Hunters are often faced with quick decisions
I do my best to prepare for any circumstances that I may encounter while hunting. I watch my trail cameras for months before and all through deer season. I go through the pictures, choosing target bucks and bucks that I will pass on this season.
Still, I sometimes find myself in situations where I must make a split-second decision, and that is something that a hunter can’t fully prepare for. In that moment, you don’t have long.
I’m talking about that moment when a deer steps out and we must decide to shoot or pass. Not only do we have a split-second decision to make, but to top it off, we are full of adrenaline, heart-racing, buck fever, and trying to remember everything we’ve practiced in the off-season. It can be tough at times. I’ve been hunting from a ground blind with a compound bow since 2021, and I’ve made many mistakes with my split-second decisions, and I’ve learned my share of lessons.
Let’s go back to a split-second decision I made during my first season bowhunting. I had been chasing a deer that I had nicknamed, “Funky,” because his antlers had grown extremely funky on one side. It was somewhat dark, but I felt I could still see good enough. Well, here he steps out finally chasing a doe. My first opportunity to get this deer. I didn’t have long, and he was one of my “target bucks.” So, I made the split-second decision to pull my bow back, and take the shot.
Lessons learned
Although I felt I’d made a good shot, I ended up with a gut-shot deer. I made the huge mistake of going in after him because I didn’t want the coyotes to get to him. We called a dog in and looked until around 3 a.m. We couldn’t find him that night or next morning. I did end up finding him. However, I shot him on a Tuesday night, saw buzzards on a Friday afternoon, and by some miracle, we found him. Well, what was left of him. I now realize that I should have backed out. My first mistake was based on that split-second decision that I’m talking about. Buck fever got me, and I decided to shoot the deer knowing it was fairly dark. Lesson learned, and now I pack up when I feel it’s too dark, because I refuse to make a bad shot based on a split-second decision in that situation again.
Another split-second decision that I had faced was in 2023. I got up early and slipped in the woods in late October. I was taking a video of a doe, when here comes a buck chasing. I had seen him on my trail camera and thought I’d give him another year. He was chasing the doe, and I took a short video of him. Then I recognized him, but he looked bigger in person. I made the split-second decision not to shoot.
After he left, I watched the video. I beat myself up about it for the next couple of weeks. That split-second decision cost me a deer that morning that I would’ve been thrilled to shoot. However, on Nov. 12, 2023, I went back, and he stepped out, finally gave me a broadside shot, and I made the split-second decision to take it. He now hangs on my wall. So, one buck and two split-second decisions. One made me full of regrets, and the other made me one happy woman.
One other split-second decision was on Sept. 17, 2025, three days into archery season. I was again videoing a few small bucks and turkeys out in the field, and here comes a bigger buck, less than 20 yards from me. I had turned my camera on him and instantly laid my phone down. I made the split-second decision to shoot.
Keep learning
With my adrenaline pumping and heart racing, I drew my bow back, tried to remember everything I practiced, and took the shot. I was shaking like a leaf after I had made the shot, and my heart rate was up there. I could barely talk or send a text. That buck fever still gets me every time! I made a complete pass through, and a perfect shot. He now hangs on my wall as well.
That’s just a few split-second decisions that I have had to make. I still sit in the woods and wonder how I will handle the next split-second decision. If the deer doesn’t give me an ideal shot, I must be disciplined enough to decide if I can make an ethical shot or to let the deer walk. The split-second decisions aren’t just for bucks, but for does as well. Sometimes shooting a doe can be difficult, especially late season when the young deer have lost their spots. I’ve made the mistake of a split-second decision of shooting a doe that I thought was a decent doe. However, when I got to her, she was a younger doe.
Overall, we are all going to make mistakes as hunters. “Ground-shrinkage” is a real thing. Bucks and does can look bigger in size (antlers or body), but when you get to the deer, it may be smaller than you originally thought. Sometimes, hunters only have a split-second to decide, and that’s not long. I am positive I will make another bad split-second decision, but I will do my best to learn from it. You can’t fully prepare yourself for the adrenaline you may feel when one of your target deer shows up. Buck fever will get to the best of us at times, and that’s something I have yet to learn to prepare myself for. It’s tough to do because you can’t rehearse how you will feel in that moment.
Good or bad split-second decisions can teach us lessons. As long as we are learning and growing as hunters, having fun, and being proud of what we shoot, that’s all that truly matters. ■
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