re: Do you really get nervous when you're about to shoot a deer?

I’ve been hunting for nearly 50 years and my heart pounds so hard and I start to shake uncontrollably.

It is absolutely the most frustrating thing in my life. I love to hunt and it makes taking a shot nearly impossible. I don’t understand it. Some say that if you don’t feel that…. it’s not fun anymore….bs, try making an easy 50 yard shot when you can’t hold the gun still. So frustrating.

My son is stone cold and is a one shot - one deer hunter. Proud for him.

I’ll get shook up bow hunting most of the time. Rifle hunting, sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.

I mean it’s always a bit of a rush after waiting so long to have one come in, but never really got nervous or shakes at all. Then I’ve never taken a real trophy so maybe that would make a difference, 6 pt buck and a 4 x 5 elk were my biggest.

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If you shoot a lot, and/or train with your platform, you're not going to get nervous. If you shoot your deer rifle 3x a year, you're going to shake like a leaf.

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This has nothing to do with it

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There's a reason not to hunt with a traditional deer rifle and use an Armalite platform instead.

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What in the world does this have to do with the price of tea in china

Bow, yes
Rifle, no

This guy is rage baiting but I’m gonna play into it like ol boy did bc we got a passion for deer hunting.

Imagine you sit in a stand all morning. You’re freezing cold, you’re bored, you hear leaves crunch but it’s from squirrels. You realize that you’ve woken up super early to go be at peace and not deal with bs at work, bills, ole lady telling you to do stuff at the house, kids stuff, etc.

Then one comes out. It’s within range. And you decided that you’re going to take this animals life to provide for yourself and others.

You start to think about how much scouting, practice shooting your bow, cardio you do to stay in shape to hunt, e-scouting, I can go on and on and on. Your mind is flooded with adrenaline for this exact moment. Countless amounts of man hours dedicated to your passion just for this exact moment.

Ask yourself if you would shake in this situation if you were us.


I have shot at 2 deer on public land this year and missed one due to shaking so much and adrenaline flooding my mind. I have been doing this my entire life. And I still will shake until the day I die.

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I never get nervous before. It’s after i shoot when I start freaking out.

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I’m the same way. Daughter is more like me, my son on the other hand… I remember one late season youth hunt he was getting ready to shoot a small buck and the one I had been hunting stepped out about 30 yards behind it. Calmly told him to move up to next deer behind it, but don’t look at horns. Well he didn’t listen and the blind started shaking so bad I thought the bolts were going to start backing out. He misses, then says “dad, I think I was shaking a little bit”

i fell apart on a big one yesterday

It should give you some type of rush, which is nerves, it's why we do it.

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It’s the biggest adrenaline rush ever

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Have you ever picked up a 6 ft. rattler or a coral snake with your bare hands?

I’m not a hunter, but I understand the rush.