Introduction

I can always tell when archery season is getting close when the grass in my field starts to block the vitals on my life sized 3D elk target. That’s when I know I have to really buckle down and make any last changes to my equipment and take my practice into that next stage. What do I mean by next stage? Well, most everyone practices all summer long in their shorts, tee shirt and flip flops. They go to set yardages like 20, 30, 40 yards and fling arrows from the same worn down spot in the grass they’ve stood all summer. Most of the time standing flat footed, feet shoulder width apart and the target on level ground. Although this is great for building up muscle memory, confidence and making sure your pins are on, it’s not at all realistic to how it’s going to really go down when you get that one opportunity you’ve worked so hard to find. Most likely you’ll be slightly winded, caught standing in an uncomfortable position with an angled shot.

The Next Stage

The first thing I’ll do to better prepare myself is by practicing in what clothing & gear I will most likely be wearing. I like to wear a long sleeve lightweight hoody at the beginning of the season so I choose to practice in it as well. Then a must to practice is my bino harness and rangefinder pouch. I even like to shoot some with my backpack on as well. Many times I’ve been caught and not able to slip my pack off, so learning to shoot with it on is a great idea and a big confidence builder when you know you can be accurate either way.

The second thing I change up is where I shoot from. Instead of hitting the exact yardages my pins are sighted in for, I will hit random distances like 27, 33, 46, etc. This is huge in

learning exactly where to hold on those “inbetween” shots and really helps me feel more confident at any distance the shot might occur at.

The third thing I like to do differently at this stage is shoot from different shooting positions like kneeling on both knees, kneeling on one knee, sitting in a chair or stump to simulate a ground blind or treestand setup. A lot of times when bowhunting you’re having to crawl in those last precious yards to make it happen and ultimately end up shooting from your knees. Very rarely do you get the opportunity to be standing, feet shoulder width apart. Learning to shoot from any position will greatly increase your odds when things happen fast and you need to make every second count.

The fourth thing I always suggest to people when it comes to being ready is to draw your bow back and hold it for as long as you possibly can before locking on and executing your shot. I can’t tell you how many times I have witnessed elk or deer hanging up and forcing me to hold my bow for much, much longer than I typically would on a normal day of practice. The longer you can stay on target accurately will do nothing but increase your odds of connecting out there.

Lastly, if you hunt the mountains and steeper country like I do out west, practice shooting at uphill , downhill, and sidehill angles. This is essential to ensure your form is perfectly aligned and you’re properly using your bubble level at the bottom of your sight cage. If you are doing anything wrong it will become clearly obvious when shooting these shots. Not to mention many of the shots I have taken over the years have been uphill or downhill.

By the time you’re done with this process you’ll be able to kneel down at any random yardage, hold your bow for 3 times as long as you’re used to and 12 ring your target at any shot angle. I know this shooting process has sure helped my confidence in any scenario and I hope you get the same results!

Best of luck out there!