Hunting season is just around the corner. I can already it smell it. Here in British Columbia the archery season opens in most areas on the 1st of September. If you’re like me you knocked months ago on doors to gain permission to hunt new land. You already scouted and placed your treestands for the early season. But are you hitting exactly where you’re aiming at with your bow or rifle?Fact is, that when everything is done right and that deer stands in front of you it all boils down to making that one shot count. Now is the time to head to the shooting range and hone your shooting skills and make necessary changes and not a day or two before deer season opens. During the hunting season we encounter every possible climate from the hot days of the early season to the bitter cold sub zero temperatures of the late season.
Did you know that shooting and holding a bow or firearm changes the more clothing you put on? I hold my bow or rifle different in the early season when I only wear a T-Shirt then in the late season when I am all dressed up like an Eskimo. In order to learn and get familiar with that difference I have to practice ahead of the season wearing different clothing. I always shoot wearing my hunting clothing including gloves and facemask.
I also practice shooting in different positions, such as from a treestand, leaning against a tree, kneeling, sitting and twisting my upper body backward. In short, ones my bow or firearm is sighted in I do all my practice shooting under simulated hunting conditions. This type of practice has given me the confidence to take any shot that might present itself in the whitetail deer woods. When the buck stands in front of me the last thing I want to worry about is if I can make that shot. In addition as a ethical hunter I want to make absolutely sure that I can accurately hit what I am aiming at under any condition that might present itself.
Don’t leave your shooting to chance or guessing. Head to the range now don’t leave it until a few days before hunting season opens. Knowing your abilities and limitations will make you a better and consequently a more successful hunter.
Learn more about my widely acclaimed line of deer hunting seminars or our deer hunting courses.
Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit
2 comments:
Gret post and good tips Othmar. In the past when i bow hunted I always tried to practice with what I was going to wear at the time and also practiced from a tree stand.
You are very correct in your thinking. When it comes to hunting you need to be prepared to harvest humanely and quickly and that comes from practice and practice with your equipment.
Grate post Othmar! I spend all year shooting my bow but it is grate to hear what I should do from someone else to get me motivated.
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