Eric Davis Outdoor Columnist

Archery season is under a month away and for many hunters it is crunch time to get everything ready before opening day.

Whether you have been shooting your bow since last season or haven’t thought about it until now, there are some things that need to happen before October gets here.

The first thing you should do is get your bow out and give it a visual inspection from top to bottom. Look at the limbs looking for cracks or splinters. You can use a cotton swab (Q-tip) to see if it snags on anything. Next check the string and cables.

The serving at the ends will usually show its wear before the main string section. If you can see the string through gaps in the serving, it should be replaced. To have time for parts to be ordered, shipped, installed, and get it back to able to practice before bow season you would need to get your problem to the shop as soon as possible. Next look over the accessories on your bow, make sure the pins in your sight still are good or make sure your light works if you have a light to illuminate the pins. If your bow passes the inspection, at a minimum give the string and cables a good wax.

With your bow cleared, look at your arrows. Make sure the fletchings are not damaged, check your nocks, and make sure your inserts aren’t loose. You can roll your arrows on a table with the fletching end hanging off to make sure they are straight and not bent. If you use carbon arrows, give them a flex to inspect for cracks or splinters. Check on your broadheads to see if you need to buy any before the season starts.

Practicing with your bow is a must before the season. No matter how little time you might have, a handful of shots is better than none.

If anything, it’s more realistic to hunting because you don’t get to shoot a bunch to warm up before a deer shows up. Longer practice sessions are good for making sure your distance pins are dialed in and can allow you to try different shot angles or shooting positions (like from a chair in a blind).

With minimal time before the season, if you’ve put off any stand moving or lane trimming, it’s time to do it or deal with it for the season. The amount of disturbance created by moving a stand can keep deer out of the area for a few days, so if you’re going to do it you should do it now.

This can let things calm back down and get back to normal before October. At least check on your stands to make sure they are safely secured to their trees and that they have pull-up ropes and the correct fall-restraint harness accessories.

Get your trail cameras out this weekend if you haven’t put them out already. Like in all research, the more data the better. Having cameras out longer, will give you more data in the form or pictures or videos so you can decide what stands to hunt when the season rolls around. Make sure they have fresh batteries and empty memory cards (or proper plans for mobile cameras) before putting them out.

Every hunter has their own method of treating their clothing to be as scent-free as possible when hunting.

If you want to treat you clothes with permethrin to repel ticks, treat them soon so they can air out for a couple days before washing them (the permethrin lasts multiple washes). A popular device lately is an ozone producer. The extra oxygen molecule in ozone easily breaks free and binds to odor-causing substances.