Most bowhunters are so excited before the season starts that they practice every chance they get. However, once opening day comes and goes, practice becomes less appealing and soon all the benefit they received from months of practice begins to erode away.

Don’t let this be your pattern. Even the best habits disappear if you don’t take the time to reinforce them. Daily practice during the hunting season is the most important step you can take to maintain your form and your confidence.

The strength required to draw and aim in a relaxed and steady way is not something that’s built up naturally in our daily lives. The muscles we use in archery are not muscles we use for many other activities, so they need specialized training to stay strong. The best way to keep your shooting muscles strong is to shoot.

In the same way, the ability to focus on a small spot on the target as you aim and squeeze the trigger slowly is also an unnatural habit that requires constant reinforcement. There is no way around it, you have to practice during the season if you want to maintain your edge.

Several of my friends shoot with me during the summer as we all prepare for the season. They become darn good shots by opening day. They are using perfect form all the way through the shot. Yet, some of those same guys turn back into twitching, trigger slammers just two months later. A lack of practice has replaced all their good habits with the same old bad habits they worked so hard to break. I can’t emphasize this too much: You have to practice during the season if you hope to execute well when the shot you have waited for all year finally arrives.

As a minimum, practice enough during the season to maintain your form. That means you should make it a goal to shoot 20 to 30 perfect arrows every second or third day. Take your time and shoot each one with maximum concentration. Be realistic; wear your hunting jacket, gloves and face mask (if you use one) so you’ll be accustomed to the feel, encumbrance and sight picture that you will face under real hunting conditions.

As the weather gets colder and the clothing becomes thicker, this type of practice is even more important. Don’t try to make your practice sessions easy so you shoot well. Make them realistic so you are ready.

Shots that seemed easy during the summer may begin to seem difficult by mid-season. While practicing, mix in shots from your maximum effective range, and spend the time to troubleshoot and correct any bad habits that may creep into your form. The most common culprits of a mid-season shooting slump are trigger punching, dropping your bow arm during the shot (or right after), tension in your bow hand (or snapping it shut during the shot) and waning physical strength.

Stick with the fundamentals and be thorough. Don’t let any bad habits creep into your shooting now. If practice time is limited, don’t rush through 30 arrows; instead shoot fewer arrows but give each one of them total concentration.

PRACTICE WITH BROADHEADS

Unless you shoot mechanical broadheads and are satisfied that they fly exactly like your field points, you should do most of your in-season practice with broadheads. This will improve confidence and allow you to identify problems on the range that might not show up when shooting field points. Broadheads are more sensitive to arrow flight problems than field points. A slight change in arrow flight can have a big effect on broadhead accuracy but little effect on field point accuracy. So, be sure to use broadheads.

Many bowhunters don’t shoot their broadheads often enough during the season because they don’t have a good broadhead target. There are several closed-cell foam targets on the market; all are sturdy enough for a few shots each afternoon during the season. But few will take the abuse of extended practice sessions.

I’ve tried many broadhead targets and my personal favorite is the Block Target and 4×4 from Field Logic. Morrell also makes good broadhead targets. Both brands are portable enough for you to take the target with you in the back of your truck or car and pull it out to practice during the hunt. Even a pile of clean, packed sand will make a passable broadhead target if you have nothing else available.

BULKY CLOTHES

Thick clothing is an unfortunate reality of late fall and winter bowhunting. It produces problems that plague many bowhunters. I definitely shoot better when I’m warm and wearing thin outerwear. When I’m cold and stiff, I find it harder to relax and settle into the shot. It’s only natural to put on heavy clothing in an attempt to stay warm on days like this. However, two problems result. First, you may find that all those layers bind your arms and shoulders making it hard to reach full draw. Second, thick sleeves often find their way into the forward path of the bowstring.

Wear a thick vest to eliminate layers from your arms. That will free up your draw and help reduce bowstring interference. If you still have a problem, find an armguard. Only by practicing in your heavy clothes will you know what to expect when hunting and only then will you be fully prepared.