Get Your Hunting Bow Ready: Pre-Season Checklist (infographic)

Bow hunting season is almost here! Are you ready? Have you been practicing as much as you should? Are the hunting tree stands and deer stands hung with care? Are your camo hunting clothes carefully cleaned and descented?

And how about your hunting bow itself? Have you given it a thorough going over to make sure it will be ready when the moment of truth arrives?

When the moment of truth has come and gone, you're going to feel one of two ways. Either you'll know the elation of a solid hit and a short blood trail, or you'll have an awful dnawing pain in the pit of your stomach and then a flood of regret. If the reason for a bad shot was equipment failure that could have been avoided with simple preventive maintenance - you'll have no one to blame but yourself.

If you do a pre-season tuning of your bow and equipment, the chances of mechanical failure will virtually disappear. We've compiled nine of the most important pre-season bow prep checklist items you’ll want to double check before you head afield.

Checking these nine items can make all the difference between a deer on the ground and an empty frying pan.

1. Check the Cams: If you find damage, get it repaired before you shoot again.
    
2. Wax the String: Preventing fraying, less prone to moisture and prolong life.
    
3. Tighten the Sights: Check every nut, add Loctite to the screws attaching the sight to the riser.
    
4. Check the Arrow Rest: Loose screws or timing is out of sync can be he source of unexplained misses.
    
5. Inspect the D-Loop: Look over carefully and feel for wear.Do the same to the knots holding it on the string.
    
6. Buy a Spare Bow Release: Even if your release checks out for mechanical function, always have an identical spare.
    
7. Silence the Quiver: Inspect this important contact point often for wear or a loose fit.
    
8. Sharp Broadheads: If you shot a broadhead one time - even at a target - put in new blades before you go hunting.
    
9. Nocks and Vanes: Be certain nocks are in good repair and positioned properly relative to the cock feather. Vanes or fletches are securely attached front to back.
    

Larger view of the hunting bow pre-season prep checklist printable PDF.