Archery Practice Drills That Carry Over to the Hunt

Tight groups at 20 yards in the backyard are a great start, but hunting shots rarely look like that. You'll be cold, sitting or kneeling, shooting down from a tree, and you'll get one arrow. These drills help close the gap between practice and the real thing.

1. The one-arrow session

Every day for a couple of weeks before the season, shoot a single arrow at a 3D target, cold, before any warm-up. Then walk away. It's the closest thing to a real shot, and it shows you how your first arrow behaves.

2. Unknown distances

Have a friend move your target to a new spot without telling you the range. Guess the distance, shoot, then check with a rangefinder. In the field, a 5-yard misjudgment at 35 yards can mean a miss or a poor hit. Practice judging range until your guesses are close.

3. Shoot from your hunting position

• Tree stand: Practice from an elevated platform. Bend at the waist rather than dropping your bow arm, so your anchor and form stay the same.
• Ground blind: Shoot sitting on your blind chair through a window. Check that your arrow and cams clear the window frame.
• Spot and stalk: Practice kneeling and from awkward stances on uneven ground.

4. Wear your hunting clothes

Bulky jackets can catch the string and change your anchor. In the weeks before the season, practice in the layers, gloves, face mask and pack you'll actually hunt in.

5. Hold and wait

Deer don't always step out on your schedule. Draw (or shoulder your crossbow), hold on the target for 20 to 30 seconds, then shoot. If you shake or creep, let down and try again. This builds the strength and patience to wait for a broadside or quartering-away shot.

Know your effective range

Your ethical limit is the distance where you can put every arrow inside a vital-zone-sized circle, about 6 to 8 inches for deer, on demand. If you can do that at 30 yards but not 40, your limit is 30.

Practice gear that helps

A durable bag or foam target for field points, a separate broadhead target, a 3D deer target for shot-angle practice and a good rangefinder all speed things up. A simulator like a smart-phone crossbow trainer can help with aiming practice indoors on bad-weather days.

Find current prices on targets, rangefinders and archery gear on our Daily Deals page.