Before You Unleash that Arrow

Seven Must-Know Pointers To Improve Your Aim by Larysa Switlyk

Shooting a bow is not only an enjoyable activity, but also a great challenge in the woods. I personally shoot a Limbsaver Proton, and here are some tips I’ve learned from my experiences that I would like to share with you:

ALWAYS SHOOT BEFORE YOU HUNT. I travel far for some of my hunts, and if my gear isn’t packed right, the traveling can definitely knock off my sight, so it is always smart when you get where you are going to shoot a few arrows to make sure traveling didn’t change your gear. Since I’ve been packing my stu? in SKB cases, I haven’t had a problem, but it is always smart to shoot and be confident in your shot before you head into the woods.

LEARN FROM AN EXPERT. I had someone show me really quickly how to shoot a bow, and then I went off on my own to practice. I picked up a bad habit of having a really tight grip on my bow, which would make me tweak the bow to the right every time I shot. To this day, I am fighting this bad habit, and I have to remind myself to relax my grip and make sure to follow through with my shot so I don’t move my shot. Easier said than done while in a hunting situation, because you tend to go back to your bad habits, and I have caught myself having a death grip on my bow while trying to take a shot. Learn correctly the first time and get pointers from an experienced shooter so you can kick bad habits before they start.

PRACTICE IN HUNTING TYPES OF SITUATIONS. Shoot out of a tree stand, shoot out of a blind, shoot out of a chair or off? one knee. That way if that deer walks in and you don’t have a chance to stand up to shoot, you are already comfortable taking that shot while sitting down. Definitely practice with broadheads way before you go out hunting. I’ve made the mistake thinking my broadhead would fly exactly like my field tip, and tried it out the day of my hunt to learn it didn’t. So, at the last minute, I had to sight my bow into the way my broadhead flew. I have tried many dierent brands of broadheads, and have always had trouble getting them to fly like my field points. The one brand I have found that flies just like the field points and that I have successfully hunted with the past two seasons is Muzzy Trocars.

PRACTICE AT DIFFERENT YARDAGES BESIDES 20, 30, AND 40. In a hunting situation, the animal isn’t going to be at exactly 20 yards sitting perfectly broadside. Spend some time practicing at different yardages so you feel confident in your shot and bow when that animal is standing at 34 yards.

LEARN TO BE SELF-SUFFICIENT. You will not always have someone there to help you sight in your bow or fix something if it breaks. Learn to sight in your own bow. Make sure your arrow is always fully locked and your release is closed properly on your string before pulling back! These are just a few pointers that I have learned from experience and I hope they help you have a more successful archery hunt. Go ahead, unleash it! WSJ

Editor’s note: Larysa Switlyk is host of Larysa Unleashed on the Sportsman Channel and Destination America. She is a CPA turned professional outdoorswoman sharing her passion with her main pursuit to influence and encourage other females and children to get involved in the outdoors.