Photo by Ron Sinfelt

Bow season for deer hunting in Alabama begins on Oct. 15 and runs through Jan. 31 in most sections of the state. If you are like most bowhunters in Alabama, you go to your hunting lease or to a wildlife management area to scout the weekend before that season starts.

On the opening day of archery season, most hunters will not take a deer, and many will not even see one. Of the hunters who spot a whitetail, the odds are that a large percentage will miss the shot at the animal. Then, on the way home, they wonder what went wrong. The answer is usually that the bowhunter hadn't done the necessary pre-season preparation.

Fortunately, in target-rich Alabama, our large deer herd makes it a safe bet that other opportunities may present themselves later in the season. But why fall into this early season rut? Let's look at some ways to make opening weekend of the Cotton State archery season a success.

GEARING UP
This month, take time to get your equipment ready for hunting.

"Take your bow to your local sporting goods or archery shop and have the archery pro do a minor tune-up for the quickest, easiest and best way to get your bow ready for the season," advised John "Boo" Stiff, head of the archery department at Mark's Outdoors in Birmingham. "For about $20, he'll check your string and cables, tighten up anything on your bow that may have come loose, take the axles off the bow and grease them, and then paper-tune your bow. We recommend that you put a new string on every year. Keep the old string in case your new string breaks or gets cut in your case by a broadhead."

Once you put a new string on, Stiff recommends shooting 100 to 150 arrows to break in the string before you finally sight in your bow. He also suggests that you look over the arrow shafts. If you shoot aluminum arrows, make sure the shafts have no dings or creases. If you shoot carbon arrows, inspect the shafts for cracks.

"Check your broadheads next to make sure they're sharp and have no nicks on the blades," Stiff said. "If there are, either discard the blades or sharpen them."

While at the shop, it is not a bad idea to have the archery pro watch you shoot, if the shop has a range. He quickly and easily can see form mistakes and make sure both the bow and you are functioning properly.

The next step is to hit the range on your own and practice regularly in the lead-up to opening day. Not only does practice improve accuracy, but it also builds the confidence needed to support that accuracy. When a whitetail presents a target, you want to know you can bag it, rather than simply hope to hit the mark. That confidence only comes from having practiced at different distances and angles from the ground and tree stands.

Some people seem to believe tree stands and safety harnesses never wear out, never malfunction and always perform perfectly without any maintenance. Tree stands do need oiling, tightening and inspecting. Similarly, safety harnesses need to be examined for wear and tear. If you oil your tree stands prior to the season, the oily smell can have enough time to dissipate before you head out on that first hunt of the season.