Ohio's hunters are gearing up for another deer hunting season.

Deer hunting is immensely popular in the state, and the upcoming season for 2023-24 promises to be an exciting one.

The deer hunting season will kick off with deer archery season on Sept. 30, which extends until Feb. 4, 2024.

The season provides ample opportunities for hunters – both veteran and novice – to pursue their passion and enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

Mike Debolt, a seasoned expert in archery and owner of Pro-Formance Indoor Archery Range & Pro Shop in Newark, has been preparing hunters for the bow season.

Pro-Formance is more than just a place to buy bows and arrows. Debolt ensures that archers are not only equipped with the right gear but also have the skills and knowledge to use it effectively.

“The first thing they do is to make sure their equipment is sighted in and and maintenance is done properly on it,” Debolt told the Mount Vernon News.  

“Make sure the strings on their bows are in proper shape and and good working order. That's what I do here. A lot of pro shop, a lot of tuning making sure their bows are tuned and and making sure the people are tuned."

Debolt emphasizes the importance of proper equipment maintenance and tuning. He points out that many archers encounter issues with their shots and immediately blame their bows.

However, Debolt highlights that often the problem lies with the shooter, not the equipment.

"A lot of people come in and say, 'my bow is not shooting correctly.' I come in and I look at them, I watch them shoot and they ask me, 'why are you looking at me?' I'm like, 'Well, because a lot of times it's not the bow that's the problem.' It's the shooter sometimes,” Debolt said.

As an ethical hunter, Debolt emphasizes the responsibility hunters have to ensure a humane harvest. This includes being well-prepared, practicing ethical hunting, and understanding one's effective range.

“When you skip the basic maintenance on your bows and proper tuning and think, 'well, I can hit anything' or being overconfident thinking that you can do more than you should. Your, your effective range is further than it is and that's when you have problems,” Debolt said.

Debolt also highlights the significance of getting set up correctly when using a bow. Ordering a bow online without proper training on its use can lead to issues. He recommends seeking professional assistance and training to ensure a bow is set up and tuned for the individual archer's needs.

“I just set a guy up actually, from Danville just a minute ago. He just walked out the door. Never had a bow before and he wanted to learn. He’s actually a physical therapist, and so he's fit and and everything. He just walked out there and shot four or five arrows in a two or three inch group and couldn't believe that he shot that well. He was just shocked that he shot that well,” Debolt said.  

“It's all about getting set up correctly. If you order something online – you can order toilet paper and stuff like that online – everybody knows how to use that, but ordering a bow online and not getting proper training on how to use it is is a total different thing.”

At Pro-Formance Indoor Archery Range & Pro Shop, Debolt takes pride in setting up and tuning bows to suit each individual's requirements. He understands that even individuals with similar physical characteristics may shoot differently and tailors the setup accordingly. He emphasizes that there is no wrong way to shoot a bow but believes in teaching a simple, consistent and effective technique.

“I sell a lot of bows here and I set up every bow, that sold here for the most part. Occasionally someone to just grab a bow and go, but typically I set them up and tune them to the individual. And that's what has to be done on a modern compound set up is the bow has to be tuned and set up for that individual,” Debolt said.

“You could have two twin brothers who are exact same height and weight and everything, and they may not shoot the exact same way. It could be close, but it may be way off, you know it just depends. So it has to be done correctly and then set up for the individual.”




Where to locate deer during bow season? 


Without locating deer to harvest hunters may never put their bow to use. 

Debolt said hunters should keep an eye for deer and follow their patterns.

“Where is it coming from? So you move in a little closer,” he said.

‘But if you're not even seeing them, you go in and you look for tracks. Go, go look for water holes, get a look for where they where they get their water, where they where they eating.”

“Obviously bean fields have been pretty heavily used there the last couple of months. And that's going to start changing over a little bit. And acorns right now, finding the hardwoods, the oak trees and maybe even some fruit trees, apple trees and stuff like that. If you don't have that you're going to have corn piles or feeders and or apples dumping apples on the ground to entice them in.”

“But if you don't do the the ground work, get out there and and look for them, then don't be surprised if you don't see anything.”