Archery season begins in the Southern parts of the state a mere six weeks from now and it’s time to get our gear ready. Time to knock the dust off the old quiver, pull the targets out and begin flinging arrows. Sure, it’s a long drive and gas prices are insane, but if you want first crack at procuring fresh venison for your family’s table, that’s the place to be. If you’re like me and plan on taking advantage of that early season, now is the time to begin stretching out the muscles to draw smoothly and comfortably whilst putting your set up through its paces to ensure we’re every bit as ready for that first hunt as we can be.
The beginning of archery season this year takes place on July 30, way down south in our state’s A-Zone as established by the Florida Wildlife Commission. Living up here in the C-Zone, we still have a ways to go before we can hunt locally, but each year a good many of us head south-ward to the A-Zone to get in on some of the miseries involved in the summertime heat of opening day. I’ll be car-pooling with a few friends to take the edge off of the gas expenses; I’m hoping some of you will join us.
I’ll begin by checking my string for signs that it has stretched or frayed, paying strict attention to the center serving where the arrow nock attaches. If all appears well, I’ll give it a good waxing, whether it appears to need it or not. Next, I’ll check to ensure the timing is still dead on. The timing is the rotation of the cams on the bows. You really want to ensure that they are rotating and breaking over at precisely the same moment. Then, it’s a good time to give each axle a squirt of lubricating oil. But, my new takedown recurve bow doesn’t have cams or wheels, so I’ll check my tiller that all is in sync and there are no twists, fractures or delaminations anywhere in the limbs.
If I’ve noted any concerns, each will need to be addressed before actually nocking up and firing the bow. Now, if you haven’t the experience or tools necessary to do the job properly, please go to a pro-shop like 3Rivers Archery in Masaryktown. Even if it may be a long drive, go there as it’s not worth risking damage to the bow, or God-forbid yourself should that bow come apart on you. It’s rare, but it happens.
Then, it’s time to shoot and check to ensure the tune is still dead-on, as is your accuracy. Hopefully you won’t have any issues at all getting your arrows stacking once again into the bullseye. Beyond that, it’s just a matter of repetition and strengthening your muscles, so that you are ready when that buck you’ve waited the entire off-season for, suddenly enters your shooting lanes.
If solo backyard practice seems more of a chore and you’d rather shoot with friends, even better! Shooting with friends and family is always more fun and I’ll encourage everyone to perform a quick Google search for the schedules of our local archery clubs, such as the Drawn By Grace club operating at the Chinsegut WMA, just north of Brooksville. I know they’d be only too happy to have you join.
I surely thank you for all of your input and as always, if you have any feedback, give me a shout at [email protected]. God bless and good hunting!
