Archery Tip of the Week

[Finlander]

Follow thru when shooting! Just like anything, follow thru is everything when completing the motion!

[Finlander]

Put a Prussic rope from the ground to the top of your trestand and attach it to your safety harness or vest to prevent falling! I have them on my treestands and I really feel more confident about going up and down the tree and standing in the treestand!

[baitshopboy]

a good set of rubber boots will get you a long way as a bowhunter

[Bear55]

I hope everyone is still practicing, it can be easy to forget this time of year and your form can suffer. I am just as guilty as the next guy but I still try and shoot a couple times a week just to make sure I bring my A game to the woods.

[Finlander]

+1 Bear55! I am going to Ripley this weekend and going to shoot in a ground blind, but haven't practiced shooting from a sitting position. Going out tonight to practice sitting down!

[DonBo]

Good plan. I carry my block taget along on most of my hunts and try to fling a couple arrows before hitting the woods.

[goblueM]

yeah great advice. I shot the other day for the first time in about 3 weeks, and found my 40 yard pin was shooting 5 inches low. Always a good thing to check!

[deerminator]

Another tip for a ground blind, practice drawing and aiming out the windows and then pull your head back and look to see where your arrow is going to push through the mesh. I learned the hardway once as my pin was settled in the bottom corner of the window and my arrow tore through the blind wall, bouncing off the hub as it went out. Your arrow is typically lower than your sight. That's going to matter in a situation like that.

[Bear55]

Good time of the year to be out scouting for your next deer or big ol buck. Ticks are already out but the woods are wide open, no one else is out there and you can see all the great rutting sign from last fall.

I've been out 5 times this spring and logged some great new honey holes and some overlooked spots loaded with big rubs. Put in the legwork before everything greens up and you might be rewarded this fall.

[Rippinlip]

Start shooting the weapons people and get the muscles into condition.

I have been shooting almost everyday and its amazing how the muscles really got a workout the 1st few times.

Also, if you are thinking about upgrading anything start doing it now so you don't get "surprised" later.

I went to a thumb release today and already loving it, but it is quite the change.

Break in boots now, check the camo and check the strapping on the tree stands just to mention a few.

[Bear55]

If you are after any old deer don't worry about the following tips. Mature bucks are different animals when compared to other deer so take great precation every time you enter the woods if you want to put a nice buck on the wall.

If you are going to hang stands hang them soon. I am a big believer that people in the woods within 2-4 weeks of opening day are doing nothing but educating deer that a hunter is in the area.

Ditto for game cams, don't put them next to your stands because the deer will start to pattern you every time you check a cam.

[sticknstring]

Words of wisdom right there!

I have a few cams near stands. I like seeing what's passing by and when. I only check when I'm hunting that particular location and usually only every 3+ weeks. I think a lot more deer are patterning hunters than many realize.

[goblueM]

Quote:

I have a few cams near stands. I like seeing what's passing by and when. I only check when I'm hunting that particular location and usually only every 3+ weeks

That is what I do as well... only check when hunting that spot. Except for all my urban hunting locations, I figure that there is so much scent around that they are pretty used to humans. My best tree stand is literally in someone's front yard, so I have to think that me checking a camera every few days isn't going to matter much

[BEEFEATER]

TIME TA FILL THE LARDER

[BuckmasterG]

If you're anything like me you're going stir crazy over the bow season. Once you've got your stands up, lanes cut and cameras out; there's only a few options you have to cure your bowhunting fever and get yourself ready. Practice, Prepare or lay the Finishing Touches.

*Archery Tip*

Practice- You can never have enough practice and I can admit I should prob practice more. Practice from different distances, angles and heights. If you can't get practice in then never hurts to prepare...

Prepare- Make sure all of your equiptment is in working condition, that you have all of your equipment or know where it is, camo is clean, doesn't need repair/replacement and start working on your scent reduction.

You can only organize your equipment so much, after that it never hurts to read or look over aerials. Good place to start with the reading is right here in the HSO threads, surfing the web or reading printed material. If you get put to sleep doing that look at aerials of property you hunt or would like to hunt in the future. Notice the neighboring property, funnels, food sources, water sources etc.. You may just find things you didn't notice or locations that could have potential.

Finishing touches- If your fall plots aren't planted yet get to it! Come the start of September the weather can be hit or miss. You may not get much rain and if your product requires a 45 day growing period you may be cutting it close to the first frosts.

If your shooting lanes aren't totally completed you may want to get out there soon and trim any limbs or trees that may be in you're way. By putting the finishing touches on by mid August, it will give you enough time before the season to be confident that you may not be driving the deer off their patterns before the season even starts.

[Bear55]

Just to add on to Buckmasters practice post, there can come a point where over practicing can hurt you. Quantity doesn't alwasy mean quality. If you become tired or lose concentration your shooting form can suffer or you can pick up bad habits. By all means practice a lot but know when to quit if your groups get worse the longer you shoot. I use to shoot too much and actually get worse, I have since learned to walk away and come back, it always helped me shoot better.

[BEEFEATER]

Just shot a nice 9 point

[deerminator]

I second Bear's practice tip. Don't overdo it. This time of year, I switch over to my broadheads and will shoot a dozen arrows at my Glendel buck in an "intensive" practice session. I take my time. I make every shot count as if I were hunting. And I shoot standing, sitting, kneeling, bending, and so on. I will try to shoot at least every other day but it may only be a few arrows. Just enough to make sure I still feel good and the equipment is working. You should never feel the need to get X number of shots in if everything appears to be working for you.

[Finlander]

Practice when it's raining or snowing out! You'll be surprised shooting in the elements!

[Meat-Run]

today I'll start shooting with broad heads hoping that the same ones are good to go. Question for all how many arrows do you bring into the stand with you, I bring no more then 4 and one is a field tip or a thumper just incase I see a grouse, raccoon, or yote.

MR

[goblueM]

today I'll start shooting with broad heads hoping that the same ones are good to go. Question for all how many arrows do you bring into the stand with you, I bring no more then 4 and one is a field tip or a thumper just incase I see a grouse, raccoon, or yote.

MR

I bring 4 - usually one is a muzzy I've shot before if'n a groundhog comes in range.

The way I've been shooting this year I might have to bring 4 good ones... I missed twice on Friday morning. Just ridiculous, first time I'd ever missed a deer with the bow, and it happened twice in an hour

[Bear55]

Opening weekend tip, its been dry the latter half of the summer depending on your area and even more dry the past few weeks. A water hole might be far more productive than food sources this weekend. I was going to target acorns but that might get put on hold while I hit the liquid life.

[Finlander]

I'm going to the local farm store and buy a galvanized 6" deep by three foot diameter tub and put it in a location where water will drain into it during a rain storm and have ti near my treestand!

Fill with well water first!

[Bear55]

Good plan Fin, I've been thinking about adding a water hole in spot for a while now, I should have done it 4-5 months ago.

[bigbucks]

I'm going to the local farm store and buy a galvanized 6" deep by three foot diameter tub and put it in a location where water will drain into it during a rain storm and have ti near my treestand!

Fill with well water first!

Since when do we get rain storms in MN? Just kidding you, it's been so long since we've had any appreciable rain it's crazy...