Buck Fever?? (Laughter)

I have mentioned before in my conversation partner blog that I recently went hunting for the first time. The experience I had was one I would never forget. Every man has his war story. Mine is slightly unique in the fact that it climaxes with uncontrollable laughter.

I am in most respects probably considered a 'city-slicker'. I was born and raised in Richardson, Texas, a suburb just north of Dallas, Texas. I rarely ever go to country and when I do, it is only for a brief moment to visit friends or family. I drive a tiny little sedan that moans at the slightest incline or ditch and my family's pet dog is a poodle. Like I said, looking at me doesn't make anyone think country.

Last December I got the opportunity to go hunting with my uncle and dad in San Angelo. The five hour drive was pretty bearable and the chilled weather was nothing to worry about. Armed with a Remington hunting rifle (named deer slayer by my uncle) and a clean conscious, I was ready to kill my first deer. We posted up in the deer blinds fairly early in the morning and were to wait patiently until our prey arrived. My uncle and I posted up in the valley bound blind and my dad was by himself just north on the hill. Uncle Willie and I shared stories and a chuckle here or there. The 50 year age difference was no boundary for us. As deer started to show up at around 4:00 P.M. my uncle warned me about buck fever. He had a hard time explaining it to me, only saying that it will turn you into a mad man and you'll sacrifice your shot.

Here is the urban dictionary definition for those who need a better understanding:

'buck fever is a condition hunters get. its symptoms include: jumpy-ness, seeing a buck deer when there is a doe, or no deer at all. Hunters with buck fever need to be extremely careful of their shot and target.'

As I took a deep breath and centered my cross hair on a buck, a weird sensation started to overtake my body. Quick nervous breathes turned into chuckles and chuckles turned into laughing. It was as if some maniacal comedian had possessed me and sent me into a crazy fit of laughs. My crosshairs were shaking due to the excessive laughs and nerves and the deer perched its head up and looked straight at me. I knew it was now or never. I squeezed the trigger and watched as the deer dropped about 5 seconds later. I did it!

The buck fever subsided and my uncle seemed to have caught it. Although I'd say he had buck fever fever. He was laughing at my sudden nervous fit and lost control just as I did. We sat in the blind for a solid 5 minutes just reimagining the whole episode and needless to say, the story was told a handful more times at dinner that night. To this day, my uncle calls me the mad man and makes a hyena noise as he gives me a playful punch to the gut. 

This was the only time in my life that I can say that I laughed in an instinctual way. The situation (of killing a deer) was not funny, but the nerves and how I reacted to them was.