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The person who hunts with a bow each season usually leaves his bow in his case during the off-season. The week before the season comes in, he takes his bow out and begins to practice and shoots almost constantly. But his muscles haven't had a chance to become strong, and his body's not accustomed to drawing and holding the bow steadily. He hasn't shot quite enough to consistently hit the target at under 30 yards each time he shoots.
But the bowhunter keeps his bow handy, handling it almost as often as he does his briefcase or his toolbox. He always shoots at least once a month. If possible, he shoots once a week, even during the off-season. He doesn't view himself as just a bowhunter. He considers himself an archer. Shooting the bow and arrow is his hobby. He likes to be able to test his skill with his equipment during the off-season -- perhaps by shooting 3-D archery.
Shooting accurately is much more important to him than taking a deer. He knows that consistency in shooting only comes from practice. When he shoots, he derives as much joy from shooting paper or life-size targets as he does from hunting. He doesn't just shoot to prepare for hunting. He shoots because he enjoys the sport of archery. Hunting is just one more facet of that sport.
During the off-season, he'll be testing new broadheads, various kinds of releases and any new or better innovations that will improve his accuracy and/or his consistency. One to two months before the opening day of deer season, he'll be shooting from a tree stand to adjust his shooting for the height of his stand. He will determine at what height he shoots most effectively and consistently will put his tree stand at that height when he's practicing or hunting. He realizes to continue to shoot accurately, the height of his tree stand is critically important.
He doesn't change his equipment right before the hunt. Any new equipment has been added and checked out months before hunting season. He generally shoots life-size targets at varying distances. If he's unsure of his range during practice, he'll use a rangefinder to better improve his skills at judging distance.
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