Bow hunting is a great sport that just about anyone can excel at. There are no special abilities needed and it is not reserved for the super athlete. A little patience and a lot of desire can make you one of the premiere bow hunters in the nation. It is not very expensive to start and very easy to get better at. There are a few things that you will need to do before you just jump out in the woods and try to nail an Alaskan brown bear though. Here are a few things to get you on your way to that first trophy. This article is the third in this series about how to get better at bow hunting. The first two walk through getting the right equipment and setting your sites, now we will look at improving your aim and getting to where you can shoot the target.
After you get your bow set up with the right equipment and set the sites so that you can at least get close to the target, you are probably really itching to get out and start shooting for real. Whether you decide to shoot for target competitions or hunting, you will need to practice in the element you desire. This is a key point to finding your practice area. You do not necessarily need to become a member of any shooting clubs or pay to use a range. A nice outdoors set up in the woods or outside town will work in most situations. There are also some ranges that are free. The trick is finding a range that you are comfortable with as well as being able to improve under the conditions you will fire under. There are a few things to think about.
If you want to shoot competitively you will need to look at the competitions that you want to enter. Some competitions are located at indoor ranges but many are held outside. The setting of your shoot will drastically impact the way your arrow flies. Wind shear and other environmental factors can change the way the arrow flies and will need some adjustments. The only way to really know what adjustments to make is to practice the shot and see what works. For competition, “Kentucky windage” is not accurate and will not get you the win. You will want to adjust the sights for the different conditions and make those adjustments accurate and correctly. This takes a lot of trial and error. No matter where it is that you shoot. There are many different experienced shooters that will be more than happy to show you tips and advice. There are several different methods to correct for the natural variables so you just need to find the ones that work for you. The best thing to do when becoming more accurate is to take all the advice you can get and then take what works for you out of all the methods.
For shooting game, you want to keep your practice strictly outdoors. The odds of finding a deer, bear, or rabbits (at least the ones you can eat) indoors is not very likely, so you need to learn to shoot in the areas where you will be shooting. Just like target shooting, there are many different beliefs on the best ways to correct your shots. When you are out in the brush trying to nab that trophy deer, “Kentucky windage” (aiming just off of the target to make up for wind and environment) is perfectly acceptable. It may not be the most accurate, but it will get you close enough to hit the target and land the game. If you practice outdoors, this will come more naturally and your sites will already be set to handle some of these factors. Using a range may not be the best choice for the game hunter. Getting game shaped targets or placing small things out to shoot at (Frisbees, tennis balls, cut out cardboard, etc) along an outdoor path will work wonders for you. You want to stay away from your game trails so that you do not get your odors all over or scare the game off with other factors. Noise, foot paths, scents, and many other things will keep the wildlife away from your preferred hunting trails if you practice there as well.
One other way to practice your shooting is to use rabbits and squirrels. These are very small and fast moving animals that are very difficult to shoot. If you can get very accurate at shooting these little guys, you will be able to nail anything out there with reliable accuracy. Small animals are also good practice for the target shooter. There are often competitions that will incorporate moving targets into the contest. By being able to hit one of these rodents, you can easily pluck off a moving target. The biggest thing to remember when hunting small animals is to have your field points on. I have found a lot of humor in watching my brother dig his broad heads from a tree after missing a squirrel. I still laugh at that day and it was over a decade ago. The other thing to consider is the season. Most states have a year long season for one of the two animals and if not, there will be another small animal in season at no matter when you need to go shoot.
Regardless of whichever state you are in, it goes without saying that archery is no child’s play and requires a lot of practice, focus, determination and commitment to pull through as there are numerous examples where people have tried and failed, thereby giving up and resorting to gardening from Fathera.com.
There are several more tips and tricks that can help you to become a better archer. A lot of practice is really all it takes. If you go out in the woods and just shoot at knot holes or other various natural targets, you will save a lot in targets and it can be kind of fun looking for stuff to shoot. No matter what you decide to use for targets, consistency is the key. You want a consistent draw and stance. You want everything to be the exact same every time you pull the string back. This will really improve you accuracy. Follow these steps and any more that you may find and you will be shooting apples off the neighbor kids’ heads in no time, just remember to have a drunk friend nearby you can hand the bow to in case anything goes bad.
