Question on shooting from a tree stand

[chuck0039]

I have gotten very comfortable shooting up to 40 yards from the ground and can get very tight groups.
I just purchase a 15' ladder stand and started shooting from it but have lost 2 arrows and i'm not hitting where i'm aiming on the target. My question is when shooting from a stand as do I have to aim different than shooting from the ground or is it as simple thing like keep on practicing?

Thanks

[nicholal]

Originally Posted by chuck0039

I have gotten very comfortable shooting up to 40 yards from the ground and can get very tight groups.
I just purchase a 15' ladder stand and started shooting from it but have lost 2 arrows and i'm not hitting where i'm aiming on the target. My question is when shooting from a stand as do I have to aim different than shooting from the ground or is it as simple thing like keep on practicing?

Thanks

This is the funny thing with archery. As you remember to make the perfect "T" in your form shooting off the ground. You must do the same off the stand 15' in the air. you must BEND AT THE WAIST.

As for hitting the target you will hit higher until you adjust for the longer arc in arrow flight. remember you are are the longest part of the triangle (tangent)

good luck

AL

[thrude1]

like anything else practice practice practice.but your distances will be out because of the angle downward to the target. start with close shots and work you way out to 40 or get yourself a range finder with "arc" which will automatically calculate the real distance in relationship to the angle and gives you the shooting distance. i think you can pick one up for around 300.

[Okotokian]

I'm not an archer, but remember the same thing happens with bullets. When shooting up or downhill the effects of gravity are less than they are when you are shooting level, so you must aim lower than normal. I think it's just a different way of saying what the others said here....

[3Dshooter]

Originally Posted by nicholal

This is the funny thing with archery. As you remember to make the perfect "T" in your form shooting off the ground. You must do the same off the stand 15' in the air. you must BEND AT THE WAIST.

As for hitting the target you will hit higher until you adjust for the longer arc in arrow flight. remember you are are the longest part of the triangle (tangent)

good luck

AL

X2. FORM, FORM, FORM.... I missed a nice mule deer last year on a steep down hill shot, not because of the distance related to the angle, but because I was half crouching at the shot (tall grass). Had I stayed on my knees, straightened up and pivoted at the waist,... might have been a different outcome. Know the distance over the horizontal plane and practice proper form on those downhill, and uphill, shots. FORM, FORM, FORM....

[chuck0039]

Thanks Guys, It took me a little while to shoot standing up in the proper "T" form when I first got my bow. I ended up drawing the bow while looking in the mirror to ensure I had the "T" down pat. I will have to remember to concentrate on form in the stand as well.

I will have to look into the arc range finder I guess. The one I have I don't think it has the arc feature. I did not even think about the hypotenuse thing. I was probably aiming to low.

[savagewsm]

If time and conditions allow it doesn't hurt to mark distances with small pieces of trail tape around your stand. Pace or measure from the base of the tree you are in so you get true shooting distance. When an animal comes in you can quickly gauge distance without having to think much. It may be 30 yards from you to the deer but the actual distance may only be 20 yards from the base of the tree. ( Thus the aiming low if it looks like 30 yards.)

Your choice 15 minutes and 5 cents of trail tape or $400 for one of those arc range finders

[bowman077]

Originally Posted by nicholal

This is the funny thing with archery. As you remember to make the perfect "T" in your form shooting off the ground. You must do the same off the stand 15' in the air. you must BEND AT THE WAIST.

As for hitting the target you will hit higher until you adjust for the longer arc in arrow flight. remember you are are the longest part of the triangle (tangent)

good luck

AL

Nichola Nailed it, its all about form. The differences in hypotenuse vs horizontal distances are pretty small at most normal tree stand heights and ranges that most misses that are blamed on these differences is probably due to improper form when shooting at angle.

Do a quick calculation of the differences in hypotenuse vs horizontal distances (I used Excel) for normal tree stand height and ranges and you will see there is not much difference. The Bushnell range finder ads are a joke (unless you plan to put you tree stand 66 feet up a tree).

Not saying that these devices are totally useless I would buy one if I already didn't have a range finder as they don't cost much more then a non ARC model.

[chuck0039]

Thanks guys. I have been shooting all week and seem to have things down pat. I thought I was holding true form but once i starting thinking about it while I was drawing back I noticed I was pivoting at the shoulders instead of the waist Thats corrected now and groups are starting to tighten up. The only thing now is my peep sight turned sideways haha guess i'm taking back to the city for a service haha

[ChrisRenaud]

Originally Posted by bowman077

Nichola Nailed it, its all about form. The differences in hypotenuse vs horizontal distances are pretty small at most normal tree stand heights and ranges that most misses that are blamed on these differences is probably due to improper form when shooting at angle.

Do a quick calculation of the differences in hypotenuse vs horizontal distances (I used Excel) for normal tree stand height and ranges and you will see there is not much difference. The Bushnell range finder ads are a joke (unless you plan to put you tree stand 66 feet up a tree).

Not saying that these devices are totally useless I would buy one if I already didn't have a range finder as they don't cost much more then a non ARC model.

I totally agree, the ARC is pretty much useless unless you are shooting at great heights and angles.. rangefinders are extremely handy though.. but still practice your yardages, never know when i big boy will step out and not give you a chance to range him..

[russ]

Further to some of the comments, you may actually want to hit a bit higher to make sure that you get both lungs. If you aim for the heart, it's low in the chest cavity and you could end up with a single lung hit rather than a double lung just because of the angle of the shot. Another issue to think about is close shots under 10 yds and especially under 5 yards. Most people have limited experience with this shot and if presented with the shot will miss low. This is a shot that is possible from a tree stand and has NOTHING to do with the stand height, it relates to what's technically known as parallax. Parallax is the distance from the initial line of arrow travel to the line of sight. This can be 3-6" depending on how you've set up your bow.

One other thought, most people put too much heel into the grip causing high misses also, this is usually the result of draw length being incorrect. And at the risk of being blasphemous, most pro's shooting field today in Europe don't bend at the waist they rely on correct draw length, solid walls & proper peep positioning on the string to get everything right. The whole reason every one has been told to bend at the waist was to keep all of the geometry right and you can eliminate one of the factors just by shooting hard against the wall. The other one, draw length seems to be a tough one - most people are positive their draw length is good already even though changes as small as 1/8" can make big differences.