Shooting From An Elevated Position ?

[TUMBLEWEED]

Okay, I have done all my shooting from either standing

or kneeling this year. I usually hunt out of ground

blind, but am considering getting up, and off the ground

this year. How much does this affect arrow flight? I don't

want to buy a fancy sight or anything. I do plan on

maybe bringing along my small black box to verify

where they hit from my sixteen foot ladder stand.

Can anyone give me some insight here??

[Rippinlip]

I have noticed that I can drop a full Pin when I am shooting from an elevated stand, my 10 yard pin is good out to 20 yards, 20 yard pin out to 30 and so on. Just have to get alot of practice.

[metrojoe]

I have not found there to be any significant changes needed to shoot from an elevated platform. A 20 yard shot is a 20 yard shot. If you measure 20 yards along the ground and measure to that same point from your stand it will be a bit further, but with the distances involved(say under 30 yards)the difference is a few feet +/-. Most new bows shoot quite flat out to 30, 35 yards.

If your really concerned you could use the old Pythagorean theorem to calculate the distance.

Try shooting from your stand. I bet you won't see much of a difference.

The only time I seem to have a problem is when the deer are very close(less than 5 yards).

I should also add, it does depend on how high you go in the tree. If your one of these guys who likes to get way the heck up there, then the distance could be effected quite a bit.

[harvey lee]

The only time I'm really concerned about a shot from an elevated stand is if I'm 16-20ft high and have a deer withing 10 yards of my tree. My shots never hit there mark very well.

I switched to a pendulum sight a few years back and never smacked deer so well. Then I went back to a fixed pin sight and now back again to the other and plan on staying with it.

I would set up your stand and practice shots and you will see where you are hitting.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Shoot the same pins... The key is to not change your form when shooting from an elevated stand. Keep your same preshot routine, come to full draw and anchor, then bend at the waist till your pin reaches the target. People who usually have problems shooting from elivated are ones who change the way they shoot when up there.

[harvey lee]

Very good tip Dietz to bend at the waist for your shot. I'll bet your deadly in a tree.

[metrojoe]

I never seem to think about practicing those "under the tree shots" either.

I always visualize that 12 pointer quartering away at 20 yards.

When in reality I'll be standing up there twisted around like a pretzel trying to make that shot.

[harvey lee]

Its the toughest shot there is for me that close to a tree. Seems I always hit high in the zone where there are no vitals.

[chucker34]

Great input. I have always heard the distance from the base of the tree to your target is the actual distance. So if you have a lot of fixed stands, I'd stanke it out at 20 and 30 yards in each direction from the base of the tree. This is what I have done after misjuding yardage once last year that cost me a doe.

[harvey lee]

What I try to do is place my stands in a tree that is approx 20 yards from the trails I am looking to find the deer moving on.

Another thing that will help is I usually put a small flag on a tree at 30 yards to help with knowing the distance instead of guessing. I have used my rangefinder but I always forget what the distance was to what tree when a deer is coming into that area. That small flag is a good reference point.

[TUMBLEWEED]

Great info on this. I will have to remember to practice

the up close thing. I got burned once the same way with a firearm. I guess its practice out of my stand, that will

give me the confidence in my shot selection. I will have to

make some time and set up the ladder stand. Practice practice practice!!

[harvey lee]

Now your talking Tumbleweed. The more you practice, the more confident you will be in your shots and you will also know when a shot will be a shot not to take and save from wounding an animal.

Thats a sportsman.