Now that hunting season’s over, it’s time to think about post-season maintenance to make sure that your equipment and your skills stay sharp. You don’t want to lose any of the progress you’ve gained this hunting season, so make sure you’ll be ready when hunting season comes around again. Below are some tips on how to maintain your skills and your gear during the off-season.

Switch Equipment

If you’ve been thinking of making an equipment upgrade, now’s the time to do so. If you get your new equipment now, you’ll have plenty of time to practice with it before next hunting season. Make sure your new bow is the correct draw weight and draw length. If you’ve built up your muscles, it might be time for a higher draw weight. If you change your bow’s draw weight, you’ll need to evaluate and change your arrows as well. Replace any broken arrows or other damaged equipment. Now’s the time to evaluate those changes while what you experienced during the current hunting season is still fresh in your mind.

Store Your Blind

Once hunting season’s over, you need to make sure you’re storing your equipment properly. If you’re still practicing, but not using your equipment as much as you do during hunting season, make sure it’s stored in protective cases. If you use a recurve bow, make sure to unstring the bow any time it’s going to be sitting unused for an extended period of time. You should also check to see if your blind can be left on your hunting property or if you need to remove it. In Minnesota, it’s illegal to leave your blind up on National Forest land past the close of hunting season. Check your state’s regulations for public land use. If you have your own private hunting land, of course you can leave your blind up all year. Our blinds are constructed from a UV resistant polyethylene material, so they’ll be able to withstand the cold temperatures during winter and the harsh UV rays during summer. They dry quickly, so they shouldn’t mold or rot in rainy climates. If you hunt on private land, see if the landowner will let you leave your blind there all year.

Keep Practicing

Make sure you keep your skills sharp and your equipment tuned during the off-season. Practice at an indoor range regularly to help keep you ready for hunting season. If you’re able to leave your blind up, you can also continue to practice from your Stump blind by shooting at 3D targets. If you elevate your Stump blinds on our Steel Tower System, this will help you hone your skills from an elevated position. Match the real-time conditions as accurately as possible by wearing your usual gear and practicing various angles and distances. If you have the room to practice in your backyard and it’s safe to do so, you can practice daily. Practicing during the winter will allow you to get right back into it for turkey season in the spring. You will stay in shape and your equipment will stay in-tune.

The post-season is the perfect time to practice any trouble areas and change or upgrade your equipment. Regular practice will help keep your bow in-tune so you can avoid an unwelcome surprise when you pull your bow out of storage before opening day only to find that time has not been kind and it’s gotten severely out of tune. Practice from your Stump blind and make any necessary equipment adjustments now to give yourself a head start for next hunting season.

What activities do you do post-season to help keep your gear protected? Let us know in the comments below!

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