TWO OFF SEASON SHOOTING HABITS TO GET YOU READY FOR FALL
June 21st, 2023
By: Alex Comstock (@whitetail_dna)
As a whitetail hunter, do you want to know what may be possibly the worst feeling ever? You probably have a number of things that you could immediately point to, but what I’m talking about is that moment when you draw back on a big buck, punch the release, only to watch your arrow sail high. Or miss low. Or even worse, hit that big buck somewhere that could lead you down a long tracking job with no big buck at the end of it. Sometimes, things happen that are simply unavoidable. Maybe the deer stepped right when you shot or ducked the string. But a lot of times, that miss or bad shot can absolutely be avoidable, but what makes it avoidable is the work you put in before the big moment. Everyone knows they should be shooting their bow before climbing a tree for the first sit of fall, but it’s not just the simple fact of shooting your bow that’s going to get you the most prepared for the moment of truth. It’s how you shoot and the habits you build along the way
PRACTICE HOW YOU HUNT
The bulk of this blog is going to be centered right here. When it comes to archery, I’m by no means the most technical guy in the world. I don’t work on my own bows, as I prefer to leave that to my expert at the archery shop. I don’t get into the nitty gritty technical aspects of arrows, arrow speed, foc, or anything like that. If you do, that’s awesome, but I personally feel as though the majority of everyday deer hunters don’t have the time and resources to dedicate to it. What most people have though is a deer target in their backyard and some time to shoot.
When it comes to everyday practice with your bow, you can do more than just walk to thebackyard, shoot six arrows and call it an evening. The first thing I want to talk about as it pertains to practicing how you hunt is to practice from either an elevated position or sitting, depending on how you do your hunting. If you hunt a lot from a stand or saddle and a blind, then do both. If you have the ability, I’d highly highly suggest hanging a stand or practicing from a saddle if you hunt from one. For instance, last fall was going to be my first deer season hunting from a saddle. Previously, I had never used a saddle in my life. Therefore, last summer I spent a lot of time shooting from a saddle and getting comfortable doing so. Three days into my season, I was able to shoot a buck in North Dakota from a saddle, and I had the confidence to make the shot from all the hours spent shooting out of a saddle in the summer.
If you don’t have trees in your backyard or at a buddies, you can get creative to shoot from an elevated position. I’ve practiced from decks, heck I’ve gotten up on the roof of my shed and shot, anything you can do to replicate shooting from an elevated position is going to help you. Even if it’s not a stand or saddle, practicing shooting at that elevated angle will help you get comfortable for when it’s the real thing.
The same goes for hunting from the ground. I like to practice from a small chair, from my knees and any weird position I think I may find myself in during the fall. If you are someone who does a lot of hunting from the ground or spot and stalking, get creative with it.
When it comes down to it, the absolute most important thing for me when it comes to preparing for the big moment of a giant buck staring up at you is to have practiced how you hunt. There’s a few other things I’m going to cover below, but this is where it starts.
MANUFACTURE ADRENALINE
One of the biggest differences between shooting a deer and shooting at your archery target is the adrenaline that goes into shooting a deer. It can be difficult to stay calm and your brain could be going haywire. To try and replicate that as best as possible, there are a couple things you can do. The first is shooting with a buddy and making some kind of bets. If there’s something on the line, it may creep up that blood pressure just a bit and cause the slightest nervousness when shooting. It’s by no means going to replicate a 170” buck standing at twenty yards, but anything you can do to practice shooting with something on the line is going to help.
Another thing I’ve done is to do some sprints before shooting. I know what you’re already thinking. “How dumb would it be to go run sprints and then shoot my bow.” I don’t like running as much as anyone, but what I’m getting at here is that it can raise your heart rate, and make it so when you’re shooting, you’re breathing heavier and it can be more difficult to be steady and shoot as good when you’re coming off a 100 meter dash. If you want, do a bunch of jumping jacks or pushups or whatever it may be. The most important part of this is to manufacture how your body is acting when a big buck is coming in. In that moment, your heart rate is racing, you have to focus on your breathing and it’s one of the most challenging things to do when talking about deer hunting. If you can replicate that even just a little bit when practicing shooting your bow, it will help you tremendously.
CONCLUSION
When discussing shooting your bow and things you can do to help your chances of a perfect shot on a big buck, I could list out about a hundred things. These two discussed though I find to help me just as much as anything. Manufacture some adrenaline into your shooting sessions and practice how you hunt. It will no doubt make you a better hunter at the end of the day.