Bowhunting North America's Weekly Tip 

Well spring has sprung and it’s the time of year for that “spring cleaning” as mama always called it. That time of year when she made my brother and I dig out all the dirty socks from under the bed and give our rooms a good cleaning up. Sometimes it took us near to summer to get it done, but she still called it spring cleaning.

This is also a great time for hunters to do some spring cleaning of our own. A good time to get our gear cleaned up, tuned up, and patched up for the next hunting season.

A good place to start is in your closet. Pull out that camo and replace those missing buttons, fix that sticky zipper and sew up those barbed wire snags. Put those new laces in the boots and buy a new pair of gloves to go with the single glove you have left.  With all the new patterns recently introduced, you may want to take a look at replacing a suit or two with something more suitable for the area you hunt.

Next, dig out that back pack and go through it.  Get rid of that left over buck lure and replace it with a new fresh bottle next fall. Replace the spare flashlight batteries that you know you’ll need at some point next season. Take a minute to put a new edge on your hunting knife and check the first aid kit to be sure it has what you need that you may have used last season. Go ahead and toss out that ragged old roll of toilet paper (I mean tracking paper) and put in a new one.

Take a look at your bow gear. Check nocks for cracks and the arrows for nicks or dings and replace them as necessary. This is a great time to give your broadheads a close inspection to be sure you have enough and those you have are straight and sharp.

Check the strings and cable on your bow. Replacing worn parts at this time of year gives you plenty of time to get the bow back in tune before hunting season. Check mounting screws on sights and rests and give that string a new coat of wax. 

If you hunt from tree stands you’ll want to give them a good checking out at this time also. Tighten loose bolts and screws. Oil seat swivels and give the whole thing a new coat of paint if it needs it. Be sure to check the chains or straps that attach the stand to the tree for worn or broken parts. And don’t forget to give your safety harness a good going over too.

Tending to these things now will give you plenty to time to readjust anything that needs a little attention and will have you ready to go when the fall season rolls around again so that you can concentrate your efforts toward hunting that big old buck that you’ll dream about all summer.

And get those dirty socks out from under that bed!

And this is your Bowhunting North America Tip of the Week!

John Shelley

Pro Staff

Bowhunting North America, LLC