I always carry a judo or blunt while I am hunting and scouting. Stump shooting is great practice and you never know when you might see a grouse or a rabbit.  

I pretty much always shoot a couple of arrows in camp before I get on stand. Even if they are in the dark

Al (Scott).. one of my joys is to walk in the woods with a longbow and a couple arrows.  Typically I use hex heads as they are tough as heck and pretty decent at not getting lost.  

I do the usual stump shoot routine,  then after a bit I start to play.  OK...  I can probably hit that stump from here, standing upright with plenty of room,  but...  how bout over there, standing so I have to shoot between two trees that leave about 6" of space, and they are half way to the target.....  or I have to bend way over or get on my knees to shoot under some stuff  or even  (gasp)  I have to bounce the arrow off a tree or drop it in over a brush pile.  

We can do those things now cause we are playing, and it really doesn't hurt a thing if (yeah right   IF )we miss.  But boy does it do things toward helping you pull off shots and you get pretty excited when you do it.  

I hang foam balls the size of tennis balls from cord and tie those to trees along several trails on my little place.  Try hitting THAT at 20 yards, 30, 40,  around trees etc.   A summer of that and you will KNOW what you can hit and what you can't.  and did I tell you about the fun I have.  

And...  also important.  I love to do this by myself....  but I REALLY love to do this with a friend (or child, or spouse)... to share the fun and the joy of playing in the woods.  Don't compete... just goof around and enjoy your time in the woods.
ChuckC

This Is a very good thread!! I made a thread similar to this one on another traditional forum and some of the answers surprised me. In saying that though everyone Is different on how they prepare themselves for the hunt. As for myself I always warm up before I head out In the woods. I don't like to stump shoot on the way In to my woods being I'm afraid of making unwanted noises but I do take a few practice shots at home before I head out for my hunt. Ones effective range can change from day to day or week to week so It sure Is nice to know where your sitting when the time comes. I feel naked when I don't shoot before I go, It's just part of my routine.

Never leave home with out a stump arrow.(judo or blunt). In the  stand I take imaginary shots all day long.  Some of those shots are as good as Byron Ferguson, on his best day.  


Joe

After you shoot more the first arrow will start finding it's mark.I only shoot from the stand when I want to kill something.I don't want stinking arrows sticking around my stand.Shooting groups instills muscle memory and the sight pictures you need to shoot well.It also gives a hunter the most important part of his training.Confidence. jmo

Many years of experience and much wisdom in the previous replies.  

I can only add to this discussion what has been very helpful to me over the years, that is hunting small game.  I was introduced to hunting small game with a longbow at around age six.  Though I did have a few opportunities, I was not allowed to arrow a big game animal until age 12 when I killed my first whitetail deer. Though I was only 12, by that time I had a bunch of string time under my belt arrowing several species of small game. No matter how much string time you have in the comfort of a familiar course, and no matter how well you can string together a succession of well placed shots on an inanimate target, I cannot begin to stress enough the difference in felt pressure of making the one shot you may take on a live game animal when afoot in the woods during conditions that are often far less then ideal. There have been volumes of books written on this very subject in the world of hunting archery of which at times can prove to be a huge stumbling block for some to overcome.  I have found very few things in archery that can duplicate this experience any better than spending time afoot in the woods hunting small game. Such time spent will quickly help you to develop your woodsmanship and tackle management skills when hunting with your longbow. Such time spent will quickly help you to develop stress inoculation against game panic when you decide to take that first shot on a live big game animal. Such time spent will quickly help you to develop your confidence in your abilities to accurately place a killing shot with that first arrow while hunting during conditions that are often far less then ideal.

So my suggestion would be that you broaden your horizons by not becoming a single dimensional hunter who only goes after a narrow range of big game animals that you only shoot from a stationary shooting box within a limited duration of time each year.  Expand your horizons as there are numerous opportunities to enjoy your longbow afield throughout the entire calendar year while going after a plethora of fish, fowl, small game, big game, dangerous game, and vermin.  Also, if you find yourself in the back country on a hunting trip with friends on a non-hunting day, you can easily lay out an archery golf course with minimal materials gathered afield and spend a great day practicing all sorts of shots over a game of archery golf:)  Also, you can hone your low light shooting skills by spending time each evening shooting at small candles around the campfire.  The list goes on and on, and all will improve your hunting skills over time.

Best,
DB

I've enjoyed reading all of the responses. I've changed my practice routine to shoot an arrow from an unknown distance then back up or move forward a few paces shoot again...repeating until my quiver is empty. I've found my shooting has improved greatly, I competed in my first 3d tourney a couple of weeks ago and surprised myself with how well I did. I'm looking forward to doing the 3d archery again and really look forward to shooting everyday, even if time only permits a dozen arrows. I'm looking forward to carrying my longbow afield this fall, in the meantime the gophers are on full alert.