How do you handle your emotions in order to take him? What are your secrets to heart rate and breathing? Give me your order of steps in the process. Where do you want to place the cross hairs and do you hold your breath as you squeeze etc.

I simply tell myself "make a good shot". After that I just concentrate on putting the crosshairs where I want them.

Don't over-think it. You know dang well when it's a buck you want to shoot and when you realize it, don't look at the horns and don't make eye contact.

Put your crosshair wherever you feel comfortable, be it the shoulder or the neck and squeeze the trigger.

Nerves go out the window...I shake,feel like im having a heart attack and cant catch my breath.If i look at the rack through the scope i throw my gun outta the stand cause theres no sense in holding it anymore.If i get brown in the scope i jerk the trigger so hard i feel like i break the trigger guard then hope for the best.

I just think about the best time to draw my bow. After that, it's all automatic or it should be.

Sounds like the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Like father like son.

Every nice buck I've ever shot has been pretty much a split second shot,never had time to have to calm myself down or have to take my time

I get bent out of shape after the shot.

Just pull the dang trigger with a rifle. With a bow, time the wobble.

I've never gotten nervous before the first shot. I've missed before and went into full blown panic mode, though. After the shot I come unglued. Every big deer I've ever killed has been under
10 seconds from the time I saw him till I pulled the trigger.

X2

Don't look at his rack anymore after you determine that he is a shooter, take slow deep breaths holding for a second or two at the top of your inhale, get in a comfortable position behind your rifle and place the crosshairs on him, close your eyes for a 3 count and see if you have drifted off target, if you drifted readjust if not flip off your safety, pick out a small spot to aim at, let out half your breath and start to squeeze the trigger until you feel the recoil. You can do this extremely fast with practice or you can just point, squeeze and pray. You can practice shooting under stress by running 50 or so yards to the bench then sit down and shoot while controlling your breathing.

I don't know. I get the shakes after the shot. I work in a high adrenaline job so I think that has taught me to function like a robot under stress. It's when the moment of truth has passed that I get shaken. I shot a really good buck last week and I remember being focused on the buck's crease behind his front shoulder. I knew by the shape of his body he was a shooter. I didn't know how many points he had, all I knew was that he dwarfed two other bucks in body size. I made the shot and he was DRT. I do the same with my bows, Longbow and compound.

I've never been nervous while using a gun, scope, at long distance. Now give me a bow.......and I focus on any additional deer to see my draw? What is my possible shooting lanes? Will the deer see me draw at this position? What if he goes in this direction, will I have to spin around? Will he see me move? Breathing and heart rate is already in the red zone and the last thing on my mind..........it's normal for a bowhunter at close distance.

I roll over and wake up because the only good bucks I see are in my dreams.

What gets me is when bow hunting and it's cOld where you can see your breath, you usually see the deer a ways before you can shoot. By the time he gets to be, the only way I get a shot if he is blind cause I look like a train going with all the smoke coming out of me. Love it.

I put the red lense over the light, cut off my headlights, squeeze the trigger, and then hit the gas hard. Turn the headlights back on, find the nearest spot to hide my gun, and the spotlight, praying there are GW's around. Drive by about an hour or so later, and let my wife drop me out down the road a piece. Hopefully drag it back to the road, load it up and get it home without being caught. Man you talk about an adrenaline rush!

ON THE SERIOUS SIDE...
just taking several deep breathes usually help me.

As many have started. Control your breathing, put your cross hairs on him, and SQEEZE the trigger with the meaty portion of your finger. If you have time go to YouTube and type in tactical breathing.

Once I've determined that I'm willing to shoot him, my thought goes to putting the crosshairs in the right spot. Then I'm concentrating on not jerking the trigger and breathing. I've never had time to get nervous because I needed to shoot in pretty short order. I usually do not get nervous before or after the shot.