Mathews Pro Tips
“TOPO” Maps
I use to think that odd-looking “TOPO” maps were just a waste of time. I mean, all I really cared about was finding the hottest sign and throwing up a stand somewhere nearby.
The concern over the lay of the land honestly didn’t mean much to me. Then something happened. After several fruitless seasons I came to the conclusion that something just wasn’t right. If it were as easy as finding fresh sign and waiting in ambush for the biggest buck in the woods to show up, I would have a wall full of antlers. But I didn’t. So, naturally I changed my approach in an effort to improve my plummeting success rate. Slowly, things began to turn around; simply by letting the terrain determine where I hung my stands.
Closed Eyes
Shooting well consistently with a compound bow depends largely on muscle memory. The more you think about a shot, the more likely you are to mess something up.
Unfortunately, its difficult to focus on form while also trying to hit a bulls-eye. One of the best techniques for working on form is to stand just a few feet from a large target, and then close your eyes and take shots while concentrating on making a clean, smooth release. The more you do this, the more you teach your body to make a clean release while shooting with your eyes open.
Extra Release
Backup plan
If you use a release aid when shooting a bow and most bowhunters do, You should consider carrying an extra release while hunting. Ideally, it should be identical to the release you’re currently using, but any functional release that fits similar to your everyday model will work.
If you use a pack, put your extra release in there for the entire season. You may never need, but you never know when a release can break, you might accidentally drop it from your stand, or more commonly, just plain come up missing. So its always a good idea to have a backup plan in place and in this case an extra release at the ready.
Jay Ellioff
Gather all the evidence at the scene
After shooting your deer treat the area where the shot was made as an investigation. Gather all the evidence at the scene and then decide how to proceed from there.
MASTERING THE PERFECT GRIP
Watch as World Champion and Mathews Pro shows you how to perfect your bow grip and shoot more accurately.
Seated Position Shooting
Do you practice shooting your bow from a seated position? Most bowhunters don’t, and most bowhunters will get caught flat-footed, or maybe we should say flat-bottomed, at some time during the season.
How a 200-plus pound whitetail can appear in bow range out of nowhere is one of the worlds big mysteries, but chances are you are going to be faced with having to take a seated shot. Next time you’re practicing, take a small stool and make several rounds of shots while sitting. Even better, if you can hook up the seat section of your tree stand and shoot seated from that, even if just a foot or two off the ground, do it. This little bit of practice will make all the difference in the world, especially for an early season hunt. Preparation and practice will help you increase your chances of harvesting that big buck this season.
Tip # 20
“When learning to shoot instinctive, begin shooting at moving targets with flu-flu arrows. Flu-flus will ensure recovery of all the shots you will miss. Your brain will learn a lot quicker and will train your body how to proficiently hit the center of moving targets. You won’t have time to aim. Your brain takes over and eventually calibrates the shot for you.”
Eliminating a few pins
I’ve never understood the need to complicate bow shots from a treestand by carrying 5 or more pins in my sight housing. Sure, that many aiming points may have their place where shooting distances run the gamut, but bowhunting whitetails from above ground is not one of them.
Eliminating a few pins will not only clear up your sight picture, allowing you to see the spot you want to hit more clearly, it will also reduce the chance that you pick the wrong pin in the heat of the moment. When that big buck moves in close I can hardly remember my name, let alone which pin to aim with. Also, considering that the average whitetail shot typically occurs between 20-25 yards, two sight pins (one set at 25, and perhaps another at 35 yards) can easily cover 90% of the shooting scenario’s you will face while in your stand. Therefore, do yourself a favor and save the 5 pin sight for mid-western hunting where long-range opportunities are the norm.
Which Release is right for you?
With so many choices on the market today, how do you know what release is the right release for you?
There are many different kinds and several manufacturers to choose from. Like most other archery components, it all comes down to preference and the one YOU feel comfortable using.
If you use a string loop, like most of us do, you have plenty of choices. You will need to try a few and decide if you like a Velcro strap or a buckle. Many hunters prefer a buckle because a buckle doesn’t make noise if you have to adjust it in the stand.Another consideration is do you want a release that has a single hook that slides on your loop or a caliper type that has a set of jaws that locks around the loop. Its your choice, and both are used to take deer every year.The most popular type release is caliper full capture category. Many hunters are big believers in Murphy’s law, which says that if something can go wrong, it will. The caliper releases provide a little more peace of mind. There’s just something more comforting about having metal all the way around the loop, even though your chances of a hook release slipping off during the draw or hold are slim to none.
