It is hard to believe that in only a matter of weeks summer vacation will be officially over and my daughter will be back in school. While the days have mostly been sunny and warm, the mornings are crisp and hint at a change in temperature just over the horizon. I’ve been focusing on preserving as many vegetables and berries that I can from our incredibly productive garden this year, stocking the freezer and pantry with homegrown veggies, jams and pickles to enjoy during the winter.

This is my first summer of having enough produce to actually preserve some and I have been keeping my Weston Products vacuum sealer busy! (And I hope to keep it even busier this fall when I kill a deer!)

It is amazing to think that my second bow season is almost here. I could not be more excited to climb my tree stand and hopefully fill our freezer with free range venison.

Last week, I decided to go back and have my bow adjusted a bit more by my archery dealer. I am so glad that I did. It’s funny how even the smallest tweak can make such a difference in my confidence shooting my bow. He ended up taking the draw length in by about half an inch, among other adjustments, and I’m slowly regaining my comfort zone with daily practice.

Because I am feeling a bit rusty and also getting used to a new bow, I’m finding that shooting daily at 10 and 20 yard increments into my Block target is really helping me regain the confidence I had toward the end of last season. Over the next week or so, I plan on setting up my 3D buck target to incorporate into my daily practice as well as increasing my shooting distance a bit by adding a 30 yard increment to the roster. I have a three-pin sight and have the pins set at 10, 20 and 30 yards.

Last year, I didn’t have as much time to practice from my tree stand as I wanted to. This year, I plan on making it a point to get up in my tree stand to practice shooting. I want to make sure that I am as confident as I can this season — and know that being comfortable shooting my bow from both sitting or standing positions from the top of my tree stand is just as important as practicing on the ground.

As the summer turns to fall and deer season approaches, do you have a practice regime in place?