By Mark Fike
Archery season is now in nationwide. Each year thousands of archers take to the woods in their quest for bringing home fresh meat for their freezer and for some, a trophy on the wall to reminisce about down the road.
As with any hunting experience, mistakes can be made and sometimes our hunt is not successful. Here are important tips to having a successful archery hunt.
1-Practice, practice, practice
It sounds like common sense because it is. However, many don’t practice enough and when an animal presents itself, the hunter starts thinking about the animal and not as much about what they need to do to make a lethal shot with their bow. If you practice enough, then your body takes over while your mind deals with the other variables that suddenly enter the picture. Make some muscle memory BEFORE getting in the stand.
2—Practice hunt like situations
Many hunters can hit a target repeatedly in the yard or on the range but things get tricky when in a stand shooting downward and around branches. Practice from your stand if possible or in an elevated position at your house. I have climbed up on my shed roof to practice at times. Practice with the clothes you will be wearing too.
3—Know your limitations
Know how far you can consistently hit the kill zone and stick to that. There is no point in arrowing an elk or deer but not killing it only to have coyotes or wolves eat it later. It is not ethical or humane. If your limit is 35 yards then stick to 35 yards.
4—Know the ranges around your stand
This goes with knowing your limitations. You have to know your ranges to hit the target. Many hunters have range finders but it is still a good idea to know what range certain trees are or stumps or rocks within your area in the event an animal shows up without giving you time to range the actual animal. Have set ranges picked out.
5—Use sharp broadheads
One time I used an old broadhead. I was being cheap in that I was not wanting to throw away an old broadhead. A shot at a mature buck impacted the deer in the shoulder but did not punch through which translates to a poor blood trail. I tried tracking it and then it began to rain. I lost the deer. I feel that if I had a sharpened broadhead or a new broadhead, the deer would have expired quicker. I still feel ill over that choice today.
6—When shooting, bend at the waist—don’t drop the arm
My father in law hunts out west and shared this tip with me. Bending at the waist keeps all things lined up as they should be. Dropping the arm results in missed shots. Practice this on up close and downward shots.
7—Visualize the vitals as you prepare to shoot
Not all animals are perfectly broadside. Visualize the vitals and adjust your entry hole shot for that angle. Keep in mind where heavy bone is and wait for a shot that will pass through.
8–Recover your arrows
Look for your arrows and inspect them for blood, crud, and hair. Hopefully you see bright red blood and the appropriate hair color. If you find pieces of matter from the stomach, call a friend for back up. Your tracking job just got harder. Dark red is a liver hit which is fatal but the animal will go further. On less than optimal shots, give the animal more time if possible.
9—Don’t give up on your tracking
Sometimes it takes a while for animals to bleed. This is particularly true if the arrow did not pass through or if the shot was high. So, if you don’t have blood but feel you made a good shot, stick with it. Make arcs in your slow and methodical search to find blood or the animal. Leave signs where you find blood.