Week 14: Start Shooting One arrow a Day

Stands are hung, the bow is shooting well and you’ve picked your broadhead. Now, it’s time to work on situational shooting. Starting this week, and continuing throughout the season, make it a point to take one shot everyday.

Use an arrow with the same model broadhead you will be hunting with. Set the alarm on your phone for 30 seconds and walk in a large circle or just wander around with no particular rhyme or reason. Once the alarm goes off, find the target. Can you make the shot? The only way to find out is to try. This simulates a real hunting situation. One where you will need to guess yardages, compensate for angles, obstructions and even weather conditions. Sometimes it’s okay to say, “No, this is not a shot I would take,” and walk around again to reposition yourself. Once you decide it’s an ethical shot, go through your routine:

• RELAX – Everything, from body position to anchor point, should be relaxed; stay away from the tense or “bunched” feeling. Float the pin around the target.
• RELEASE – the release should be smooth. Don’t punch the trigger.
• HOLD your aim all the way through the arrows flight. Continue to aim until the arrow actually penetrates the target.

While you rarely get a second chance in the wild, at home, you do. If you mess up the first shot, try to understand why. Take a few more shots to determine what you need to work on. Do you need to get better at estimating yardages? Pin-placement when an animal isn’t broadside? Still, it’s best to think of situations as “one-shot, one-kill” moments. Learn your limitations so you won’t shoot beyond them during the season.