As the summer
gets into its long hot days many of our thoughts turn to preparing our property
for the upcoming season. For land owners in the south that means an early
opening day. Some parts of my home state of South Carolina open August 15,
other areas September 1, and still others a bit later. In surrounding states
and other locals across the country you have a bit more time. But it’s never
too early to begin a good practice regimen.
For those of
us who have an earlier opening, we must begin now preparing our land and
ourselves for the upcoming season. Bow hunters in particular need to begin now
getting our muscles and our shooting form back into shape. Our shooting needs
to be sharp and our form needs to reflect the work put into our preparation.
As has often
been said, good practice leads to good execution in the moment of truth. Poor
practice will only worsen the moment. But before even beginning your summer
practicing regime, take your bow to your local pro shop and have it gone
through in detail. The expense is minimal and the peace of mind it brings is
worth every penny. Having the bow properly tuned will build confidence in your
equipment and that translates to better performance on the range and out of the
stand. There is nothing worse than having an equipment failure in the field.
But couple this with the knowledge that it could have been prevented and it’s
magnified.
As the mercury rises practice
shooting in shorter increments, but really focus on good practice. Some days
only shoot a dozen shots. Knowing that as it get hot, and the sweat starts to
flow, your form will falter and you could begin picking up bad habits.
There are as
many methods to practice as there are archers. And what works for some may not
work for others. But it’s a good bet to begin by executing a few warm up shots
at 20 yards. Then follow this with a few shots at 30, then a few at 40 and
finally some at 60 yards (or whatever your maximum is). At these longer ranges execution
has to be flawless when shooting. This long range practice will force you to
focus on all of the details to make the shots work for your hunt to be executed
well.
A well set up
and tuned bow that you have practiced with will feel so natural in your hands
that as you get the shot of the season or of a lifetime, you will know with
confidence that your equipment and your skills are ready to perform flawlessly.
