A simple aiming drill can train you to focus on only that one aspect of shooting -- and thus overcome target panic. Photo by Michael Corrigan.

"Buck fever" is the term for what happens when a hunter or archer is presented with a perfect shooting opportunity, but loses his cool.

In the process, he fails to implement fundamental shooting principles, and a bad shot is the result.

More of a bowhunters' affliction, "target panic" is very different and has nothing to do with shooting opportunities on game. There are several forms of the disease, but one thing's for certain: It's debilitating.

It can be either the inability to aim steady at the middle of the bull's eye, or freezing somewhere outside that target. Another manifestation is difficulty in triggering a release without "punching" the trigger.

If you're not able to aim steadily and achieve accuracy at the target, it becomes very difficult to find gratification in the sport of archery.

I know a few bowhunters who gave up on the sport because they were so stricken with target panic. A few years ago, I too became "infected."

But after educating myself and through self-imposed rehabilitation, I was able to overcome the malady. Now I have an entirely new love for the sport of archery and bowhunting.

WHAT CAUSES TARGET PANIC?
Most professional archers agree that it results from some sort of short circuit in the psyche. For years, I was able to aim steady at the center of the bull's eye and gradually apply pressure to the release trigger with my index finger until the arrow flew.

Suddenly -- almost overnight -- I could no longer do that. I felt anxiety while aiming. As my sight pin approached the center of the target, the feeling got worse. Next, I developed a compulsion to rush the shot. As soon as the sight pin neared the bull's eye, I would punch the trigger.

That was when things really started to spiral out of control. Recognizing that punching the trigger was a bad idea, I then became fixated on "not" punching. Eventually I started to anticipate the punch, thus freezing with the sight pin somewhere outside the center of the bull's eye. No matter how hard I tried, I simply could not move the sight pin to the center of the bull's eye. How could something I once did so well, thousands of times, suddenly become so difficult?

Looking back, I now realize I was going through a very stressful period at work. Stress can reduce your capacity for concentration, so it makes perfect sense.

Over the years, unfortunately, I've yet to hear of a story where someone developed target panic, only to have the symptoms dissolve. Once you catch it, it only gets worse with time. Only through implementing methodical re-training can you truly overcome target panic.