Hunting practice should always exceed expected reality. If most of your bowhunting shots are between 20 and 30 yards, you should practice at 40-50 yards. If you hunt from a tree stand, be sure to practice from a deck or station that’s at least as tall as your stand. Vary your angles so that you know that you are confident of the shot.
A few years ago, I had an elk hunt booked for a rugged mountain area. I knew that I needed aerobic training, yet was equally concerned with balance and agility. A personal trainer suggested a practice regimen similar to the one you will see in this video using an exercise ball. I’d stand on the ball while doing other exercises and in one month the improvement was impressive.
The young woman in this video is actively shooting arrows at a real target, however, you can practice the same holding, aiming, and anchoring routine with a loop of string. Measure the full length of your draw and tie the loop so that one end will go over your grip hand while you use back tension to pull the other end taught and release, just as you would with an arrow. I attended a tournament put on by the National Archery in the Schools Program and they train their shooters to practice this way, since bows and arrows don’t fit well in school lockers or desks. The gal in this video doesn’t anticipate shooting while kneeling on a ball, yet by practicing this more difficult routine, he performance will improve: https://www.outdoorhub.com/news/2017/05/04/video-bowhunting-drills-will-make-better-shot/
