Pre-Season Tune Up for Bow Hunting

by Steve Layton & Gary Finch

One of the oddest bow stands I’ve ever hunted required that I first pass a test.

My guide, Pat Moore, asked if I could shoot while sitting down. In those days, as an eager 24-year-old, my response was a quick “yes sir”.

 “Good” he said. He stepped off twenty-five of his long strides and said “Sit on this five gallon bucket. When I say draw, you draw . . . and hold it. Don’t shoot until I say shoot.” 

I sat on the bucket facing a hay bale with a white paper plate pinned to it. Pat stood beside me while looking at his wrist watch and said “draw”. I carefully and deliberately drew and held the sight pin on target for what seemed like an eternity until he said “shoot”. The shot hit the plate and he simply said “You’re riding with me.”

We arrived at a huge corn field where we walked northward up a row of standing corn. There was a slight breeze in our face and the stalks and husks were dry and noisy as we brushed against them. Up ahead, I could see a short ground blind fashioned out of burlap material and cut stalks. A wider lane had been cut in front of the blind and led out to what looked like one of those alien crop circles I had seen on the front of a grocery store tabloid.

“When you hear the deer jump that fence to your right, you better draw. If you wait until you see them, it will be too late. I’ve been watching them from the shooting house from way across the field and timed them. It takes 38 seconds for them to reach this lane. They’ll only stand here from 5 to 10 seconds before making it across that open circle and going into the standing corn. Got it?”

“Yes sir.”

With that as his explanation, Pat turned and simply said, “Take a seat and good luck.”

As any archer will tell you, a lot of factors have to come into proper alignment for bow hunting success to occur. The day of a hunt is not the appropriate time to work out all the quirks and kinks associated with equipment, technique, or conditioning.

Unlike gun hunting, bow hunters require a great deal more than a trigger finger to accomplish a shot. In an actual hunting situation, bow limbs still have to be drawn and held on target. This position may have to be held for a length of time before a clear shot is presented. Observing proper conditioning practices, while drawing a bow, will help to prevent injuries. The most common injuries usually involve the elbow and shoulder joints, along with some crucial back muscles.

Two situations that should never be a factor in an archer’s injury are incorrect equipment or poor conditioning. There are very few bow hunters who would consider shooting the same bow they used 30 years ago. Innovations in archery equipment seem to change at the same pace as laptops and cell phones. Today’s bow hunters can now comfortably hold less weight while shooting lighter arrows at almost twice the speeds of bows from the late 1970’s.

Archery equipment has made a quantum leap since the day I sat on that bucket. I’m a long way from 24 now, and no longer have the strength or desire to draw and hold a 70 lb. bow with 30 % let-off. Bow manufacturers have achieved faster arrow speeds through better designs, materials, and ergonomics. The equipment is quiet, quicker, and fits the individual shooter. There are a lot of aging archers who are still out there “slinging arrows” simply because they recognized their limitations and found compensation through better and safer equipment.

More and more bow hunters are also coming to realize the benefits of year-round shooting. This is especially effective for maintaining proper conditioning and technique. It would be hard for a tournament golfer to step up to the tee box in confidence without having swung a club in nine months. There is a lot to be said for maintaining the proper conditioning and muscle memory required for shooting a bow. Not only does conditioning build confidence for the hunter, it also may prevent a serious back, elbow, or shoulder injury that could ruin the season.

Seasonal shooting should start during the warm months and gradually increase as the hunting days approach. During these pre-season practice sessions, the muscles are already warm and more easily stretched and exercised. A routine of light shooting each day will pay dividends later. On the flip-side, the act of being unprepared and jumping into a stand, on a cold morning, is the perfect recipe for a strained or torn muscle. Without prior conditioning and practice, making the attempt to draw a hunting bow in a cold, damp, tree stand will feel more like trying to straighten a horse shoe.

Those little shooting sessions in the afternoons allow bow hunters to work out muscles, techniques, anchor points, distances, and situations. A mixture of shooting in both standing and sitting positions will also have you ready for making those awkward hunting shots . . . even the ones that come while seated on a five-gallon bucket.