Becoming in Tune with your Bow
The hot trend in bowhunting now, seems to becoming more a more mobile hunter. Knowing how to dissect a property and figure out where the big ones hang out, is what ever mobile hunter is striving for. One of the highest feelings of satisfaction is when you can trick a mature buck on his own turf and getting within bow range. Though you have to realize, “What is it all worth if you can’t put an ethical shot when the opportunity presents itself?” The realization should be for every bow hunter, that you should be putting just much, if not more, effort in practicing with your archery equipment then scouting and etc.
When should I knock the dust off my bow? Being from Southern Michigan, I have started shooting my bow, preparing for next archery season before the snow as even melted. Sure, this might be a little extreme but those temperatures are more realistic for hunting season compared to late July, when its push ninety some degrees. Does your current form work if you are bundled up for a late December hunt? Are you comfortable shooting with gloves? Does the sleeve of your jacket get caught by your string when you shoot? You can practice this in season too but the point is that you have to mentally prepare yourself as if you were hunting and not slinging arrows in the yard.
How do I prepare mentally when shooting? Designate only three or four arrows as practice arrows and save the rest for only hunting. How many times have you been able to shoot more than one arrow at a single deer during a hunt? I would have to guess that most of you, its been only one arrow, so practice like its one arrow. You don’t get a chance to finally put one inside the ten ring on that bruiser buck after you have already shot three arrows at him. Sure, I might be standing in the yard shooting at a fix target but mentally I have a moving picture of a live hunting scenario. I will picture the buck moving through (I will let out a vocal grunt to stop him) in a shooting lane, slide the pin over for a double lung shot and smoothly pull the trigger on my release. If you picture shooting at a buck with different scenarios every time you practice, it will be less hectic when it happens for real in the field. Practice kneeling down, shooting different shot angles, shooting from the porch to simulate elevation of your treestand, distances and target size( apple sized circles down to stickers the size of a dime). Pick a spot and concentrate on placing your area in that specific spot, instead of hovering your pin on the kill zone as whole. Aim small and miss small.
Pick a form and stick with it. To be a consistent shooter you need to have a good form. When I draw back, I will place the knock of my arrow at the corner of my mouth, my shooting hand’s thumb is riding along the bottom of my jaw and I touch the string along the side of my nose. Having at least three points of contact will insure that your anchor position is the same every time. When shooting with a peep sight, I prefer to have my dominant eye to be fully open and my non dominant to be slight closed. Make sure to not over grip the handle of your bow because you can torque it with your palm. This will cause your arrow to wobble in flight, making consistent preferred shot placements difficult. Instead, form a circle with your pointer finger and you thumb and the bow should almost “float” in your hand. Work on slowly pulling the trigger of your release instead of punching it with your trigger finger. Keep your form as if you are still holding back your string after you have release the arrow and refrain from “peaking” to watch your arrow in flight. Just like you see a three point shooter follow through by keeping his arm out, well after the basketball has left his hand, releasing an arrow is just the same. Always go through your mental check list of your points of contact in your anchor, your vision and how you are holding the bow before you shoot each arrow. This will become almost instinctual over time, and should result in more successful shot on game when the moment of truth comes.
Don’t be afraid to start practicing with your archery equipment well before season. If time allows, shooting a couple groups once week till about August and start trying to shoot a couple groups on multiple nights a week. Practicing different scenarios in your head, shot angles, distance and picturing mature bucks approaching your spot. Mentally preparing yourself will make you that much more calm and collected when the shot presents itself.