Practice early. It will make you a better bow hunter! Practice in different weather conditions. The weather isn't always warm and often your equipment will perform differently in different environmental conditions. You need to know how your bow will perform when it's warm as well as when it's cold or raining.

Practice while wearing the clothing you're actually going to hunt in. Added clothing can affect your draw length. If you use a face mask, it may give you a different feel and alter your anchor point. Even wearing gloves feels different if you haven't practiced while wearing them.

Make it a point to practice from your tree stand. When you get into it out there and you finally have that big buck coming towards you, you make your draw, reach your anchor point, aim and...MISS!!! What the hell went wrong? Most likely, you overshot your buck. Very common among bowhunters is the tendency to "heel" their bow by putting too much hand pressure on the lower part of the grip, causing the arrow to go too high. When you reach your anchor point, bend at the waist during your aim. This elevates the "torque" process, and prevents an otherwise high shot. Practicing from an elevated position helps you to learn about this circumstance, and teaches you to be prepared and overcome it.

As you practice, use each session to improve your methods and form. Avoid practice if you are tired or ill. It could lead to bad habits in shooting form. Practicing "bad habits" defeats your purpose, and the session won't be as fun as it should be.

Whatever you do, don't wait until a couple of days before bow season opens to haul your bow out. With only a few days practice, you will be pushing yourself too hard and won't gain the confidence you need to make the proper shot and cleanly harvest the deer. You owe it to yourself, to your fellow bowhunters, and especially the animal to make a quick, humane shot.