It’s ten minutes after sunrise, fog is starting to lift, several deer are still feeding in the foodplot, you spot a nice buck and decide to take the shot. Your rifle is rested solidly on the shooting rail of your stand that you and your buddies spent all summer working on, the time has come, it’s showtime!!

Unfortunately, the truth is some hunters out there are not ready to squeeze that trigger. Amongst all the foodplot preparations, clearing shooting lanes, hanging stands, etc. believe it or not, some forget the #1 most important part of hunting. Making sure their weapon is sighted in properly. When I say making sure it’s sighted in, I’m not speaking of sending three or four quick rounds through the barrel and getting up. I’m referring to actually getting some range time in and knowing your weapon. Some would argue that ammo is expensive and others have legitimate complaints about the lack of places to just go out and shoot. I agree 110%, ammo can be costly and not everyone is going to be able to just step out back and start shooting. For those that are not fortunate enough to have a steady place to shoot, I encourage you to find a place. We owe it to the animals we are hunting to ensure that not only are our weapons dialed in, but more importantly, that we are capable of proper shot placement under hunting situations.

I was reading a post by Mike Hanback over on his blog about Neck Shots on deer. The discussion of proper shot placement is brought up in a couple of the comments over there as well. My personal opinion on the topic is that when done properly there is no doubt that a neck shot, or even a spine shot is the most lethal shot one could take. However, I just feel that the chances for something to go wrong far outweigh any of the benefits that come with taking one of these shots for the average shooter. Especially for the one who puts shooting his/her weapon on the bottom of the “To do list” before season starts.

I remember being taught the basics of bowhunting by an A.S.A. Shooter who really helped me learn alot in a very short time. He layed down the basics for me and I took it from there, I hit a few 3D shoots in the beginning and then mostly retired to foam in the backyard. I was getting “pretty good” in my opinion, hitting the vitals on the target with every arrow. I had been shooting all spring and all summer when he and I met back up for a shoot. He says to me “I want you to run to the end of the driveway and back as fast as you can, get back over here and hit the vitals”. Man ole’ Man, was I in for a rude awakening, all my hard work from practicing was just slammed in the dirt. Here I was straining to pull the bow back, heart racing 90mph, I released, and he said to me “You just wounded your first deer with a bow”.

The importance of knowing your weapon and your own capabilities with that weapon should be on the top of the list before heading out on your next hunting trip. If you’ve never lost an animal due to poor shot placement, congratulations, keep up the good work. For the rest of us out here that have , let’s try and put the odds in our favor from here on out, let’s make it a point to find the time and a place to get to know our weapon.