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Summer Archery This is the time of year that there is not much going on in the hunting world so we look for other ways to satisfy our desires to be outdoors shooting our bows. A lot of other people like myself choose to compete in 3-D tournaments (Myself, I look forward to them every weekend). This is a very good way to keep your archery skills sharp for the upcoming hunting season. We tune our bows, sharpen our range judgment skills and practice our form, most instructors out there will say “concentrate on the target, just let the release happen”. This is sound advice and should be done on every shot. BUT!!! What happens when summer comes and we are shooting in the sun at 100° plus? You just can’t seem to hold onto that concentration and you don’t see the yardage in quite the same way you were during practice or even earlier that day. We don’t always think of archery as a physical sport but, when you are a person that may sit in an air-conditioned office, drive a truck, operate a computer or managing people all day it could be more activity then you are used to. Even though all of these things are tasking in their own way, walking in the sun at more then 100° is tasking in ways that not all of us think about as in dehydration or heat stroke. Dehydration is something that most people know is possible but they will still experience at least once in their life. It is more then just not drinking water, it is an imbalance of your body fluids called Electrolytes that will effect sight, thought, judgement and attitude of the person experiencing it. In a day’s activity you could lose up to 4 liters of water and exercise, altitude, heat and humidity will increase this. It is said that if you wait till you are thirsty to drink its is most likely too late to hydrate with water alone, this is why it is important to drink throughout the day rather then wait till you are thirsty. There are products on the market such as Powerade that will assist in balancing the electrolytes in your body to help battle dehydration and re-hydrate you. When you body looses 5% of your body fluids this is mild dehydration and consists of dry lips and dry mouth and it will cause fatigue, impaired coordination and judgment. At 10% loss of fluids or moderate dehydration you will experience very dry mouth, your skin will loose its elasticity, your eyes will start to recess and the coordination and judgment will be further impaired. At 15% loss of fluids you are severely dehydrated and in need medical attention! The signs will be all of the above plus racing pulse, hands and feet may become cool or even cold, breathing becomes labored, your lips may darken or even turn blue and you will become lethargic, confused or even hallucinate. This is a very serious situation that has a very simple cure. On the drive to the range I start my day with a liter of water or a quart of Powerade. Then as I shoot the course I try to drink a bottle of water in between the water jugs provided for us whether I am thirsty or not. This is normally enough water for my body but you may require a bit more or less. The important thing is to enjoy the outdoor activities and stay hydrated and healthy to shoot another day. Hope to see everyone at the Range.
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