First off, I’m no expert in this field. Never claimed to be. That said, I’ve been shooting a bow now for nearly 25yrs. I’ve been bowhunting off and on for nearly 20yrs. In that time I’ve certainly learned a thing or two. Most lessons were from doing something wrong. I had a real light bulb moment towards the end of last hunting season. I committed to change my approach this year and am already noticing some major changes.
I’ve been practicing ALL WRONG for hunting. When I started archery in high school for the high school shooting team, coached by our FFA teacher, we shot the standard 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards at paper targets. The bow I had borrowed seemed to throw rainbows even at 25 yards. I remember thinking it was so cool that some of the seniors on the team could hit the 10x at 40yds. I practiced to reach that 40 yard milestone on a paper target. Fast forward to today and I regularly shoot at 100 yards and recently extended to 124 yards for fun. Practice for hunting I believe requires a different approach than practicing to shoot a perfect score on the range.
Here’s what I realized, my practice was nothing like Hunting! Typically, I’d make time to practice, shooting groups with perfect form 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards. I was mentally prepared for shooting 20-30 arrows and of course made sure to “warm up” with the close range shots first. This is a good process for tuning your setup and making sure arrows will hit the desired mark at various distances. Basically, this validates your equipment is on point. The fact though is this does very little to actually prepare me for that ONE shot that might randomly present itself after hours in the stand and long after my brain was engaged and ready for the moment of truth.
I changed how I practiced. I keep my bow where I can grab it at any point throughout the day and take a shot. I keep five arrows ready to go. Of course one of them is tipped with a WEDGEHEAD broadhead. From sunrise to sunset I’ll periodically step outside and shoot one arrow. The sequence might go something like this. Morning workout, shoot and arrow. Take kids to school and make a few work calls, shoot an arrow. Eat lunch, shoot an arrow. Mow the grass and weedeat, shoot an arrow. Tuck kids in bed, shoot an arrow at last light. For me, this process is definitely preparing me better for that one shot opportunity. Don’t just practice when you’re feeling like you’re on your game. Practice when you’re hot, cold, distracted, sore, tired, it’s raining, it’s 104 heat index, you’re having a good day or a bad day. Drive the discipline to treat every shot like it’s the only shot and I bet you’ll become a better shot and a better hunter!
