I’m always surprised at the role that optics play in some hunter’s arsenal, or should I say the non-role they play. Being bowhunters, there is one fact we all know too well, you must see game before they see you. With this being the first commandment of bowhunting I wonder how anyone could hope to realistically accomplish this feat without the assistance of good quality optics.

I must admit I’ve come a long way since my first pair of compact binoculars. I know I still have far to go but I am using the best that I can afford at the moment. Recently I purchased a pistol grip mount and a Bogen tripod from Floyd Green over at his store the Outdoorsman. With Floyd’s help I was able to buy the best equipment I could afford on my budget. After using a better tripod I’m sold on the value of using one. As with any sport, equipment can and usually does make the difference between being mediocre or moving up to that next level.

I’ve always believed that before going into the field a hunter should be proficient with any weapon he hunts with, and I always will. Assuming you are accurate with your bow and know your maximum shooting yardage (I mean for hunting, not just shooting paper targets.) how can you increase your chances of being successful this season? By improving your hunting skills your percentages of harvesting an animal will go up dramatically. While watching an interview with one of the best shots with a bow in the world, he was asked if he would rather have great shooting skills or great hunting skills? His reply was, without question hunting skills. The best bow shots in the world still need to get close to game to make clean, ethical shots on game.

For what ever it is worth, in my opinion most bowhunters (including myself) need to improve on their glassing techniques. Why? Commonly bowhunters will overlook the glassing techniques required to spot game at a distance. I’m convinced this mind set comes from the fact that bowhunting is such a close range sport. In my way of thinking this is exactly why we need good glassing skills and equipment. Whether you plan on still-hunting, stalking an animal or hunting from a treestand you will need to prepare for the shot before the animal appears from nowhere. The element of surprise, and the ability to plan ahead is the only advantages we have over our prey. Take full advantage of them.

The second thing I’ve noticed about many bowhunters is the amount of care that they give to their weapons. It seems as though they either treat them as though they were made of glass or pay no attention to the abuse that they give them. I’d like to think I’m somewhere in the middle of the pack. I take care of my bow but expect it to take the rigors of bowhunting. One precaution I take is to make sure that I always keep it out of direct sunlight for extended periods of time. Excessive heat is always tough on bow limbs, strings, and bushings. Sometimes the heat will cause weaknesses in materials that will not show up until you draw back and your bow explodes. It is not only the heat but also the ultra violet rays from the sun that can destroy your bow. Many accuracy problems are a direct result of heat causing string stretch or worse limb torque.

The sun is not the only enemy of your bow. You may be another. Do you pack your bow in a soft-sided bow case or a hard-sided bow case? A soft-sided case makes it easier for you to pack your bow around, but does not give your bow much protection.

Last year a man was buying a new bow and I was helping make sure he was buying the right equipment he needed. After we had secured the exact bow he wanted with all the bells and whistles he had been dreaming of he ask me if I could think of anything he had forgotten? After assuring him that he was buying a set up he would be proud of, there was only one more thing he could get for himself. INSURANCE FOR THE BOW. Can I buy that here he asked? Yes you can I said as I held up a hard-sided bow case. I explained that he had just made a sizable purchase, and he could protect that purchase as long as he owned it and any like it in the future by spending another $100 for a quality bow case. After all would you drive your new car off the lot with no insurance?