
There are a few things that everyone can do in the off season to ensure that they don't miss that shot come opening day. I try to get out at least once a month to do some shooting. The more you practice in the off season, the better chance you have of bagging that game come the season opener.
Here are a few tips that help me:
1) If you are shooting from a treestand during the season, ensure that you practice from one in the off season. This is true for both bow AND gun hunters. I found myself this past year drawing my bow with my draw arm right against the tree, the shot being behind me. I was confident that I could make this shot and was successful in bagging my first North Carolina archery deer.
2) Don't just shoot from a rest! A rest is great for ensuring that your scope is dead-on. However, we don't always have that steady rest to shoot from in our hunting stands. As such, make sure that you are comfortable taking those quick off-hand shots.
3) Practice from multiple positions, these include: seated, standing, prone and anything in between that you can think of! The last thing you want is to only be confident in one of these positions and then have to take a shot at that buck of a lifetime from a position you have never shot from before .
4) If you waterfowl hunt, grab a couple of buddies and head out to an open field. Head to your local sporting goods store along the way and pick up a skeet launcher. You can find one here for about $40. A case of 90 skeet usually runs for about $10. Find a deal on ammunition and you will be ready for a day full of fun. Make sure that you try singles and doubles as well as varying speeds. If you find yourself missing, have your buddy watch you and see if they can figure out what you are doing wrong. Keep an eye on your stance as well as your follow through.
The moral of the story is that it is better to correct your shooting habits in the off season rather than missing game and having to figure out what is going wrong during the season. The more you practice, the more confidence you'll have in your shots which will hopefully reduce your misses!
-Paul Nicolucci