Allows be prepared when waiting.

Finally, one day in mid-November it actually paid off.  I shot a big eight-pointer that gave me a total of about three seconds from first sighting until he was gone.  He paused from chasing a doe for an instant in my shooting lane.  It was enough.  I hauled the string back, planted the pin and quickly triggered the shot just as the buck swapped ends to take off again.

I’ve mellowed with time.  No, I don’t keep my release clipped on the string anymore, but I do hold a constant vigil over my ability to shoot quickly should the need arise.  And it did again in 1998.  I shot another really big eight-pointer about two seconds after I heard him running toward my stand from behind.  He slowed for only a moment at 15 yards, but I had the pin on him.  Being prepared to shoot fast is a worthy pursuit for any bowhunter looking for ways to increase his odds for success.  Here are several things to consider when preparing for the quick draw.

WHERE TO KEEP YOUR BOW

There is no question that the best place to keep your bow is in your hand.  If you’re sitting, it lays across your lap with the arrow nocked.  If you’re standing, the bottom cam rests on your toe as you hold the upper limb in constant readiness.  In this way the bow is instantly available for a quick shot.  However, keeping a bow in your hand all day is a real pain and can be cold work when the mercury dips.

Make sure your bow is easily accessible.

Another form of bow holder is attached to the stand itself and holds the bow in front of you when seated.  These work great when sitting but tend to be a bit inconvenient when you stand.  A simple combination of two bow holders may work best: one attached to the side of the stand platform for use when sitting and a short screw-in bow holder for use when standing.

WHERE TO PUT YOUR QUIVER

I’ve been able to get two shots at deer from my tree stands on two occasions.  In both cases, the buck was hit marginally a bit too far back and didn’t blow out on a death run.  In fact, believe it or not, I once took three additional shots at a buck I had hit in the liver as he slowly walked away.  He never knew he had even been hit.  The final arrow did the job at a range of 50 yards – hitting him solidly in the lungs.  It is my feeling that once an animal is struck I’ll keep shooting until I know I have a lung or heart hit.  When dealing with an already wounded animal it makes no sense to worry about whether or not he’s in range. 

Keep your quiver nearby for a quick second shot if needed.

Third, a bow quiver makes it tough to lay the bow across your legs while sitting on stand with an arrow nocked.  If you are going to keep the bow in your hands (as opposed to putting it in a bow holder) it is much easier to accommodate when the quiver is removed.  For all of these reasons I take my quiver off when hunting from a tree stand. 

Ok, assuming you choose to take the quiver off, where you put it is important.  Unless the arrows remain very accessible there is little chance you’ll be able to get a second shot even if the animal gives you a few more seconds.  The best way to stow your arrows is on the trunk of the tree off to your left side for a seated, right-handed hunter.  I hang my quiver from a small hook that I screw into the tree.  Some quiver manufacturers also make a bracket that screws into the tree that the quiver snaps into. 

QUICK DRAW RELEASE AIDS

You don’t want to find yourself sitting all day locked to your bow like I did when I started hunting with a release aid.  But, you also want to be able to shoot fast if required.  As always, there are tradeoffs involved.  I still use a wrist-strap caliper release for hunting and make a quick move to the string as soon as I hear the sound of deer hooves on dry leaves or spot the glint of antler through the foliage. 

But, mine is not necessarily the only method that works.  A friend of mine uses a thumb-trigger release that he leaves snapped on his string loop while on stand.  This makes a lot of sense if you use a bow holder increasing the odds that the trigger won’t be inadvertently bumped so that the release falls to the ground.  Carry a spare release in your fanny pack anyway, just in case. 

For some archers, it takes longer to snag the string loop than to connect directly to the string.

While we’re on the subject, we also need to consider something as seemingly trivial as the kind of gloves you wear.  It’s harder to work a release aid with thick gloves than with thin gloves.  For this reason, I always wear a medium-weight pair of jersey or polar fleece gloves and then keep my hands in a jacket pocket or hand muff when it gets really cold. 

If you choose to use a string nocking loop take a close look at the wrist strap releases with a single open jaw that are designed specifically for latching onto a string loop.  These are a bit faster than a release with two moving jaws as you simply snag the loop and draw the string.

TO SLING OR NOT TO SLING

Your bow sling represents the single greatest traffic jam in the race to full draw.  It is very time consuming and distracting to have to work your gloved hand into the sling when you really need to be focusing on picking a shooting lane.  To overcome this problem I practice shooting two ways: using the sling and not using the sling.  With the sling I use normal form and keep a relaxed, open hand through the shot.  Without the sling I close my fingers lightly around the riser.  To be honest, I don’t notice much difference in the two styles as long as I keep the bow hand relaxed. 

STANDING OR SITTING

Standing makes it easier to shoot fast.

Tree stand hunting creates an interesting dichotomy.  You sit for days on end hardly moving a muscle and then the whole season comes down to a few seconds of panic.  How well you prepare for fast action may be the one variable that turns chaos into freezer meat.