During the off-season, be sure to practice with your equipment. (Honeycutt Creative photos)
January 01, 2025
By Josh Honeycutt
So, your 2024 hunting season didn’t pan out. Maybe it did, but could have been even better. Perhaps it was the best season of your life, but you aren’t one to settle or remain stagnant. Regardless, another year passed us by, and calendars have now rolled over to 2025. Most hunters will remain at their current levels of knowledge and skill. But a few will level-up to a new status of hunter. Will that be you? Consider the following New Year’s resolutions for bowhunters, and it just might be.
1. Get in Better Shape This wouldn’t be a New Year’s resolution list without the obligatory “get in better shape” mantra. Sure, it’s cliché, cheesy, and all the other trash adjectives. But it’s relevant, and important, for those who might hope to experience a better season next fall. Of course, getting in shape doesn’t just mean drawing a heavier-poundage bow. It’s carrying more gear afield, getting to the stand without sweating, dragging a deer faster and more easily, and much more. Getting in shape benefits many areas of hunting.
2. Read Some Bowhunting Books There’s plenty of information available via magazines and online. These offer pages upon pages of informative details. Don’t forget about books, though. Consider reading a list of bowhunting books this coming year. Make a list and knock those out one by one.
3. Improve Woodsmanship Abilities Modern hunting technology is great, but it’s likely led to the decline of certain woodsmanship skills. These are important elements of hunting that shouldn’t be lost. Thus, it’s a good idea for hunters to improve their woodsmanship knowledge and abilities. Do that and enjoy improved understanding and better outcomes in the field.
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4. Budget for New Gear Update your gear as budget allows. Hunters don’t need to buy new gear every year. But sometimes, a new bow, archery sight, release aid, or other equipment purchase, is in order. Maybe something broke, is outdated, or you just want a better version of it. Regardless, budget for some new gear in the new year.
5. Organize Hunting Equipment Many hunters aren’t the most organized. Hunting gear is spread from room to room, closet to closet, drawer to drawer, etc. Instead, have a designated place for all hunting equipment. Then, create an organization system with a dedicated home for each category of gear. Organizing in this way makes it easier to inventory and otherwise locate gear when needed.
6. Practice Existing Weapon Types Whatever you hunt with, pledge to get better with it. Whether it’s a 20-year-old compound bow, 10-year-old recurve, or brand-new crossbow, improve with it. Spend time on the range. Develop new and better shooting mechanics. Master important skills.
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7. Improve Archery Mechanics Work diligently to hone specific skills, and not just shooting as a whole. Shooting bows of any kind (crossbow, compound, or traditional), requires deployment of specific archery-focused mechanics. Each discipline comes with best practices and shooting forms. Improving on these helps bowhunters to level-up their game and be better with their selected weapons. This should lead to better accuracy and more filled tags.
8. Learn a New Weapon Type Always hunted with a crossbow? Try a compound. Carried a compound for 20 seasons? Buy a traditional bow, such as a recurve or longbow. If you’ve always wanted to try a new archery weapon type, now is the time to do so. Go to a local dealer and try on some new bows. See what fits you best. Then, begin the long but enjoyable road of reaching proficiency.
9. Go on a Non-Resident Hunt Most deer hunters have only hunted in the state they reside in. A small minority have traveled across state lines to hunt deer and other big game in distant lands. Those who’ve hoped to be hunting out-of-state whitetails and other game shouldn’t kick that can down the road any longer. Make 2025 your first non-resident hunt. Choose between DIY public land, a hunting lease, outfitted hunt, etc. However, before embarking on the selected journey, conduct plenty of research, study state game laws, determine where to hunt, and enjoy the ride.
10. Find a New Hunting Property Similarly, most hunters pursue game on the same properties they always have. They might even hunt the stand exact stand locations. While that’s perfectly fine, maybe it’s time to find a new hunting property. You never know — it just might lead to a better hunting spot, more deer, and bigger bucks. While maintaining existing areas is just fine, seeking new lands to hunt can produce unexpected opportunities.
11. Spend More Time Scouting Hunters who hunt new places are forced to scout and learn these areas. Those who continue hunting the same lands rarely spend ample time scouting. Regardless of the camp you fall in, spend more time scouting. Whether hunting the same property again for the 40th season or learning a new piece of private or public land, spend more time scouting. The results just might surprise you. After all, on any given property, deer patterns can change over time. And the more time spent scouting a new area, the better and faster you’ll learn it.
12. Improve Your Hunting Land Those who own or have permission to manage a piece of dirt enjoy the ability to improve it. This might mean planting food plots, planting native grasses, installing watering holes, hinge-cutting to create bedding areas, and more. Regardless of the specific task, completing habitat improvement projects can elevate a hunting property, and in turn, helps wildlife flourish.
13. Create the Ultimate Hunting Spot Set up a killer hunting spot. You already have a great piece of hunting land. Now, it’s time to create the ultimate hunting spot (within that piece of land). Maybe that means planting a food plot in a killer location. It’s adjacent to a bedding area, offers great access routes in and out, and checks other crucial boxes. Thus, creating the ultimate hunting spot can increase odds of tagging a specific target buck, or improve deer hunting success in general, next season.
14. Tag a Specific Target Buck Some deer hunters choose a specific buck (or short list of bucks) and target these specifically. Perhaps it’s the top buck, or top two or three bucks, available to the hunter’s access. Regardless, this added challenge increases the complexity and adds an extra layer to the hunt. In addition to filling the freezer, it also expands the challenge.
15. Benefit Wildlife Conservation Hunters create the backbone of wildlife conservation. The funding created and projects completed are direct, and sometimes indirect, results from hunters. Direct results might be firsthand habitat projects, such as planting native grasses or food plots. Indirect results might be supplying conservation funds generated by hunting licenses or conservation group donations. Therefore, make a conscious effort to benefit wildlife conservation directly and indirectly.
16. Give Back to Archery and Wildlife The author with his 2024 Kentucky archery buck. Every bowhunter should strive to leave it better than they found it. Meaning, they should work diligently to improve the state of archery, bowhunting, and wildlife. Giving back to archery might include sharing the craft with others. Giving back to wildlife can look many different ways but might be creating and/or following a strict management plan for the deer and properties you hunt.
17. Introduce Someone to Bowhunting Know someone who’d like bowhunting? Maybe they’ve inquired about it in the past? Introduce them and others to bowhunting. That’s a surefire way to help archery and bowhunting to survive, and even thrive, well into the future.
18. Determine Your Own Unique New Year’s Resolution None of the New Year’s resolutions above suit your fancy? That’s fine. Determine your own unique bowhunting New Year’s resolution(s). Other than the good Lord above, no one knows yourself better than you. So, assess areas of needed or desired improvement. Then, get to work.
The New Year is here. What are you going to do with it? Whatever that is, ensure positive change, and you’ll be happy with it.
