Archive for the ‘Bowhunting’ Category

More on practice, and talking turkey.

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

Fall turkey season is almost here, and thoughts of cranberries and stuffing sent me digging into the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s 2009-10 regs to make sure I’m up to speed on the do’s and don’ts of this year’s turkey seasons.

There’s some odd stuff in that part of the regs. Some specifications, like the limited open counties in the fall and the restriction on taking hens in the spring, make sense within the ODNR’s conservation mandate. But what about the rule that allows hunters to use dogs when hunting in the fall, but only allows dogs for tracing wounded birds in the spring? I’m going to call the folks at ODNR to learn more about how they lay out the seasons and their rules, and I’ll report on the results in the next few posts.

Photo by Matt Cunningham

Photo by Matt Cunningham

In the meantime, I want to touch on one more practice/accuracy item before leaving that topic to cool for a while.

Have I been spending too much time on that when I should be out in the woods? Perhaps, but proficiency is a dead serious topic for hunters, so I’m giving it the treatment I think it deserves.

One wounded animal, one misplaced shot, one hour spent tracking dying game as it heads for the hills is too many in my book. If you’ve been hunting long enough, you’ve had those situations happen. But never think for a moment that you’ll hunt long enough for those situations to not matter anymore.

Ok, off the soapbox. I want to suggest a cure for all of us who would really like more range time, but don’t have the space or resources to make target practice a daily routine. Hold and dry-fire practice is no substitute for range time, but it can go a long way to refining technique if you approach it from the right perspective.

First, don’t just think about the trigger. Yes, smooth trigger pull is important to a good shot, but so is breath control and shooting form. Try holding your aim on a point on the wall for a series of five “shots:” mount the rifle, aim, pull the trigger, then asses where you would have hit. Now do jumping jacks, push-ups, something to get your heart rate up and your muscles twitching. Try the drill again and see how you do. Takes more concentration, doesn’t it? Good.

I’ve seen improvements in my shot-to-shot consistency with both gun and bow after doing this drill, with one caveat: don’t do this unless you have a bulletproof method of keeping the bowstring from slipping out of your hand. No point in refining your form if you dry-fire your bow into oblivion the night before a hunt.

What other tricks do you use to keep sharp when you can’t shoot? Got any good ones to share? Use the comments section to let us know your thoughts, and good luck in the turkey woods this weekend.

Posted in Bowhunting, General hunting, gun hunting | No Comments »

For accuracy, function follows form

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

I hope all you archers out there are having a good early deer seaso1n. The first parts of the deer gun season will be here before you know it, and fall turkey season is less than a week away.

We’ll all be out in the woods doing our thing before long.

As everyone hits the woods, both bow and gun hunters should be very mindful of accuracy. And I am convinced that accuracy, my friends, has as much to do with your feet, hips and spine as it does your trigger finger and eye.

Think about how you shoot at the range. Not counting sandbag time for sighting in a firearm, do you fire most shots from a standing position, with feet evenly planted, back straight and upper body aligned to support the rifle or bow? Do you occasionally kneel, sit or go prone? If so, how often?

And just how often do you find yourself shooting from those exact positions in the field?

Photo by Matt Cunningham

Photo by Matt Cunningham

The last thing you’re going to find in the field (unless you’re very fortunate) is a flat, even spot where you can shoot across 50 yards of cut grass at a deer standing broadside. More likely, you’ll find yourself crouched under a tree or twisted at an odd angle in a treestand. How do a kinked spine and hunched shoulders affect your release or trigger pull? It probably doesn’t help.

There are two practice tips I use to overcome odd shot angles: First, replicate the situations you’ll face in the field. Put a block, gun case or the like under one foot and shoot standing (stick it under the rear foot for more challenge). Better yet, sit in the most awkward position you can imagine encountering in the field, and see what it does to your aim. Make notes on how you adjust.

The second technique is more of a mental trick. When shooting gun or bow, I pay close attention to what’s going on inside my body. What muscles are tight, strained or loose? How are my bones aligned? I remember these alignments when I make a good shot, and try to replicate as many of them as I can in the field. For the bow, this means bending at the hips to angle up or down so that my shoulders stay perpendicular to a straight spine. For the rifle, this means shifting my lower body to follow a moving target, rather than twisting at the waist.

Play with this second concept at the range. When you make a good shot, hold your form for a second and take a quick inventory of what’s tight, what’s loose, and generally where your body parts are in relation to each other. With a few hours of practice, you’ll find similar alignment of head, back and shoulders in good shots from different positions. Take that knowledge into the field, and you’ll be a more flexible, more confident hunter when it comes time to take that critical shot.

Posted in Bowhunting, Deer hunting, General hunting, Small game hunting, Turkey hunting, Uncategorized, gun hunting | 1 Comment »

Pack Smart to Make Time in the Stand More Enjoyable

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

It’s almost here.

Ohio’s deer archery season kicks off this Saturday, September 26. And if you like to do your hunting with string and bent stick, I suspect you’ve already got half your gear in the truck, ready to hit the woods as early as possible.

As you’re preparing the bow, binoculars, hunting apparel and other essential gear, you may want to leave room in the pack for a few extra items that, if you’re like me, could come in very handy.

A camera in the hunting pack can leave you with more than just game at the end of the hunt.

A camera in the hunting pack can leave you with more than just game at the end of the hunt. Photo by Matt Cunningham.

Early fall in the woods is beautiful, but has its drawbacks. This year, it’s probably going to be just warm and humid enough to make even light camo feel like winter gear. Then there are the bugs that will be around until we have a few good frosts under our belt. Sitting still in the woods with these distractions for a couple of hours is enough to drive anyone to distraction, or at least trigger enough swatting and itching that you give yourself away to every deer in the neighborhood.

So pack something to take your mind off the sweaty, buggy wait. Some hunters I know bring a paperback; that’s a good way to go if it’s sunny out. If, like me, you’re still learning the art of stand site selection, you could get through a library’s worth of hunting literature before the rut peaks. Just remember to keep the book low in your lap and turn pages quietly. And look up every few pages – it would be a shame to miss an early buck because you were reading about someone else’s trophy hunt.

When I’m stand hunting, I like to bring a camera along. Digital cameras are great; with no shutter to click, you can usually set them for totally silent operation. Dramatic shots of fall foliage can be had in the woods by shooting into the rising or setting sun. Again, keep your movements small and you won’t spook game. With the camera on a neck strap, shoot from chest height. You’ll avoid the motion of lifting the camera to your face, and the different angle might give your photos an interesting creative twist.

My habit of carrying a birding guide when still hunting saved the day during a squirrel hunt last week. I visited a spot that was hot two years ago, only to find the woods strangled by briars and the thickest honeysuckle I’ve ever crawled through (yes, I ended up on hands and knees to get out of the stuff). I saw a few bushytails, but never when I had room to bring the rifle up for a shot.

The day was turned out alright, though. The thicket provided cover for jays, cardinals and at least two species of woodpecker, all of which perched within arm’s reach and watched with little fear as I worked my way through the vines. Having binoculars and a guide gave me something to take my mind off the lousy hunting, and I spent most of the morning watching a pair of pileated woodpeckers work over a stand of hardwoods.

Let’s face it: hunting, especially deer hunting, involves a lot of waiting. Bring along something to fill the down time and who knows – you might capture a memorable image that you’ll cherish long after the last of the year’s venision comes out of the freezer.

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Posted in Bowhunting, Deer hunting, General hunting | 1 Comment »