With archery season less than two months away for many states it is time to consider pulling out the bow and slinging some arrows. If you have not been able to participate in archery shoots during the summer or if work is keeping you from getting outside and putting arrows into a target, now is the time to consider doing just that. Just like with any other hunting sport, practice makes perfect. One cannot expect to pick up their bow and get right back into how they were shooting last season. We are humans and we can get rusty if we do not keep up with our sport.Starting a new job and having a lack of archery ranges where I am now living has prevented me from getting my bow out. But this past week off and being home has allowed me to do just that. Living within city limits it is against the law to shoot a projectile weapon, and thus I must go to an archery range to get some target practice in. The local archery shop, where I also bought my bow, is more than accommodating to my needs and has a range set up for 20 yards max. I know that many people have their pins set, sometimes, out to 60 yards, but my bow is set out to 35 max. Any further and I simply do not feel comfortable with the shot and besides hunting in mature timber only allows me to shoot up to 30 yards.
A twenty yard range is perfect for allowing me to make sure that my sights are set, after I go out back and shoot to my max yardage. I’ll admit, after the Missouri archery season ended I had to put my bow up as my work demanded most of my time. It is now time to get my body used to pulling back the bow, and this season I wanted to see how long I would be able to hold my bow at full draw before having to let down. This is a good practice to do, especially when that buck of a lifetime steps out and you must wait for him to present a shot. When I start to shake is when I let down, this can tell me how long I can physically hold at full draw if such a situation arises. After I let down I go back into full draw again, my muscles fatigued and sore. I take my shot as soon as my pin is on target. Once again, I want to see how I perform in such a situation.
Going into your local archery shop is also a good time to get your bow a “tune up”. Just as we take care of our cars, our bows need yearly maintenance ad check ups. If you know how to do this within your own archery set-up, then great. I like to have all of my strings looked at, even though I care for them with bow wax. I have all of my attachment points for my sights and rests checked and have my arrows checked as well. If you have been using the same broad heads, now is a good time to grab some new ones.
Like with any sport, the more you practice the better you become. You can see my first two shots and see the placement of the arrows on the right, after a minor adjusting the shot in the middle yielded better results. Another small tuning showed my placement true. Its always fun to throw some arrows into a deer target as well. Take advantage of the time we have during the summer and get outside to practice, you never know when it will pay off. Happy hunting everyone!
