More Power for the Female Frame
Building Upper Body Strength for Archery Season

The break of dawn had just crested over the Oregon Mountains and the air was cold. My father and I were in my favorite meadow, a place that I had patterned the elk migrating through over the years.

We spotted the five by five bull elk sparring with a pine sapling on the far side of the meadow bordering the majestic ponderosa pines. The bull was not alone. The rest of herd, comprised of smaller bulls, cows, and calves started feeding towards us.

Luckily, there was enough time to set up my decoy as we had little cover from their sight and we were on ground level amongst them. There, the two of us watched the small bulls play fight while the cows continued to feed and look after the calves that were frolicking around. They were so close now, 35 yards, some of the cows were even closer and all were down wind. 

Our field preparation was paying off as the herd did not have a make on us, yet. I had been waiting so long and hunted so hard for this very moment, one that every bow hunter can appreciate. With that many eyes on you, it is always tricky to draw your bow without being busted.  I found the perfect opportunity and I seized it! By the grace of god, when I drew my bow back, none of the elk saw. 

There I sat at full draw waiting for that perfect shot on the five by five. Finally, I had to kneel down and rest my bow cam against my leg to take away some of the back tension. I was praying that my shot would come before I got the shakes, and it did. Slowly, I crept back up into my shooting lane just as the bull was moving forward. When he reached my shooting lane, I was already there. Full pass through, double-lungs, and 75 yards later, my bull was down. All of my hard work and preparation had paid off.

My dad and I decided to take up archery together 5 years ago. He had shot archery in some years past, however this was my first experience with a bow. It seemed like my goal of reaching the Oregon minimum 50 pound draw requirement for elk was going to take forever, not to mention the ability to accurately shoot distances of up to 50 yards! Having special ordered my first compound bow with a 40-50 pound range, I was determined that upon its arrival, I would easily be able to come to full draw.

I started out shooting a youth bow set at a mere 18 pounds with a 24”draw length, aiming at a target only ten yards away. Starting with a light draw weight not only gives you an opportunity to learn where your anchor point is it also gives you an opportunity to practice how to steadily and accurately hold your bow on target. A physical injury can potentially ruin an entire archery season, so taking this process slow building upon each success one victory at a time is very important.

When I was able to comfortably and accurately shoot targets up to 20 yards, I moved my practice sessions outside to my parents’ farm where my dad and I practiced in the evenings. Practicing outside allows you to safely continue to expand your range and poundage, while learning how to shoot in the same types of un-controllable elements that you may encounter in the field.

Supplementing your practice sessions with strength and cardiovascular training allows you an opportunity to expand on your physical strength, enhancing your overall in field performance. To build the strength required to draw a bow at Oregon’s legal weight is not difficult, but it takes a disciplined approach to the specific fitness of the muscles of the back and shoulders. Here are some examples of a few beneficial strength training exercises:

Push Ups
Seated Rows
Wide Grip Pull Downs
Dumbbell Lateral Raises
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

A qualified personal trainer can set you in the right direction with a program personally designed to enhance your in-field performance.