Hunting

A couple of days ago I found out that our quirky drama teacher is quite into hunting; everything from bow to rifle to muzzleloader. I was talking to him about it this morning, saying that I'm just getting into it, and he invited me out on a 4-day whitetail deer hunt the week before the long weekend. Apparently he has permission to hunt on some land about an hour north of the city and him and some guys go out there every year in the first week of bow hunting season and get some deer. And he invited me! Sweet!
Hunting is a tough thing to get into alone. It's so much easier when you have other people to show you the ropes and get into it, so this would be the perfect time for me. That and he has extra gear like tree stands and blinds, which I don't own yet.
So it's pretty exciting. I'm not sure how I'm going to swing time off for then as it's the week before school starts, but I'm going to see what I can do. It's too good of an opportunity to pass up.

archery lesson

I had an awesome archery lesson on Monday! I'm so loving my bow, and can't wait for hunting season! I'm hoping to hit the range 2-3 times a week for the next couple of months, and maybe even go to one or two 3D shoots to get out and meet some people and practice outside.

Most of my lesson was on form, as archery is something you have to do over and over and over and over, etc... until it becomes second nature. Here are the steps I learned:

1. Nock
2. Attach release
3. Establish grip (along life line) (LOOSE FINGERS DANGLING)
4. Lift bow so pin is aligned with target
5. Pull directly back toward face (sight, release, arm and elbow should make a straight line)
6. Drop front shoulder
7. Anchor (index/fist knuckle to jaw bone under ear)
8. Finger on trigger
9. Aim and slowly pull arm back so that the tension from my back is doing the work, not a trigger finger. Upon release right hand should go back.
10. Follow through. Will the arrow to the spot on the target where you want it to go, and don’t move your bow until the arrow is in the target.
11. Admire your great shot and repeat.

Seriously, it's so much fun, and it helps that I'm pretty decent from the beginning. It so easy to lose myself in it while at the range. I just get in a bit of a zone and just go with it. It is about consistency, so it works well. I also found out there is an outdoor range about a 30 min drive away that I'm going to try and get to once a week. You just have to be a member of the Archer and Bowhunter Association of Manitoba, which is a $20/year fee. It's a little nicer than the $7/visit or $50/mo to shoot at the indoor range, though the indoor range is only 5 blocks from my house. :)

I just need to meet some other bowhunters to help me learn the ropes on how to hunt, and get some hunting buddies, and meet people whose land I can hunt on. Maybe I'll even get a deer this fall. Or turkey! :D So much fun. It's been so long since I've gone hunting, and bowhunting is like a million times cooler.