Does for Confidence

You know, it takes a long time to wait for deer season to arrive every year. I shoot my bow almost year round. So why do many of us struggle to make the pressure shot on a mature buck in the rut? One reason is because the whole experience could be over in seconds. The other reason is buck fever.

Let's define buck fever- It is a nervousness and adrenaline rush that we experience when we see an animal (especially a trophy buck) that we want to harvest. This condition causes us to experience an increase in excitement, blood pressure, pulse and shallow- rapid respiration's. Buck fever is real and is one of the reasons why we all love bow hunting. We get pumped up!

Now I am not one to blame missed shots or bad shots on this condition. I like to experience the adrenalin rush of buck fever but I also like to keep it somewhat under control. There are a couple of things that I do. I practice shooting a lot (especially at 3-D deer targets). Over the years I have also gained more experiences hunting which increases our knowledge and understanding. But one thing that really helps me build confidence is shooting does.

I have a brother-in-law who is a great archer. He can shoot from almost any position and he practices religiously. He has shot some great deer in the past 7 years. However, like most of us, he has missed some really nice bucks too. Every year that he has shot a mature buck was initiated first by him shooting a doe. The misses were the times that he had not yet harvested a doe. On some occasions, this was my fault because I would sometimes discourage him from shooting a doe if I thought it would hurt the potential of that particular stand location for bucks.

Another reason to shoot a doe is for the meat. Does usually taste better than a big old buck. Does usually browse on crops more than bucks (who are more likely to browse in the woods) which can have a positive impact on their taste. Their muscle tissues are also less dense and more tender than most bucks. My wife prefers that I shoot one or two does in the early season to ensure we have good quality meat for the rest of the year. This also takes a little pressure off as I am chasing mature bucks.

If you can, try to shoot a doe prior to the rut. This means there will be less pressure on your food plots and more competition for bucks to find a doe in estrous. The better the buck to doe ratio the more aggressive bucks become. The more aggressive they are, the more receptive they are to calling and rattling. Eliminate some of the female competition.

Lastly, I try to shoot a mature doe who has one or two button buck fawns. Over the course of a season, I let a lot of bucks walk so they can grow up. I want to see the full potential of their racks and genes. However, these genes will be leaving your farm if you don't harvest some of these does. You see, once the button bucks are one and a half years old, the mother will chase them out of the area so there is no cross breeding. The fawns and there big buck genes will be gone. I try to shoot these does before they chase these fawns away, keeping them around to grow up.

Now go shoot a doe for confidence and meat in your freezer. The rut is almost here!