We’ve talked in previous weeks about how to prepare the shot on a big buck in the off-season. This time, we want to give you some tips on how you can prepare while you wait for him in the tree stand. These tips were inspired by Weekend Woodsmen on YouTube, check their original video out here: https://youtu.be/UVMsZ8aWbDU

Preparation is key in hunting. A good hunter will scout, manage food and practice in the off-season to prepare for opening day. That preparation continues right up to the trigger pull.

Get Comfortable

The first thing you should do to prepare the shot is; get comfortable. Catch your breath from the hike in and the climb up the stand. Relax and get ready to hurry up and wait. Chances are, you’re going to be up there for a while, so take your time. Get your bearings and shoo off any jitters that would cause you to miss a shot.

Range the Area

As soon as you’ve gotten comfortable, look around and guess at the ranges around your stand. Identify markers like trees, bushes or other nearby landmarks and guess how far away they are. Only after you have guessed at these points, should you get out your range finder to see how accurate your guesses were. This will do two things for you:

First, it will allow you to closely estimate how far your buck is when you’re ready to draw. Meaning that you won’t have to fumble with your range finder while you should be sighting in on your animal. Second, it will teach you how to better estimate distances. If you’re like most hunters, you’ll have plenty of time in the stand to distance your entire area.

Go Through the Motions

A crucial exercise that you should practice is going through the motions on non-shooter deer. When a deer comes into range, go through all of the same motions that you would on a big buck, minus pulling the trigger. This will do many things for you: It will help you see if you’re too easy to be flagged, it will let you practice your technique in drawing and sighting on a live animal, and it will calm the nerves when the big buck comes.

Accessories

We at Pro-Tracker Archery sell products that will help you to prepare the shot even further. By using the Bad Boys™ to increase your arrows FOC and the Pro-Tracker System to track your wounded game, and our premium high-quality arrows, your chances of a successful hunt will increase dramatically. Check them out here: https://pro-tracker.com

Prepare the shot in these ways and you will be prepared to make the killing shot on your animal. That way, you won’t be caught off guard when the time comes. Good luck and happy hunting!