RE: Practicing sessions
I practice any and all possible hunting situations. When it gets this close to the season(15 September for us here in Md.), you have to practice like you're hunting. That means shooting from a treestand if you plan on hunting from one. Shooting with all your hunting gear on. Using the arrows and broadheads you'll be using for hunting. If you're using a tree climber, it's a good idea to climb a tree with it and shoot from that. Try taking shoots from many different angles.It's much better to run into any unforseen problems during practice and not while you've got a monster in front of you. Another problem is shooting lanes. I can't tell you how many "I hit a limb" or "I had no shot" excuses I heard. There is no excuse for not having good shooting lanes. You may have to give up some cover, but it's well worth it. I love ceder and holly trees, and will put a stand up in or around one any time I can find one in the right set up area.
Good luck everyone