DALE SUNDERLIN
Star Beacon
July 21, 2008 09:25 pm
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Some of you may say it’s a little too early to start thinking about bow season, but if you’re going to do it right and be successful, then you should have probably started gettin’ ready by now.
For many of us, including myself, bow hunting for deer is not just a passion; it’s a way of life. If we’re not trying to fill tags, we’re reliving the hunts or remembering the mistakes that will eternally infect our minds. We read about it, investigate the latest gear, and make plans for the season to come. I myself start thinking about next season while I’m in the stand the last day of the season that is passing.
That last part is particularly important because how you prepare for next season plays a large part in the memories you’ll receive away from it.With that in mind, here are a few things that every bowhunter should do well before the smell of autumn is in the air.
Fine tune it
Whether you use a compound, longbow, or recurve, the basic elements of bow tuning are equal. The most indispensable element is the right arrow. If you’re not sure what that is, consult a manufacturer’s shaft selection chart.
First, however, you’ll need to know your bow’s draw weight, type of cams (if any), and your draw length. This information will yield a short list of arrows that will match your outfit.
Once you’ve selected from that list, adjust the bow’s nocking point and arrow rest until you achieve optimum arrow flight. A quick search on the Internet will provide sound advice on how to do this. There are also books, videos, and DVDs available that explain the process very well.
It’s well worth the effort. A tuned bow shoots arrows more accurately and, with increased penetration, the two prerequisites for the hunting archer.
Check the pieces parts
Once your bow has been tuned, it’s time to think about how all of its pieces parts work together. The idea is to review each accessory to ensure that each is useful and quiet in the field.
Start by making sure that you have a reliable hunting sight. Your peep sight, if you use one, should have a large aperture, advantageous to use in low light.
Similarly, your sight pins should be highly radiant and fine or as small as possible. The bigger the pin, the harder it is to settle on a small spot on a distant animal.
While you’re at it, ask yourself how many pins you really need. Many bowhunters use only two, one set at 20 and the other at 30 yards. This covers practical hunting distances while leaving an uncluttered sight picture. I myself prefer a pendulum, but whatever your preference, the offseason is the time to decide what works for you.
While you’re at it, you’ll need to assess your stabilizer, silencers, quiver, release and grip to ensure that everything works efficiently.
Lastly, decide on a broadhead that shoots well from your bow. This may take some doing and put a dent in your pocket book because there are so many brands and styles on the market nowadays. Once you’ve found and decided on one and are totally satisfied, stick with it. Having confidence in our broadhead can make the difference between a harvest and an all night search for your harvest.
Practice, practice, practice
As I said a couple of weeks ago, practice, practice, practice. Every bowhunter has been presented with this counsel. Yet few practice as much as they should.
I myself suffer from the “I’ll fling a few tomorrow” syndrome. Although this year Janie and I are actually hitting the targets at least two, to three times a week, so far.
We’ve done enough shooting on the ground that soon we’ll be ready to head to the tree stand we have set up in our side yard. Once in this situation, I change my mind set. I act as if the 3D target is that monster buck I’ve been waiting for all my life. I tell myself everything is riding on this one shot.
Absorption becomes crucial; you must become totally engrossed in making that one shot count. As I draw, I try to maintain proper form, and aim at one particular spot on the deer. You need to make every effort for a perfect shot, concentrating on sight alignment, breath control and trigger squeeze or, in this case, release.
Lastly, but just as important, is follow through. Hold your form and watch that arrow hit your target.
Though most of my practice is within my maximum bowhunting range of 30 yards, I will ultimately see what my bow will do if pressed to the limits. For most of you, range guesstamation skills are also vital. When you set your targets, don’t pace it off or measure the distance.
As I said, I use a Keller Pendulum, so for me this is a mute point. Before each shot, guess the yardage. Afterwards, use a rangefinder or pace it off to find out what the range actually was.
As the season draws closer, try to practice while wearing your hunting garb. Also, shoot from awkward positions, as if a deer looped behind you. Try shooting off to the hard left or right. In addition, always try to move slowly and purposely when coming to full draw, just as you would need to do in the tree stand.
You probably practice differently, and that’s OK. There are hundreds of inventive ways to do so. As long as you are missing the kill zone or loosing arrows regularly, keep practicing and trying to imitate hunting situations. Strive for exactness in each shot; you’re doing a service to yourself and the deer you hunt this autumn.
Scout early
The offseason, especially before green-up, is the time to explore your deer woods and get to know the terrain. Make these jaunts un-intrusive and infrequent. Put simply, you don’t want to educate the deer you plan on hunting.
Begin by visiting known feeding areas, such as isolated hay fields or old orchards, in the middle of the day. Then backtrack those trails that lead into them in hopes of finding bedding areas.
Along the way, note good stand locations; places where trails meet, or where deer will be funneled by terrain or man-made obstacles such as fences. Pay special attention to old scrapes, last year’s rubs, and concentrations of scat, as well as places where you actually see deer.
If you have one, mark these things on your GPS. With the collective information you’ve gathered and with the experiences of previous seasons and the prevailing wind, stand placement decisions become easier.
Find new hot spots
The old saying about the grass being always greener doesn’t just apply to cattle. Most hunters know of good hunting spots they’d like access to. Sometimes, social groups, friends who know the landowner, your standing in the community or good fortune, might provide a reasonable chance at securing permission. But most times, you need to go knocking on doors.
If you are thinking of this, don’t wait until the day before the opener. People are much more apt to consider your request if it is the first one, rather than one of many, a situation where they sometimes feel it's easiest to say no to everyone.
Asking early gives a landowner time to learn a little more about you and your sport. It also expresses that you are more serious than those who are scrambling for last-minute hunting spots and, should permission be granted, it gives you time to scout.
Remember last year
As I told you before, you should learn something from every bowhunting mistake. I know I sure did last year. However, you should also learn from successes and, unbelievably, I’ve had a few of them in my time.
The deer are constantly teaching us lessons that shouldn’t just be filed away. Instead, each encounter should be examined for the things you did right and wrong, as well as for why the deer acted the way it did. Grasping these lessons brings you one step closer to back straps in the upcoming season.
Scent strategy is a must
A first-rate hunter never underestimates a deer’s sense of smell. That’s why hunting with a favorable wind is so imperative. However, when a deer gets up close and personal, it also pays off to have a proven scent strategy. And, once again, the offseason is the time to work this out.
That’s when you need to talk to successful hunters, make inquiries and make a list of cover and attractor scents that will give you an edge. You’ll also want to talk to them about and look for scent blocker clothing.
Offseason is the best time to pick up deals and sales on hunting clothing as well as body washes, shampoos and clothing containment systems. Once you find the right products, add them to your arsenal of goodies.
Stand location and height
If you hunt on private property, you have the luxury of setting up your tree stands early. This allows time for the deer to get used to them and provides you with good options no matter what opening day brings.
At high percentage spots, such as old apple orchards, you might want to try to have at least two stands set up so that you can hunt the place regardless of the wind direction.
While you’re at it, determine the appropriate stand heights for different locations, generally, as high as the situation allows, within reason. I might have told you before mine are at anywhere from 25 to 30 feet up.
My call
When an ice cold concoction or a good walleye run in the lake are calling your name, all this preseason preparation might seem like work that you can put off until later. But don't be fooled. If you keep putting it off, it won’t happen.
Life gets in the way and the best of intentions fall by the wayside. Moreover, with it, so do your chances of taking that big buck. Don’t let that happen to you this season.
Remember, pass it on, or it will surely pass on.
Sunderlin is a freelance writer from Geneva. Reach him at djss@roadrunner.com.
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DALE SUNDERLIN Star Beacon