the shakes

[gerby]

hi,
is it normal that your heart starts racing as soon as you see a coyote coming in?
for example:yesterday afternooon,just in the middle of a field calling yote's
after about 45 min i seen one at about 300-400 yd ,as soon as i picked up the bino's i start shaking badly(could hardly see the coyote through the binoculars)
put it down for a second and check again,guess what : yote was gone
this happens to me quite often ,
and if i get the chance to get behind the rifle(prone) i will miss the shot,cause holding your rifle still at 400 yd is quite important

is there a way to avoid the shaking ?

[coolpete1]

i have a love /hate with that feeling , i get it with deer . deep breathes seem to help a little , a loud bang helps even more

[Ryry4]

Is it normal? Yes.
Is there a way to stop it? Practice, practice, practice.

[Dick284]

If that didn't happen, I'd be worried about you.
Time served, and lots of practice, helps one keep it in check, somewhat.

[jaylow?]

buck fever !! never got it for anything but big game though , and when i was younger. i used to be so bad the boys thought i should be on vallium when hunting

ryry4 is right , you need to be doing it more often. i found just watching them through the scope and relaxing to help. the more comfortable i was with my rifle and having an animal in the crosshairs the easier it came to actually pull the trigger when a shooter came in.

i could see myself getting buck fever trying to use something im not comfortable with, like a bow. probably the proximity as well, im not used to being so close as required with a bow.

[IR_mike]

Originally Posted by jaylow?

i could see myself getting buck fever trying to use something im not comfortable with, like a bow. probably the proximity as well, im not used to being so close as required with a bow.

First season bow hunting last year.......really neat holding full draw on anything.

Well worth takeing up if you have the urge Jaylow.

[Lefty-Canuck]

After you get some time and experience under your belt....you will learn to hold off the adrenaline dump and endorphins till after the shot....

Now I don't get really excited till I know the animals is down and it isn't getting up... then the rush settles in and its time to turn on the smile.

Even this year when I called in a good 6X7 bull elk to 35 yards from over 1/4 mile away, I think the distance I first saw him and the distance he closed when I called helped out. I said to myself....don't look him in the eye, don't look at the rack, pick your spot and touch the trigger....although I am sure I drew that bow and slapped the trigger so hard he heard it before the arrow hit him

LC

[tchardy1972]

What helped me is just putting in time on the trigger. That is, if you shoot enough in practice the shot doesn't require any real consideration, its just second nature and just about happens by itself.

A single coyote doesn't really work me up much anymore. It's the multiples that get the heart going.

[Smokinyotes]

Well I don't know if it was coyote fever, buck fever or just poor shooting but I missed a couple today. First one was on some of our hay land at 560 yds. It was a mangy coyote that seemed to be struggling in the deep snow. I shot at him 3 times with the 22-250 and missed each time. Had to go back to the truck for more ammo and he was gone when I got back. Next one was in another field of ours. 388 yards, my 22-250 is zeroed at 300 so I tried off my shooting sticks but the snow was too deep. I rested on a fence post and held what I thought was 6" high. Shot over him. Think I need to get out and do some practicing. Think I'm getting a little rusty.

[baptiste_moose]

Bear season helped me overcome my shakes. Lots of close encounter and learning to keep your cool. You pass on lots of bears and that helped to get my shakes down !

[Sitting Bull]

I get it with coyotes, they surprise me every time. But I do not get out often so that is probably the major cause. I miss more than I hit.

[dale7637]

I found that shooting magpies was perfect practice.

[threeforthree]

It only happens to me with yotes, but its my foot that cannot stop tapping the ground, even when sitting with my coyote buddies I say man look at my foot tapping ,,,I may have close to 300 yotes under my belt and it still happens..

[catnthehat]

I remember reading an article of Len Cardinale's (who was an Archery hall of fame member and top U.S. coach) about how he for a while thought he was a deer assassin, then all of a sudden went shaking and missing!!
He cured it IIRC by just taking a bit more time on the draw ad trying to calm down.
With Robert Ruark it was Cape Buffalo, he never did get over it entirely but loved hunting them!
Cat

[Ryry4]

Originally Posted by baptiste_moose

Bear season helped me overcome my shakes. Lots of close encounter and learning to keep your cool. You pass on lots of bears and that helped to get my shakes down !

Bears are the one animal that I shake the worst on! I've scared way more than I've tagged.

The three sheep I've killed and my mountain goat I was to tired to shake.

[270WIN]

2013 was my 58th straight Alberta hunting season and I still get "the shakes" sometimes. If the excitement ever quits, I'll quit and take up knitting or maybe even golf (God forbid).

[Mb-MBR]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

After you get some time and experience under your belt....you will learn to hold off the adrenaline dump and endorphins till after the shot....

Now I don't get really excited till I know the animals is down and it isn't getting up... then the rush settles in and its time to turn on the smile.

Even this year when I called in a good 6X7 bull elk to 35 yards from over 1/4 mile away, I think the distance I first saw him and the distance he closed when I called helped out. I said to myself....don't look him in the eye, don't look at the rack, pick your spot and touch the trigger....although I am sure I drew that bow and slapped the trigger so hard he heard it before the arrow hit him

LC

Geez LC our similarities are scaring me!!!

I have never succumbed or been afflicted by buck fever to the point of shaking. But that does not mean that I don't get a sense of pride after I've downed an animal or called one in, especially with my longbow. Harvested moose and Elk at 5-30 yards with stick and string is quite the feeling.

One thing though, I never feel the 63 lbs of pull when drawing on an animal but unlike a compound, when I pull back and release its all with one motion.

To the OP, do something to get your mind off the animal temporarily. Sort of a distraction. when I'm in a situation and ready to take a shot on an ungulate, I concentrate on the knee area and work my way up to the shoulder blade and find a spot just right (or left depending which way the animal is facing) of the should blade in the vital area.

[H380]

Originally Posted by Ryry4

Is it normal? Yes.
Is there a way to stop it? Practice, practice, practice.

Another way to stop it is to quit .. and you don't want that ! All sort of good advice given in this thread by guys that have been there , done that . Pay attention next time you have one incoming and tell yourself " There will be no picture if I don't settle down " . Works for me when bowhunting , good luck .

[Bushmonkey]

Originally Posted by gerby

hi,
is it normal that your heart starts racing as soon as you see a coyote coming in?
for example:yesterday afternooon,just in the middle of a field calling yote's
after about 45 min i seen one at about 300-400 yd ,as soon as i picked up the bino's i start shaking badly(could hardly see the coyote through the binoculars)
put it down for a second and check again,guess what : yote was gone
this happens to me quite often ,
and if i get the chance to get behind the rifle(prone) i will miss the shot,cause holding your rifle still at 400 yd is quite important

is there a way to avoid the shaking ?

Just wait till a wolf shows up on your coyote set!

[Wiz]

Control your breathing.. control your heart rate... control your shakes.

All you have to do is this.

- Breath in your nose very deeply for 4 seconds
- Hold breath 4 seconds
- Exhale slowly from your mouth for 4 seconds
- Hold for 4 seconds

Repeat this 2 more times (3 in total) and your guarenteed to control your heart rate, breath and shakes.

This tactic is explained in deatail in the book "On Combat - The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace". Try it!

Try it at night and you'll fall right asleep.

[Ron J]

The shaking also shows that you are excited about what you are doing, which is usually a big part of why you are out there in the first place. Have a quiet laugh at yourself and enjoy the experience.

[C Taylor]

Real easy way to loose the shakes on coyote hunting is to start skinning all your buddy's coyotes.

[jaylow?]

Originally Posted by Wiz

Control your breathing.. control your heart rate... control your shakes.

All you have to do is this.

- Breath in your nose very deeply for 4 seconds
- Hold breath 4 seconds
- Exhale slowly from your mouth for 4 seconds
- Hold for 4 seconds

Repeat this 2 more times (3 in total) and your guarenteed to control your heart rate, breath and shakes.

This tactic is explained in deatail in the book "On Combat - The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace". Try it!

Try it at night and you'll fall right asleep.

my wife does this in yoga - yogic breathing. you should try some of the poses while shooting too that would look hilarious. but in all seriousness it really calms you down !

[gerby]

Everyone thanks alot for the great advice,this is my first year so maybe that's also why
This happens , btw. I don't really have any friends that do coyote hunting lol,so don.t have many to skin either haha ,

[gerby]

Originally Posted by Bushmonkey

Just wait till a wolf shows up on your coyote set!

Haha i'd probably start bouncing 10ft. In the air

[Sledhead71]

Originally Posted by Ron J

The shaking also shows that you are excited about what you are doing, which is usually a big part of why you are out there in the first place. Have a quiet laugh at yourself and enjoy the experience.

Exactly ! Myself, it's the up and comers that have my number, my buddy could hardly contain himself this season when junior came in the first time.. Happens more than I care to admit on the younger animals, but when it's go time I seem to be able to hold it all together...

[Marko]

Take a half a step forward with your lead foot. It makes you clear your mind and refocus on the shot. A trick I learned from my dad, and has helped. ( for off-hand shooting)

Mark

[tullfan]

Saw 23 coyotes today. They mostly stayed at the 800 yard range with nothing but deep open snow between. Killed 2. One mangy one and one not too bad. Each time I have to calm myself down so as not to rush the shot. I've killed many a coyote, but have also shot under them and over them. The excitement I hope never ends, but the shakes are normal I hope.

Tullfan

[greylynx]

Slow your heart down like biathlon people do. I have tried the heart monitors that are used, and it actually worked the first time, better the second time...

It does not work when you wound a bear and it decides to circle around you and start following you.

[densa44]

If seeing a coyote at 400M is getting you too excited to shoot. I suggest trying to get out more, make a few friends, and lay off the Viagra for a couple of weeks.

Let us know how it goes.