If you are anything like me, the long wait between the last day of spring turkey season and the first day of bow season is almost long enough to make you go nutty. In fact right now I am sitting at my desk literally counting the days on my calendar until September 15th. Just in case you are wondering the same thing, I have fifty-six days remaining until I can once again come to full draw, settle the pin, and release another carbon shaft into the first deer of the 2010 archery season. The question now is this, what do we as die-hard bow hunters do until our primal need to be in a tree stand if fulfilled? I wanted to share a few of the things that I do in order to keep my sanity during the “summer lull” between hunting seasons. I practice, prepare and have fun.
Practice: Although my summer schedule is very busy with constant travel doing ministry, I always make the most of my practice time when I am home. While at home during the summer months I will try to shoot two or three times a week. I am not saying that I go outside and blaze 100 shots a night. But I do go out in the cool of the evening around 8:00 or 8:30 p.m. and shoot until my shooting light fades into the summer night. That will usually allow me the opportunity to shoot anywhere from 35 to 60 shots and for me that is more than enough during the middle of the summer. I also go in to my local archery pro-shop and take advantage of the air conditioned shooting lanes.
Prepare: When I am not able to bow hunt I enjoy making preparations for when I will be bow hunting. For me this includes getting together with my hunting buddies and hanging new stand sets, checking old stands, clearing shooting lanes, and planting food plots. I am a firm believer that preparation opens the door for success. It is a very rewarding feeling seeing deer come to the food plot that you have sown with sweat and labor. The payoff usually comes in the form of grilled or fried backstraps served with a baked potato and green beans.
Have Fun: When practicing and preparing, it is important to always have fun doing it. Make things interesting, do things that will help pass those slow months by. For instance, not only do I practice shooting a lot, but I will get creative while practicing. A couple of the things I do is Techno Hunt, which is a simulated live hunt scenario projected onto a large screen that I actually shoot. Many pro-shops have these. It is a lot of fun especially if you have some friends there to shoot with you adding a little competition into the mix. Secondly, I’ll keep the thrill of the hunt alive by taking my bow out “bull froggin.” I’ll place small game tips on my arrows and wait until dusk and me and a friend of mine will go around to different ponds with flashlights and bows gigging bull frogs using archery tackle. It is a hoot. If you have the chance do some bow fishing, talk about some serious fun with a stick and string. Even while your outdoors preparing stands, food plots, and clearing shooting lanes, by all means have fun. Take advantage of the opportunity you have at the moment to enjoy the creation our wonderful Lord made for us.
By the time all your food plots are in the ground, and a couple of rains have set the seed deep into the disked up soil, it will be almost time to climb into your stand for the first hunt of the 2010 bow season. The wait between spring and fall hunting season can be long and drawn out, but that does not mean that you cannot actively pass the time by. Remember, practice, prepare, and most of all have fun. God has created so many amazing things for us to enjoy, so take the time and enjoy them.
Until next time,
God Strength
TW