Have you ever thought about heading out to an archery range or heading out into the woods to see what you can hunt? Hunting and archery are definitely fun for most people and even more than that, there are plenty of great benefits that you’ll achieve by going hunting. Throughout this article we’ll try to talk about just a few of them, but keep in mind that there are going to be a whole lot more that we won’t even be able to get to, but you can if you take the opportunity to head to your nearest course or the nearest woods to try it out.
13 Health Benefits of Archery and Bowhunting:
- Improve Your Focus
- Increase Balance
- Develop Hand-Eye Coordination
- Improve Patience
- Get More Social
- Increase Your Strength
- Sit Back and Relax
- Build Lower Body Muscles
- Build Your Confidence
- Get More Exercise
- Get Outside
- Understand Safety
- Have Some Fun
Improve Your Focus
The first thing you’re going to do when you pick up that bow is to start learning about focus. If you aren’t able to focus on your target you’re definitely not going to get far when it comes to actually hitting anything. Even if you’re not actually trying to shoot an animal in the woods, you still want to be able to hit the target. If you can bring yourself to focus closely on that target and on where you want your arrows to go you’ll be able to do that, but even more than that you’re going to learn how to focus on other things as well.
Increase Balance
A lot of people have a problem with balance, whether it’s just walking in a straight line or being able to carry something heavy without stumbling or falling. When you balance in archery you’re going to have to stand or sit very still without falling over or dropping your bow. When you practice this by shooting you’re going to improve your overall balance in other areas as well. You’ll be able to walk more steadily and a whole lot more because you’re going to strengthen and stabilize the muscles in the core of your body. That means you’re also building up your strength and stamina.
Develop Hand-Eye Coordination
In order to shoot a bow, you need to be able to hold the bow with one hand while firing with the other and looking through sight with your eyes. You need to coordinate what you see through the sight with when you’re going to release the string and fire the bow and that requires you to be able to coordinate your hands and your eyes. It takes a decent amount of practice, but once you’re able to start honing the skill you will be able to get better shots and you’ll be able to accomplish other activities and even sports a whole lot easier.
Improve Patience
When you’re sitting in a blind or a tree stand waiting for something to come into your range so you can make the shot you’re definitely going to need patience. If it’s not something that you have already it’s something you’re going to develop when you take that first trip out into the woods. Even just waiting to line up a shot at a target is going to require you to learn some patience. As you do, you’ll be able to apply that patience in other areas of your life where you may be forced to wait your turn or wait for an opportunity for something.
Get More Social
Though it may seem more like a solo activity, hunting and archery are actually quite social. People like to get together for both of them and though you may actually shoot on your own, you’re going to have plenty of other people to interact with in the meantime. This is definitely going to help you get more interested in the sport and it’s going to help you meet some new people that you might not have gotten to know otherwise. That means you’ll have some new people to try out other experiences with as well.
Build Lower Body Muscles
It may not seem like it but when you head out into the woods or on a lot of courses you’re going to be building up the lower body as well. That’s because you’re going to be walking around a whole lot and you’re going to have to carry all of your gear with you. That gear definitely isn’t going to be light and that means the more you carry the more you’re putting extra work through your legs and lower body. That means you’re getting prepared for other activities that you might want to engage in.
Sit Back and Relax
Though you’re not exactly going to ‘sit back’ heading out to hunt or going to an archery range can actually be relaxing. There’s something a little bit cathartic about shooting a bow because you’re actually taking some time and using a lot of patience in between each shot or while waiting for the shot. This can give you some time to relax and breathe and just enjoy the experience. Especially if you’re out in the woods you’ll be able to just breathe in some of that nature around you.
Sit Back and Relax
Though you’re not exactly going to ‘sit back’ heading out to hunt or going to an archery range can actually be relaxing. There’s something a little bit cathartic about shooting a bow because you’re actually taking some time and using a lot of patience in between each shot or while waiting for the shot. This can give you some time to relax and breathe and just enjoy the experience. Especially if you’re out in the woods you’ll be able to just breathe in some of that nature around you.
Get Outside
Just the act of getting outside for a little while is going to be a big help for you. Being able to get some of that fresh air and experience the outdoors is going to add to the fun, but it’s also going to make sure that you’re staying healthy. After all, we all need some fresh air in order to be healthy. Whether you just wander outside for a short while to hunt or you’re out all day, you’re definitely going to be getting what your body is looking for, and in a way that makes it easier to get out there and do it in the first place.
Get More Exercise
There’s never a bad side to getting some exercise and when you’re doing either archery or actual hunting you’re going to be getting a decent amount. You’ll need to walk to get to your hunting location. You have to carry all of your supplies. You have to pull back the bow … There are more methods of exercise going on with bowhunting than you will even realize and that means you’re building up your body and the muscles that are located throughout your body and doing it without even really trying too.
Build Your Confidence
Just like with anything else, as you start to get better you start to feel more confident in yourself. After all, being able to tell people that you’re good at archery is a whole lot of fun and it definitely makes you feel good about yourself. There is definitely an element of competition to archery and hunting so when you’re able to improve your skills you’ll definitely feel like you’ve come a long way in the spirit of competition. You may also feel like you’ve got something you can brag about (at least a little) and that can be fun.
Understand Safety
You’re also going to learn about the safety rules that are associated with hunting and archery. This is important to the sport itself but it’s also important to other sports that you might decide to participate in. You’ll realize that you actually have a whole lot of rules in the rest of your life that you should be paying attention to and you should be keeping track of. By learning the safety rules in archery and hunting you’ll be able to really pay attention to how rules affect the other things that you do and how you do them.
Have Some Fun
Finally, it’s just plain fun to head out and do some archery or start hunting. You’ll realize that you really enjoy the process and the experience, as well as everything that comes along with it. After all, there are a whole lot of benefits that we’ve already talked about right here and you’ll be surprised to see just how great those things are and how much you enjoy them. Getting some exercise and working out the muscles in your body has definitely never been so fun.
Conclusion
All in all, there are a number of different reasons that you can and should get into hunting and archery. You want to make sure that you’re really checking out all the benefits that go along with the process and all the ways that it’s going to help you be healthier and happier when it comes down to it. It’s not just about getting out in the woods and having fun, but that’s definitely going to be one of the important aspects. So why not give it a shot and see just how much you’ll learn and how much you’re going to enjoy hunting for yourself?