Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Off-Season Training Techniques
This time of year is one when very few bowhunters or target archers practice unless they shoot in a league. Many people stow their bows, kick back, and watch the Super Bowl or sleep robbers on television.
The football game is great to watch, but old reruns or out-of-touch movies are a bore. Game shows are even worse, but don’t get me started on that.
Training with a hunting or target bow is relatively easy in the off-season even if we don’t have access to a target. There are targets everywhere in the house, attic, basement or garage as long as you don’t shoot an arrow.
Anyone who has shot for many years needs the conditioning that comes from drawing a bow and aiming. The shots, when an arrow is loosed at a proper target, can usually take care of themselves if everything else is done properly.
I was talking to a guy recently, and he had picked his bow up for the first time since he stopped hunting in December. He doesn’t have a place to shoot, and he wondered if I had any ideas.
One is to simply draw the bow and aim at the knob on top that holds the lampshade to the lamp. Ease back, aim at the knob, and let up. Walk through the house, and draw down on other targets.
The top of a coffee pot makes an excellent target. You know that bowl of fruit on the table? Aim at the top apple or orange. Stop, come to full draw and put the sight on a particular piece of fruit.
This does two things: It helps keep back and shoulder muscles tuned up, and it gives you many opportunities to draw on targets of opportunity. Pick out one flower in a vase filled with flowers and aim.
The doorknob going outside is another key target. Pick out objects about the size of a deer’s heart and lung area. Don’t aim at the refrigerator or stove, but aim at the name plate on the fridge or the electric clock on the stove. Be precise about where to aim, and concentrate on that one specific area.
If you have one of those chandeliers with many lights on it, draw and aim at each light bulb on it. This is usually easier to do if the light is turned off.
See that sock laying on the floor? Aim as if you are going to shoot it. Ease up, pick up the sock and stow it in the clothes hamper, and just because it is there, draw and aim at the dials on the washer and dryer.
Put on your hunting clothes, and head for the garage. It’s good practice to draw while wearing extra clothing because it simulates actual hunting conditions. Find a gallon jug of windshield washer fluid, and practice drawing and aiming at the jug label.
Set up, draw and aim at the side-view mirror. Do it just right, and you’ll see someone aiming at you. It’s just your reflection, but the target size is just right to simulate a deer’s vitals.
Don’t just aim at a mirror or whatever; pick a spot in the middle or at one end of these imaginary targets. This helps train body, brain, and eyes to zero in on the precise point where a killing shot is possible.
Many people have enough room in a basement to shoot at a Block target or some other type. Even if you can only shoot 10 yards, do it as often as possible.
The best bow hunters and target archers I know try to practice a little bit each day. It keeps their muscles toned up, and enables them to shoot under realistic conditions.
If you can’t shoot, practice drawing and aiming at household items of about the same size as a deer’s vitals. Come next fall when the bow season is underway, all this practice of drawing and aiming will have proved itself worthwhile.—The Whitetail Wizard