Have You Practiced Lately

The season is upon us and many are out in the woods after a summer of vigorous preparation. This preparation included getting your bow tuned to perfection with broadheads. However, now that we are in hunting mode, many of us forget to shoot our bows much during the season. During your summer preparation, the weather was different than it is now, and you are wearing different clothes. Have you shot in your hunting gear? Have you shot with your backpack on, or your treestand harness? Moisture and temperature differences should not make any difference on the hardware of your bow, but they do change how your string system performs. Dirt and dust that collects in your axle and cam system can also change the point of impact on your bow. I say all this as a reminder not to neglect your gear or the path to the perfectly executed shot you have worked on all year.

Have you shot with adrenaline in your system lately? If not, in the middle of drawing back on the buck of a lifetime is not the time to remember. How many of us wake up in the morning, grab our bow, and head to the stand without shooting an arrow? Most of us I would presume. I had a firearms instructor tell me one time that you cannot warm up for your gunfight. I promptly asked him, why not? If I know I might get in a gunfight when I go to work, why wouldn’t I do a little safe dry fire practice before putting on the badge? If I know I might have the shot of a lifetime on a huge buck or bull, do I want that shot to be the first one I have taken in two weeks? Take a small archery target with you to camp. Just before you head out for the day, shoot a few perfectly executed arrows into that target. Know HOW you are making those shots perfect. Know what is going through your mind during those shots so you can transfer those mental skills at the moment of truth. Know the meaning of the words in your shot sequence and follow them precisely. There is no mystical force that will put these things together for you when the adrenaline hits your system. You must have the knowledge on how your mind works during a shot. Do you know HOW to concentrate under stress? Do you know the controls systems within the mind that govern your every move? Do you know the science of the words within your shot sequence. Do you know how to control your heart rate so you can remain in your cognitive mind during extreme stress? Do you understand the decisions that must be made within a shot and when to make those decisions so they carry you through your entire shot? Gaining this knowledge is crucial to your success in the field and on the range. Most people hope their training will kick in at the moment of truth and the right things will happen automatically. If you have not trained in the mental aspects of the your shot, automatic things will happen, but they may not be what you want to happen. There is no system out there that will work for you, YOU HAVE TO WORK FOR IT. But you have to know HOW to do the work. Let IRONMIND HUNTING set you on the path to success. Decide to Succeed, Joel Turner IRONMINDHUNTING.COM