Here is my latest column (August 2009) for The News Journal.
Use final days of summer to perfect your aim
HUNTER’S JOURNAL • By STEVEN KENDUS • August 6, 2009
Although the late summer heat has many of us thinking fishing instead of hunting, let me remind you that deer and dove hunting seasons will be here before you know it.
Delaware’s mourning dove and archery deer seasons open Sept. 1, so we have few days to prepare and practice.
Every August, I find myself asking where summer went, and I curse myself for not devoting more time to practicing my shooting — both bow and gun. I have been to the gun range twice this summer, and I usually shoot a few arrows several nights a week.
While I realize that some practice is better than no practice at all, I ask, “How much practice is enough?”
Hockessin’s Tim O’Neill, a bowhunter and former professional archer, believes that practicing five days a week during the offseason is a good routine for any bowhunter.
“Your practice routine doesn’t have to be as strict as a competitive 3D shooter’s. Try to shoot for at least 15 to 30 minutes per session around five days a week,” O’Neill said. “Bowhunters really shouldn’t practice for long periods of time because muscle fatigue will alter their shots. Practicing in two 15-minute sessions separated by a couple hours rest is a good idea.”
O’Neill recommends that bowhunters practice in their hunting clothes, including gloves and facemask, and stresses the value of tree stand hunters practicing shots from elevated platforms.
“Most importantly, shoot the same broadhead and arrow combination you will be hunting with,” he said. “Now is the time to know exactly how your arrows are flying.”
Practicing with a gun is equally important. There’s nothing more humbling than shooting a box of shells at fast-flying doves and having nothing more than a sore shoulder to show for it.
Take the necessary time during the preseason to visit a shooting range and to shoot at moving and stationary targets. Practice as often as necessary until you are confident in your skills and equipment.
Practice with the gun or guns that you will use on your hunts, and be sure to practice with the shells that you will use in the field. If you hunt birds, practice shooting flying targets at various speeds, angles, and distances. If you hunt small game, visit a sporting clays range where you can practice shooting both flying and rolling targets. And if you hunt deer, practice on deer-size targets at various distances, making sure you determine the maximum range you are comfortable with.
It is an ethical hunter’s responsibility to make sure that shots [from a bow or gun] are well placed and effective. No matter how well we think we shoot, practice can only make us better.
Application change
Deer hunting application procedures for Bombay Hook and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuges have changed. Applications will no longer be mailed. They can be picked up in person at the headquarter offices of both refuges.
Completed applications for the October muzzleloader season must be received in person at the appropriate refuge office or postmarked no later than Sept. 14. The application deadline for the rest of the firearms hunts is Oct. 8.
Call Bombay Hook at 653-9345 or Prime Hook at 684-8419 with questions.
Steven Kendus’ Hunter’s Journal appears monthly in The News Journal. Kendus is the author of “Hunting The First State: A Guide to Delaware Hunting.” Follow his blog and podcast at www.eastcoasthunting.blogspot.com. Contact him at skendus@HuntingTheFirstState.com.