Tips for Season Preparation

Check the string and cables on your crossbow. TenPoint recommends changing them every two to three years. If your crossbow is due for a string and cable change or requires any other maintenance or repairs, schedule it now before the fall rush starts. Check all the screws and bolts and hand-tighten any that are loose. Select the arrow and broadhead combination that you will use and test shoot them to determine which combination yields the best accuracy. Then…practice, practice, practice! 

Now is an excellent time to learn more about the area in which you will hunt. Familiarize yourself well with the topography of your hunting site. Visit the location in order to find the areas where game animals frequent, looking for trails, scat, and other signs. Use trail cameras to determine the daily feeding and traffic patterns of game. This information will help you to determine the location where you will want to place your stand or blind.

Once you have mounted your stand or hunting blind, check for areas where you can clear brush or branches that may prevent a clear shot through your shooting lanes. Even the smallest twig can interfere with the trajectory of your arrow, so it is important to make sure that you can make an uninhibited shot. Take a target to your site and practice shooting from different angles and locations. Remember that the point-of-impact of your arrow changes when shooting from different angles. Identify trees or other parts of the landscape that can be used as pre-determined markers for shooting distances.

Taking the above steps will not necessarily guarantee a successful hunt, but a little planning now can yield big results when hunting season finally arrives.