Chris Bates
Follow these three tips to improve accuracy before bow season. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
Missing your paper or 3D targets isn’t fun; wounding an animal is worse. That’s why bowhunters constantly seek to improve their accuracy. Here are three tips to improve accuracy before bow season starts.
Find An Archery Coach
Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent. Many archers shoot hundreds of arrows with poor form, release or follow-through. This practice makes these bad habits permanent. Get competent coaching to be sure that your practice is helping you, not hurting you.
You can find a coach by contacting a nearby archery shop to schedule lessons or joining a local archery club.
- If you’re new to archery, a one-hour lesson at least every two weeks will get you primed for bowhunting season.
- Even experienced archers can increase their focus and accuracy by taking monthly lessons.
- To capitalize on your lessons, practice regularly between sessions. We know that’s seldom as easy as it sounds; most archers struggle to practice enough.
Time-Efficient Practice
If you lack time to practice, don’t despair. You don’t have to shoot dozens of arrows to build muscle memory. All you need is one arrow.
If you have a backyard range but little time to use it, one-arrow practice is a great solution. Shoot once at your target each day, with no warm-up or make-up shots. By taking only one shot, you must concentrate and do everything right, just like when you’re bowhunting. Mix up your shooting angles, distances or shooting positions each day to keep things challenging.
Then, find one hour per week for a more in-depth practice session. Maximize that hour by crafting a plan with training goals and setting precise times for each goal.
Here’s a sample practice plan:
- Warm up for 15 minutes.
- Work on your release at a blank bale for 15 minutes.
- Work on the mental process for 15 minutes.
- Practice judging distances for 15 minutes.
Realistic Hunting Practice
Practicing your form and building muscle memory are vital to success, but they won’t fully prepare you for hunting season. You can make your practice more realistic by setting up various hunting scenarios to test the skills you’ve been honing.
For example, if you plan to hunt from a tree stand, practice shooting from a tree stand or raised platform while wearing your camouflage clothes and safety harness. Shoot while seated, kneeling or with unusual footing; as well as uphill and downhill.
You’ll further benefit by practicing at organized 3D shoots, which add pressure to your training. There are many 3D shoots in Wisconsin during the summer months. The more you practice while under pressure, the more you will learn to handle bowhunting’s many nerve-rattling situations.
Bowhunting is a never-ending challenge, but the harder you practice, the easier it gets. If you practice strategically this summer, you’ll be calmer and better prepared when it’s time to shoot this fall.
