Set my beer down.

Turn the safety catch off...

If I have to think about what I need to do to make sure I get off a good shot, then I haven't been practicing enough.

A firearm is like any other tool. Its use will only become free and natural to you through frequent and repeated use. In fact, strong confidence created through frequent practice is the best medicine to calm the nerves once that bruiser steps out from the brush. While on the other hand, a gun that doesn't feel familiar to the hands has just the opposite effect.

Just compare the carpenter who swings a hammer every day to the guy who doesn't and see which one never misses a nail.

I had a gnat fly up my nose once during mid-squeeze but I can't print what I was thinking that time. The rest of the times I'm just making sure the sight stays on the spot till I hear a bang.

wake up grumpy.. she hates to miss the shot either that or she finds it hard to go back to sleep after bein startled by BANG..

same here, then I thank God for allowing my shot to be true

I mentally tell myself to watch for the bullet to hit it's target. Be it bow or rifle hunting. Good follow through almost always insures a good shot. Every time I've done this resulted in the bullet/arrow hitting exactly where I wanted. There were times that I didn't do this had varied results.

First shot to get there attention. Second shot to get them running. Third shot pray. Got Letem have a sporting chance. Ha ha

Slam on the brakes, tell my buddy "hold the light on him", roll the window down, and let'er fly

Hold my breath. Never been through a hobbit...

I shoot after exhale. But if its a trophy its a matter of shooting thru the movement even if everything is comm. LOL

Pull the but of the gun tight against my shoulder look at my target in my crosshairs, exhail then fire

I call this "seeing the shot".

It's a dead give-a-way the shooter failed to do this and had his/her eyes closed when they can't tell you which way the deer ran and want you to help them find it.

X2 and have NEVER missed

take a deep breath, exhale forcefully, then make sure the spotlight is still lighting the deer's eyes up, and take the shot.

Hold my breath, thank God for the chance of killing the deer.

Only thing I do before squeezing the trigger is settle the crosshairs on his shoulder.

Observe the target animal to see if it is nervous or calm. Hope you aren't hunting with a model 700 rem cause when you take the safety off everything within a 100 yards heads for the hills at the loud sound of the safety. Prefer win or ruger 3 position safety. Pick out target animal, imagine sign on meat animal saying ground meat $2.99 per pound. Pick target part of animal, for doe or spike, head or neck. give a sharp baah (like sheep) and take the shoot within 2 seconds. For me the shot is auto pilot since I shot on college ROTC rifle team. Boom, bloop. Rifle like 270 or 243 you should see the animal drop in the scope.

Shoot em in the head or neck and keep the meat lead free. Lung/heart shots are fine too for longer shots.

If it's a buck, I make damn sure his antler spread is legal, then still pray that it is as I squeeze the trigger.

I would like to say I fart loudly...however...since I hunt Tyler Co. I wouldn't know, I never pull the trigger! (AR country)

Aim

Am I the only one that just shoots the deer? If you have practiced enough it should be done without haveing to think about each and every step. Maybe its just me.

I agree, but I shoot...allot with my primary gun specifically. May sound a bit stupid, but I typically have the same routine for the range as I do on a deer or whatever I'm shooting at. I look through the scope (safety on), go through the shot process (breath, squeeze, etc), then take the safety off and repeat. For me, it's all about the process and repeating the process. Works for me, but at extended ranges (400+) it becomes allot more serious as far as my timing heart-beats, etc. Typical shots at 100-200, I just do my regular routine as described above. If the deer I'm targeting gets out of range or moves between an obstruction and I while I do this, good for him/her, I'll just wait for the next oportunity or let the deer walk.

I thought you had to wait for bobo to run out of bullets ?