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Shooting in the Cold

Over the years I’ve developed a routine to help fight the effects of cold on idle muscles while on a deer stand.

By Michael Corrigan

Back when I was a younger man, fitness training was a hobby that was as important to me as archery. I was convinced that I was a stud back then and to prove it, I rigged a compound bow with a 110-pound draw weight. Customers watched in awe as I shot that beastly bow in my hometown pro shop. Most bows were outfitted with sight pins set incrementally for 10, 20 and 30 yards. With my bow, I could hit the mark all the way out to 30 yards with a single sight pin! It was a brute of a bow.

I grew up in southwest Florida hunting wild feral hogs and whitetails. Archery season there is a hot and humid affair, and I never ventured into the woods before first bathing in bug spray. The mosquitoes were always big, plentiful and thirsty. Looking back, it was truly a miserable experience. Keeping a sharp ear out for approaching game was a waste of time. The only sound of nature experienced was the murmuring drone emitted from a surrounding cloud of bloodsuckers searching tirelessly for a weakness in my chemical body armor. Keeping an eye out for critters was also made difficult peering through a head net and thick fog of flying insects. I can’t say that hunting in those hot, bug-infested conditions was better than sitting on the couch at home, but when a shot opportunity presented itself, drawing my high-poundage monster bow required no warm-up. I was already hot!

When I moved to northern Florida to start college, I was surprised to discover the area actually experienced winter. In fact, morning temperatures that plummeted into the 30s, 20s and at times even the teens came as quite a shock to this subtropical jungle boy. People not from around these parts would not believe that it actually gets cold in Florida, of all places. But cold air combined with high humidity drives a chill right into the bones. During my first attempt to draw my hot-rod bow in such cold I nearly let out a groan as it felt as though every muscle in my back was tearing apart. I did somehow manage to get the bow back, but aiming steadily was out of the question. I didn’t aim. I shivered. That bow was retired shortly after that incident in favor of a 70-pound model. The day I downsized remains a milestone in my life.

As technology in archery tackle progressed, I slowly adapted even more. Today I typically shoot a bow with a draw weight of 60 pounds. And guess what? I can still reach out to 30 yards and hit the mark with just one sight pin. Drawing my current hunting bow is accomplished without strain in even the coldest of temperatures. In fact, my current 60-pound setup offers a noticeable advantage when hunting and shooting in cold weather. Advancements in cold-weather apparel help too. However, every bowhunter can attest that drawing a bow set with even a modest draw weight is still made difficult after sitting motionless in a tree for several hours in the cold.

Over the years I’ve developed a routine to help fight the effects of cold on idle muscles while on a deer stand. The trick is to keep muscles active. Obviously you can’t perform jumping jacks or jump rope 20 feet up in a tree. Aside from safety concerns, a deer would surely pick you off with such movement. What does work is a technique called “isometrics.”

Isometrics allow you to target and work muscles with little or no movement.
The typical bicep flex serves as a good example. Not only do I occasionally perform the bicep flex in an effort to impress my wife and young daughter, but I also employ the technique to target specific bow-drawing muscles while on stand. Try it yourself. Flex your bicep muscle and hold it for at least 10 seconds. Do this five to ten times with 10-second rest intervals. The pump one feels from this exercise is referred to as transient hypertrophy. This short-term effect is attributable to the fluid accumulation from blood plasma in the intracellular and interstitial spaces of the muscle. The burn is attributed to lactic acid buildup. The activity also burns calories and generates heat. That heat keeps muscles loose for the shot.

You can also use the method to simulate back tension and target the large back muscles required to draw and hold your bow at full draw. While sitting or standing, raise both hands up to chin height and lock your fingers together. Your elbows should be pointed in opposite directions. Next, try to pull apart your grip by squeezing your largest back muscles together. Do this for at least ten seconds and repeat after short rest intervals. The pulling action in this exercise is referred to as resisted flexion and targets many of the same muscles used to draw and hold a bow at full draw. Performing the exercise in reverse is referred to as resisted extension. Instead of locking your fingers together, put your hands together as if saying a prayer. Again, your elbows should be pointed in opposite directions. Imagine an egg is between your hands. Try to crush the egg. Here, arm and shoulder muscles are activated as well as chest muscles.

There are many more isometric exercises you can do while on stand, and many will target the archery muscles. Google “isometric exercises” to learn more…and stay warm and loose.

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