Starting this week, Maine’s more than 12,000 licensed bow hunters will either take to the deer woods, or daydream about it. Maine’s archery deer season kicks off a half hour before sunrise October 3rd and concludes a half hour after sunset November 1st.

Whether your bow is a compound, a recurve, or simply a traditional longbow, it is a good idea to give it a little attention and TLC beforehand. When that special moment comes, when the 10-point buck steps within bow range of your treestand, managing your composure will be challenge enough without having to deal with an unnocked arrow, a bad string or a loose sight pin.

You need to be confident and ready.

A lot of practice is imperative. Like hitting a golf ball, you need that muscle memory to kick in automatically when you are not as cool-headed as you want to be. An unpracticed bow hunter who releases a razor-tipped broadhead at a deer is not an ethical hunter. You owe it to yourself and your quarry to make thorough preparation.

Thorough preparation, along with repetitive target practice, includes a close inspection of your bow and its moving parts.

During a recent guest appearance on my Sunday night radio program, Maine Outdoors, Bob Wengrzynek and Ann Langley from the Old Town Archery and Pro Center, urged bow owners not to ignore proper maintenance of their bows.

Bob pointed out that some bow owners are unaware that dry firing a bow should never be done, especially with a compound bow.”When you draw back the bow string,” says Bob, “the energy has to have a place to go. If the arrow is not there to absorb the energy, a fast letoff of the bow string can damage the cams or the bow itself.”

Ann Langley, the office manager at the Old Town Archery center, says that their shop carries an inexpensive and safe device that does allow dry shooting a bow without harmful effects.

Of course, the bow string itself is critical. It should be visually inspected for frayed strands. The average bow shooters should replace a bow string every few years.

Most bow hunters don’t bother to wipe their bow strings with a moist cloth after each practice session. They should. “If you look at pollen under a microscope,” Bob says, ” you will see sharp edges. Believe it or not accumulated pollen will damage a bow string if it is allowed to gather and work its way into the string fibers.”

Archers and bow hunters shopping for new arrows need to purchase with care and forethought. All arrows are different: length, diameter and spline matter a lot. The arrow needs to be the proper match for your bow. For example, I hunt with a 55 lb compound bow and my draw length requires a 28 ” arrow. In most stores that sell serious bow equipment, there are arrow graphs and store personnel, either of which can help you choose the arrow that will give you the best performance with your particular bow.

If bow hunting is new to you, make sure that your practice shots at a target – normally with field points – include some trial shots with the actual hunting broadheads that you intend to use. If your field point is 100 grains then your broadheads need to be 100 grains as well. If your broadhead makes your arrow fly differently than a field point, you need to know this and adjust accordingly.

Yes, this is basic stuff, but necessary for things to come together successfully at the moment of truth.

Finally, if you are a seasoned bow hunter it is good to stay abreast of the new bow technology. Try not to be overwhelmed by it all, and be skeptical about new bow hunting accouterments. Some of it is, indeed, breakthrough stuff; some of it is just the same old same old with a new name and new packaging.

Hunt safe. Use a safety harness. Be wary handling those broadheads. And if your shot opportunity at a deer is marginal, chip to the ethical choice. Don’t take the shot. There will be other chances.

The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WQVM-FM 101.3) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is paul@sportingjournal.com . He has two books “A Maine Deer Hunter’s Logbook” and his latest, “Backtrack.”