To Be an Ethical Bowhunter, Practice is Required
Being ready to hunt in the fall calls for plenty of practice and preparation in the summer
Once upon a time, standard advice for new bowhunters was: “If you can hit a pie pan at 20 yards, you’re good to go deer hunting.” Of course, pie pans come in quite a few sizes, but most are 8 to 12 inches in diameter. That’s a pretty big target. Missing your mark by 8 inches on a live deer is likely to result in wounding or missing it altogether.
The truth is, some old-time bowhunting advice needs to be put out to pasture. Being able to hit an 8-inch circle at 20 yards is just not good enough to be an ethical bowhunter, particularly given the capabilities of today’s equipment. With a modern compound bow setup, being able to hit a cupcake wrapper at 20 yards, or maybe a Little Debbie cake, is a much better yardstick.
OK, enough with the baked goods. Being an ethical bowhunter requires precision shooting. And to be able to do that, you must adopt a consistent practice routine. You are, after all, heading afield with the intent to take an animal’s life. With good shot placement, Wasp Broadheads will accomplish that in seconds. But no broadhead will work if it misses the mark.
SUMMER PRACTICE ROUTINES
Ideally, you took good care of your equipment at the end of last hunting season, stored it properly, and have replaced any worn servings, D-loops, strings, or cables that needed replacing. With early hunting seasons only a couple months away, you should be starting on a practice routine that’ll have you ready to hit the woods.
Early practice sessions should be fun, informal, and done mostly at close range. The goal here is to just start shooting again to recondition your muscles and your mind. You want to be sure your bow is tuned up and shooting straight, but don’t worry about hitting exactly where you’re aiming just yet. Chances are your form is a bit rusty. If you need to make sight or rest adjustments, do it later, once you’re shooting consistently. Shoot until you start feeling a little fatigue, and then take a rest. For the average bowhunter, that’s probably 25 to 40 arrows. If you feel a little sore the next day, that’s good.
Gradually condition yourself until you’re able to shoot more arrows at a time, and maybe a few practice sessions per day. Fine-tune your sight and rest adjustment, and incorporate some longer-distance targets into your routine. Even if you don’t plan to shoot a deer beyond 30 yards, practicing to 40 yards and beyond makes the closer shots seem easy.
HONING IN ON FALL
As hunting season nears, consider adding some real-world field practice to your routine. Local 3-D shoots are a great way to practice in an outdoor setting, and the casual competition puts a little mental pressure on each arrow released. At home, take the time to shoot from ground blind chairs, out of treestands, and from your knees. Practice shooting at unknown distances, but keep a rangefinder handy to verify things after the fact. Being able to quickly eyeball the difference in a 20-yard and 
30-yard shot is a very useful skill in bowhunting.
For most of your pre-season practice, you need good field points. Wasp Field Points are available in both 100- and 125-grain sizes, and with thread patterns to fit most of the popular insert and outsert systems on the market. They’re precision weighted and constructed from 100% steel, meaning they’ll fly straight and last a long time. As the summer evenings get a little shorter and the countdown to opening day of hunting season begins, be sure to get in some practice with your favorite broadheads, too, and stock up on some sharp new replacement blades. Also consider complementing your hunting arrows with good lighted nocks, like our Vesta Lighted Compound Bow Nocks. They have an easy on / off switch, are available in Orange, Red, and Green, and they press-fit into most standard sized carbon arrow shafts. They’re lightweight at 28 grains, but still a touch heavier than a standard nock. Be sure to check your tune after installing them.
All that practice and preparation creates a good foundation for confidence, and confidence—the kind that comes from knowing you can hit a cupcake wrapper every time at 20 yards—is really what’s required to be an ethical bowhunter.
— By Wasp Archery Staff; Bowhunters image by John Hafner
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