Bowhunting 101

If hunters grew horns, the enthusiastic troop at my deer camp this opening weekend would be world record beasts. They verily glowed with attitude and excitement. I checked closely to make sure their feet were actually touching the ground. Some were, I think.

Everybody brought sacks of good food and not so good food. Bundles loaded with state of the art hunting clothing and supplies were hauled in and piled throughout the cabin. It was an orgy of spirit, sporting goods and weaponry. It was beautiful.

Quarters were assigned, gear stowed and a massive vat of venison chili was put to flame. Bowcases were unzipped, quivers attached, broadheads installed, and muscles limbered up amongst uproarious laughter and uppity conversation. 3-D targets were strategically placed along the woodline, and we had projectile liftoff. The mystical flight of the arrow and the moving celebration of the hunt was under way. Spirits soared and a tangible, organic attitude was alive in the bigwoods camp. It just doesn't get any better than this.

Then the boys started shooting. Some arrows zinged straight into the vitals of the deer target, where others flew wildly off their mark. But far worse than the actual accuracy of their target range marksmanship skills, was the total lack of archery form that some of my hunters displayed. If form was this inconsistent in the controlled conditions of casual range time, I cringed at the thought of hopelessly errant arrows under real bowhunting field world demands. Time for projectile upgrade.

Enter Doctor ArrowNuge. Now, I am by no stretch of the imagination, the world's greatest archer or bowhunter. But I have been blessed by hands-on direction and the teachings of those who are. My dad was a bowhunter way back in 1948 when I was born, and I shared invaluable time on the range and in the field with TopDog BossMan of allthings archery, Sir Fred Bear.

Like the dozen bowmen at my Michigan bowhunting opener camp, my observations of hundreds upon hundreds of fellow archers at camps around the world where I guide and outfit, have brought to my attention some serious mistakes and shortcomings. I know, because I have and continue to make them myself. These flaws must be addressed and fixed if we sporters are to ever experience a quality upgrade in our beloved archery. So I have decided to begin the TED NUGENT BOWHUNTING SCHOOL to pass on the satisfying results of expert advice and direction that I have been blessed with.

Though precise details of shooting form, equipment and psychological mindset will be analyzed and scrutinized under a microscope, hands-on, at our school, the majority of problems most archers have can be summarized by three basic headings.

#1-FORM-It is thrilling to watch old videos of Fred Bear and Howard Hill instinctively snap shooting cedar arrows from a semi-crouched stance, bowcanted on an angle, with astounding accuracy. BUT, with a modern compound bow, that style, in the majority of situations, just will not do. I do cant my compound bow on the same angle as my old bows, but I settle in for the shot, making a conscience effort to finish my draw with my back muscles before the release. A consistent anchor point and sight picture focus is essential for accuracy.

#2-EQUIPMENT THAT FITS-I am absolutely amazed at the bad advice some archers are getting. EVERY shooter I have seen with problems has too long a draw and much too heavy a draw weight. Our anchor point should be either at the front of the face or at the very longest, slightly aside the mouth. I like my release right up against my lips so the sight picture is forward of my eye above the arrow, in line with the target. And 50 pounds is plenty to kill any North American and most African big game. Enough of this macho gorilla he-man crap, grunting, groaning, yanking and heaving back the string already. Back it down boys. I shoot about 55# and my arrows pass through 90% of my deer, hogs, bear, moose, antelope, and caribou. Even tough draft horse sized zebra and giant eland. My two blade razorsharp broadheads make a marked difference too.

#3-MINDSET-The best research out there by ace NFAA coach Bernie Pellerite shows that somewhere around 90% of archers experience some form of target panic at one time or another. And for many archers, like me, we're talking serious, extremely frustrating target panic. Fred Bear had it. Myles Keller had it. Most world champion target, field and 3-D tournament shooters have felt the agonizing horror of flinching, freezing off target or the dreaded psycho buck fever. The only real remedy I know of is Bernie Pellerite's detox exorcism program, and it is a real bitch. My short term cure was to intensely concentrate and recite the sign of the cross along with my repetitiously imprinted shot sequence regimentation. If you can't absolutely lock onto target, look into Bernie's proven program. He can be reached to find out how to subconsciously release your best arrows ever, by calling 614-933-0011.

I book hunts all over the world to ultra quality operations, and now we are focusing on a specific bowhunting school twice a year on our SUNRIZE ACRES hunting ranch in Michigan. Three days of intense, personalized, hands-on bowhunting lessons from introductory to expert. Your full-on predatorship will come to life and your understanding of the close range, bow & arrow relationship with game and wild conditions for optimum killing efficiency will be realized. Our BloodBrother atmosphere and attitude will introduce you to this fascinating lifestyle, and you will learn more in these three days than could be expected in many year's worth of seasons. The set up is friendly and simple, and the campfires are special. Actual hunting and wildlife encounters are part of the program, and fun is virtually guaranteed. Bring your bow, attitude and spirit. The rest will come naturally.

If you feel there is more to archery and bowhunting than you are currently realizing, join us for this unique opportunity for upgrade.

For information on the TED NUGENT BOWHUNTING SCHOOL or to book a hunt with Ted, call SUNRIZE SAFARIS at 800-343-4868.

Join Ted's TNUSA at the link below

TNUSA membership

Ted invites you to communicate with him directly or to get information on his personally guided hunts at Sunrize Safaris PO Box 220 Concord, MI 49237or call 800-343-4868 or visit www.tnugent.com.