nervous when a big game animal walks
into your line of sight? Worrying about what could
go wrong or maybe if the shot will even take place.
The size or sight of the animal get your adrenalin
pumping?

I'll have to admit when I'm after the first deer
of the season I'm usually under alot of stress
knowing I've got to make that shot count most of
all. Thinking no other opportunities may come along
this seems to be the hardest time of self control
for me to overcome. After I take that first deer
then I pretty well calm down and so do my sights.

What do you guys do to prepare your self for making a
good clean shot?

 

[shmrck1]

Ka Boom,
Well I guess the first thing would be
a good ammount of range time so we find out
exactly what we and our equipment are capable
of doing.
Secondly I think would be to make sure that our equipment is in top condition and
working order.
Next I always make sure I have had a
good breakfast with little or no java. If you must take a thermos into the woods,and many do,
try chicken or beef bouillon.
I think we all get those little jitters
when harvesting big game weather it be deer or
bear.Consentrate on seeing your sights and
not just the game at the end of your barrel.
These are some things that help me, i'm sure there are many others from other hunters here.
snake-eyes :hmm:

 

[RC]

Gotta go w/ Snake eyes here..mostly,, gotta have the java! biggest thing, besides what Snake eyes said about equipment being top notch and ready is PATIENCE! wait fer the best possible shot,when you know in yer heart (which is beatin ta beat the band) that you can deliver a lethal shot.amazing how much time that adds to the hunt,and the end story! I watched one for 15 minutes last year..(gee it SEEMED longer) but it worked out,I ended up with a good open shot,that dropped the buck right there.point I guess is I could've shot the second I seen him,but not knowing if this would be my only chance I waited, course ya can't always do that,but when ya can do it! good luck all! :thumbsup: RC

 

[Alberta Black]

Shooting flushing birds or running rabbits is easier in many ways because you do not have time to think you just swing and shoot or not.

With deer I always get excited, just can't help it but when it comes time to shoot I focus on my sights and the target. If everything is right the gun goes boom if not I wait for another chance. Maybe it is a zen thing or just confidence in my gear and my practice.

Under no circumstances would I shoot a running deer or a deer that is walking at a quick pace.

 

[Plains99]

Absolutely the most positive step you can take when muzzleloading is to develop complete trust in your rifle. By that I mean going to the range and learning to shoot it most accurately. Just as important is to develop a system so that you are assured that the shot will go off instantly for that first shot of the day... and that is done by learning proper cleaning and storage... and loading. Simple stuff but if you have faith in your gun, you've won 90% of muzzleloader hunting's challenges.

 

My nerves are always good until after the shot,then they go[url] haywire.Things[/url] like I cant find the bolt on the gun,now its cant get the powder down the bore,cant get the cap on,this is what happens to me after the first shot.Ive always been like that,very little excitement before I shoot.I think that with some more practice reloading I will get over that.

 

[RC]

then they go[url] haywire.Things[/url] like I cant find the bolt ,cant get the cap on,

ya know :hmm: if ya got yerself a flintlock ya wouldn't have to worry bout a cap goin on,and it's pretty hard to miss the pan with the priming horn...now fer the "bolt' thing.....hammers work pretty well...I've heard.. :rotf: :thumbsup: RC

 

[biliff]

Besides having confidence in your gun and load I find that getting into the most stable shooting position possible really helps with the nerves. If the sights are dancing all over the place it just contributes to the anxiety.

 

[Plains99]

When you practice with your muzzleloader do it with the equipment you plan to hunt with. For instance, if you hunt using a shooting bag, practice all of your shots out of that bag, learning to load from the bag. After 30 years I can load my gun in the dark using feel only without looking in my bag. Things like cappers and loading blocks make a big difference. I wear my capper around my neck and my powder measure and loading block are attached to my bag with leather strings so I can pull them instinctly without thinking about it and let them drop to pull my short starter. This speeds reloading and increases confidence. Develop a loading system and stay with it.

 

[roundball]

I love the rush of excitement I get when I see a real good buck and think I'll get a chance at him...and the farther away that I see him means I have to wait longer until he gets where I can shoot, and that just keeps driving the heart rate up...a couple of times I've had to look away and force myself to breathe, trying to slow down...but it's a terific part of the hunt for me.
In fact, I worry that when it becomes so ho-hum to shoot a good 8-10 point buck I probably won't be enjoying it any more...so I'll take the rush!
:thumbsup:

 

[rabjr]

Guess I'm lucky cause I'm cool as a cucumber till after the shot like Crowhop. I just make sure my gun shoots straight and is absolutely reliable before going into the woods.

 

[RC]

Guess I'm lucky cause I'm cool as a cucumber till after the shot like Crowhop.

wonder how cool you'll be in the spot ya like they did aweek or so ago??? don't know bout you but that gets the heart pumpin...more than usual,have noticed,either cause I'm older :cursing: now, or maybe cause I've missed a few :redface: but I'm not as nervous now, before as I am after..kind'a realized if'n ya don't get 'em it don't matter...and if I ever lose that excitement factor, I'll have to give it up,,course there's always when the younguns get one...that's cool! now I know how dad felt! good post! RC :thumbsup:

 

[jethro224]

If I think too much is when I have problems.

See a deer. There's a shot. Line up on the vitals. Shoot the deer. THEN the knees turn to jello. Sit down for a minute. Smoke 'em if ya got 'em. Knees work again. Go tag your deer. No problem.

See a deer. There will be a shot sooner or later. Dang, look at that rack! :shocked2: Wow! OK there's a shot. Is he 40 or 50 yards? :hmm: Man, he's a nice one. Is the angle just right? Is my gun just right? How many points does he have? Is my position just right? Did he see me? How's the wind? Will I get a better shot? Blah, Blah, Blah... Missed the deer! Or never even shot... :shake:

Too much thinkin' screws me up every time. :nono:
Just watch the deer until I get a shot and then JUST SHOOT THE DEER! Simple does the job. :thumbsup:

 

[rabjr]

True story,

I was 14 sitting 10 feet up a tree up north one afternoon. Five Does decided walk under and bed down just below me. I shook so bad and uncontrolable there was no way my old 30-30 could have found one of those deer if I wanted to shoot one. :haha: Heart pounded so hard all I could hear was my blood rushing through my veins I swear...I thought there was no way in hell I could ever do this....After about 10 minutes of watching them, I noticed I was perfectly calm and enjoying their beauty. I realized I could do this after all. I've never had a problem since that day.

 

[RC]

and you can still see it just as plain as day !can't ya??? that's cool! funny how we remember EVERYTHING about huntin deer and then there's that other stuff.....once played peek a boo w/ a spike horn..he had me so bad,he played lookat,lookaway,lookbackfast lookaway,lookback...far as I know he's still there..gee that was neat. good story swampy! wonderin if they was bucks?????????? :hmm:

 

When you practice with your muzzleloader do it with the equipment you plan to hunt with. For instance, if you hunt using a shooting bag, practice all of your shots out of that bag, learning to load from the bag. After 30 years I can load my gun in the dark using feel only without looking in my bag. Things like cappers and loading blocks make a big difference. I wear my capper around my neck and my powder measure and loading block are attached to my bag with leather strings so I can pull them instinctly without thinking about it and let them drop to pull my short starter. This speeds reloading and increases confidence. Develop a loading system and stay with it.

I practiced a little like that before huntin season,but now I shoot with my gear on me.Im still a green horn to the sport :grin:

 

[shortjack]

I'm usually so focused on getting a good shot on whatever I hunt I go into, for lack of a better phrase, an automatic mode. I guess my brain already knows what to do and how to do it. I don't think, okay get the site picture like this, pull the trigger like this and so on. If you hunt and target practice alot you will automatically know what to do, just don't over think it. If you watch a baseball pitcher throw good pitches and then a couple innings later somebody gets a hit off of him if he keeps on pitching goodhe's not over thinking, if he's pitching badly after that he's thinking to much on how to pitch instead of doing it automatically.

 

[Stumpkiller]

If I didn't get that rush and buzz from the adrenaline surge in seeing the first up close and personal deer of the season, especially a nice buck, I'd probably quit hunting.

I have found that practicing in hunting conditions (stump shooting), small game hunting and a few of the meditation exercises I learned in karate all help. Not sure the spelling, but there is a mental exercise called "Miso no kokora" which translates to something like "mind of beeswax". In practicing writing the Okinowans used a stylus on wax, and before beginning they would smooth the surface. Form an inage of smoothing a slab of wax, or waves on water growing calmer, ripples in a puddle dissipating, any number of such things. It won't help to try this with a deer approaching, but the meditation process will help when one does arrive if you've exercised that part of your mind ahead of time. Works for target shooting and other such events, too. Another good one is imagining a spring winding tighter in your diaphram as you inhale, and then unwinding/relaxing as you exhale. With practice you can calm yourself with a single intake of breath and half let-out (which, buy happy circumstance, is what you want to do before taking a shot, anyway).

Stalking on pre-season deer (Very pre-season or else not where you intend on hunting) can teach you a lot about moving near deer. Don't make eye contact, learn some of their "body english", don't move when they are looking at you (which they will do with their heads down but otherwise moving stiffly to rope you into betraying yourself when they are suspicious).

Practice enough so that you are confident of your ability to kill. And, when you do decide to shoot, shoot immediately. As mentioned earlier: the shakes and second guesses/self doubt creap in given time.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I focus on imagining that there is a very thin line down the center of my front sight, that I have to line up and hold on my game, or target. This forces me to concentrate on my front sight, rather than on the game animal, or target, and keeps me from doing anything but look over and through my REAR sight. If I am shooting open sights, I like the rear sight opened up so that I have at least as much daylight showing on each side of my front side, as the front side is, or appears to be wide. That way, I can see my sights clearly in poor lighting condition. Concentrating on a ficticious line on my front sight allows my mind to do something while I exclude everything else from my mind. Auditory exclusion, tunnel vision, all that tachy-psych stuff comes into play as I get " In the Zone ". I remain in the zone only long enough to fire the shot, and drop out of it as soon as i lower the gun to begin reloading. When target shooting, I hum a difficult piece of music I remember playing, and conducting many years ago. That gives the mind something to do and think about, while closing down on everything around me. In the field, that concentration allows me to focus on shooting fundamentals; stance, mounting the gun, breathing, squeezing the trigger, and follow through, while I hear nothing else near by, and see only the animal I am going to shoot, and what is behind it.

If you stay in the zone too long, you will become exhausted. I get in and out in a matter of seconds. That paces me, so I can shoot a long competition, such as trap, without fatigue. I develope a routine for mounting my gun to my shoulder and calling the bird. I have won matches because I have my stage legs, and the other shooters didn't and beat themselves. All I had to do was shoot my game, and ignore what they were doing. They always fall apart towards the end. The worst thing you can do to a shooter is tell him his running score. He will be thinking about that, rahter than on his rhythm, how he mounts his gun at each station, breath control, point and swinging at a target properly. and doing his follow through after he shoots.

 

That rush of adrenalin that makes one shake, unable to think straight or hit a barn door from the inside....or even forget to shoot, (we've all heard of that one!), has been gone for quite a while. That isn't to say I don't get excited, I still do! As others have said, when that is gone I'll have to stop hunting and take up quilting. I suppose it's experience and 48 years of hunting lots of different game, small and large that keeps me from losing control of my faculties.

To prepare......hmmm....never thought of that. Good question. I hunt a lot, almost year round, and shoot a few matches that I can get to so I believe I'm always prepared. I see the game and if I want to take it I watch and wait for the best shot and take it.

Several have mentioned trust in your rifle and or smoothbore. I'd have to rank that near the top. Right up there with faith in your ability to make a good shot. Patience has also been mentioned and that too is extrememly important.

In the woods hunting or on a creek fly fishing is when I'm most relaxed, except for church, and it only takes me a few minutes to slip into what I suppose is a more natural state. More attuned to my surroundings, more attentive to sounds, sights and smells. Whether I am or not, in my mind I become a part of the world I'm in. Upon arrival in that state of mind the hunting and shooting, or casting and catching, become natural, secondary. They all become so much "me" that there almost isn't any thought process to it. My mind is enjoying where I am and doing what it's been doing for a very long time. It's very much a part of who I am.

Vic