I really enjoy this time of year. The indoor shooting season has largely been completed and now the focus turns to outdoor archery.

The first arrows of the outdoor season represent liberation. Watching arrows arc their way towards a target 70m away is pure joy. Feeling the sun and the warming breezes of Spring remind me of why archery is so much fun. It’s kind of like being a kid at the end of the school year. There is anticipation of fun to come and all the possibilities of Summer.

But just like all good things archery, nothing beats properly preparing for a successful outdoor campaign. Never take anything for granted. If you are shooting a dedicated outdoor set up, check it! Some of the things that often change are clicker position and brace height. Yes, in the course of shifting equipment around those things can get accidentally moved. Never take your tune for granted. Make sure to take the time to group tune your kit. After checking the tune, it may be necessary to adjust your sight marks for your yardages. I put this off until I get a fairly large number of arrows down range. I want to be sure I am shooting consistently before noting where my sight marks are.

If you dropped draw weight for the indoor season, training to shoot your outdoor weight should have already begun. Try to cross train, while keeping your arrow count reasonable for the state of your current fitness. It would be a crying shame to over train and injure yourself at this time of year.

Do not worry about scores. It is the beginning of the season. Things have a way of sorting themselves out. You’ll get back to where you were at the end of last outdoor season in time. And if you allow yourself some mental freedom, there is every reason to believe you will exceed your performances of last year.

Anyway, It’s beautiful outside and time to look at flowers blooming, the sun warming and arrows flying.