Deer season opens next week here in Minnesota ­– finally – and many hunters are getting ready to set their early-morning alarms. But once those alarms start going off and you’re enjoying your morning coffee from the blind instead of the office, do you lose sight of your practice routine? It’s important to keep practicing your hunting techniques even during the active season, if you want to stay sharp. We’ve got some tips for how you can stay on track with your practice schedule alongside your active hunts.

 

Practice from a Seated Position

Hunters that hunt from a blind know that being able to take a shot while sitting down is an important part of the hunting process. You need to be just as comfortable drawing your bow and lining up your sight from a chair as you are when you’re standing up. Practice taking shots while seated in your Captain’s Chair. You want to practice with as realistic conditions as possible to prepare for the hunt. Practice moving around, seated in the chair, from window to window. Our Stump blinds have multiple windows, so you need to be comfortable moving your chair around to all of them, while still staying active and ready to take the shot. When you practice during the season, this will help you diagnose any form flaws between hunts so you can be better prepared for the next one.

 

Practice from an Elevated Position

If you plan on elevating your Stump blind, you’ll want to practice taking shots from that specific angle. When you aim at a target from an elevated position, the distance to the target is different than it would be if you were on the ground. A rangefinder can help you determine the correct distance and account for the angle of elevation. Keep practicing until you can draw your bow or ready your shotgun and aim down in a fluid motion. Our Bi-Pod Shooting Stick has a rotating head and adjustable height so you can switch from a ground blind to an elevated blind easily. Practice with your bow and a 3D target or practice maneuvering the shooting stick.

 

Practice at a Range

If you don’t want to practice from your blind in your preferred hunting area during the season and risk over-pressuring the deer, practice in your backyard if it’s safe to do so. If you don’t have the space, visit your local range to keep your muscles loose.

 

Stay Aware of Your Equipment

Practicing reliably throughout the season will help you notice any errors with your equipment. You’ll be able to spot any potential problems before you go out on your hunt, as opposed to making an unfortunate discovery in the blind. A frayed bowstring can be very dangerous, so vigilance will help you avoid disaster. Discovering the issue during a practice session will allow you enough time to fix it before your next hunt.

Opening day shouldn’t mean the close of your practice routine. Hunters should continue to practice their form and shot process throughout the hunting season. Practicing steadily throughout the season will help your muscles stay loose, help you prepare for various scenarios and will help you identify potentially dangerous issues with your equipment.

How often do you practice? Do you continue during hunting season? Let us know in the comments below!

 

 

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