BOWS & ARROWS: Dwight Schuh Ready, Aim...Rotate Last August, I sneaked within 30 yards of a feeding mule deer and drew my bow confidently. This was a slam-dunk. But the instant my bow sight touched the deer, I punched the trigger on my release aid and the arrow clattered off a rock two feet to the right of the deer. The buck soon became a small cloud of dust disappearing over the horizon. The Carter Revenger has no trigger; to release, you pull back and rotate your wrist. In his book, Balanced Bowhunting, Dave Holt defines buck fever as "becoming so excited and/or wanting to succeed to such a high degree that mentally and physically you fail to perform to your full potential." That sums it up. I missed not because I can't shoot well or because my bow wasn't sighted accurately. It was because I wanted "to succeed to such a high degree" that my performance dropped below my potential. In short, I got a case of buck fever and blew it. After 25 years of bowhunting, you'd think I'd have outgrown buck fever, but obviously I haven't. Am I alone? Hardly. While beginning archers predictably suffer buck fever or shoot poorly and miss some shots, veteran bowhunters can develop bad habits that just as surely hurt their efficiency. The Problem: The only way to get maximum accuracy with a release aid--or any shooting method, for that matter--is to squeeze the shot off. The shot must come as a surprise. If you anticipate the shot, you will punch the trigger and your accuracy will suffer. One night over a campfire in Wyoming, Holt hinted I would someday develop "target panic" with my style of release. "The index finger is very sensitive," he said. "You can feel when the release will go off, and you'll start punching the trigger. It happens to most people who shoot that style of release." At the time, I denied the possibility. After all, I'd bowhunted for years. I was immune. Wrong. In practice, trigger punching wasn't a major problem because I could concentrate well enough to aim before hitting the trigger. But I could not do it on animals. I wanted to get the shot off so badly that, as soon as my sight hit the target, I would punch the trigger. You've read the results. And it wasn't something I could will myself to quit doing. The more I tried, the worse the problem became. The Solution: Not long after missing that deer, I was talking to Randy Ulmer, one of the nation's best hunters and 3-D archers. Hearing my story, Ulmer suggested I try a different style of release aid, such as the Carter Revenger, which has no trigger but is released by pulling with the back and rotating the wrist. This motion, using only large muscle groups, makes punching the release and shooting quickly nearly impossible. Initially, it took me 30 seconds or more to get the thing to fire. And when it did go off? Surprise! It practically scared me to death. But soon I was shooting smoothly and releasing my shots in five to 10 seconds, longer than I'd ever aimed in my life. The results of having to wait so long? My groups, especially when I used broadheads, were tighter than they'd ever been. The results in the field? A month after starting with the Carter, I traveled to Alaska and killed a caribou and a moose with two well-placed arrows. Did I get buck fever? Of course I did, as always. The release aid didn't cure that. But under tense hunting conditions, the release did force me to aim and squeeze off the shots slowly. It offered a simple mechanical solution to a rather complex mental problem. If you're having some problems with target panic on the range or buck fever in the woods, try a surprise release such as the Carter. The results could be a pleasant surprise. ß READ THE SIGNS How do you know if you're anticipating the shot or punching the release? 1. You consistently see your arrows flying to the target. That indicates you're probably dropping your bow hand to watch the arrow, which means you're anticipating the shot. Bad habit. 2. You don't need a wrist sling to prevent dropping your bow. In any kind of shooting, your bow hand must remain relaxed, and if you're totally surprised, you'll drop your bow. Use a wrist strap to keep it from hitting the ground. 3. You "fail to perform to your full potential," especially in tense situations. Buck fever will get the best of you. Try a surprise release. The Revenger release aid retails for about $80. Contact Carter Enterprises, Dept. SA, P.O. Box 19, St. Anthony, ID 83445; 208/624-3467. ⌐ 1997 The Hearst Corporation. All rights reserved.