Other then shooting strait down. (Aim high to compensate for the distance from pin to arrow on bow) your average tree stand height (20’) will have no impact on POI difference from shooting on level ground.

Now if your on the side of a steep ridge so the animal is considerably farther down then the 20’ a stand is in the air makes a difference. Just trust the angle compensation in your range finder in that case.

 

Other then shooting strait down. (Aim high to compensate for the distance from pin to arrow on bow) your average tree stand height (20’) will have no impact on POI difference from shooting on level ground.

Now if your on the side of a steep ridge so the animal is considerably farther down then the 20’ a stand is in the air makes a difference. Just trust the angle compensation in your range finder in that case.

this is a good point.....many people don't shoot at very close range and so don't know that at very close range that their arrows will hit low

they assume that at 2 yards their 30 yard pin (or whichever) will hit very high and so they aim low and make a bad shot

everyone should practice at all ranges they expect to shoot at, even the ranges they consider chip shots (like very close)

 

If you have a angle compensating range finder, what answers are you looking for? Use the rangefinder, practice from an elevated position ”before” season and bend at the waist when shooting at an angle. No one’s answers will help you like some good useful practice of your own.

 

Yeah that helps, first year at it for stand hunting for me, not as much of a thing in Canada as the states, just trying to get advice; work out as many kinks as I can

 

The thing that is most different. Is how little that animals chest looks. At 25 yards a range bag with target faces looks huge in comparison to the chest of an average deer or hog or whatever. And then it may be dim light. And the down angle makes it look even smaller. You're angle compensation takes care of the range. If you can get someone to help you, they can move around a target to different ranges and angles, while you stay elevated and shoot at it. Just an hour or so of making different shots will teach you a lot about how well you are equipped to go at it.

 

First day in, when done, unscrew a couple broadheads and put on your target tips and take a couple practice shoots, at a leaf or something small bend at the waist as much as you can.

 

When trimming stands, I shoot from the stands at different yardages with the arrow and broad head I will hunt with. I like to know exactly where my arrows hit before I shoot at a live animal. Also gives you more confidence when it counts. You can do the same from the roof of your house if you are worried about educating the deer.

 

Wondering how much this affects you arrow flight- as far as ranging; how can it be accounted for without a stand to practice from, as i don't want to go into my hunting stand areas and spook up the zone.
also it seems like a pain climbing up and down to retrieve your groups.

The best thing to do is practice it......it is hard and that's why most people don't do it. I had one hip replaced in Jan and the other in March and I'm still going up & down the stand to get my arrows this summer...........lol

I live in the sticks so nobody will come shoot with me........so I had to buy a ladder stand for practice. The BEST thing to do is get a buddy and a 3D deer and hit the woods. You climb and shoot and he moves the deer around and pulls arrows. You hoist them back up the tree and then after a while you switch.

IMHO it's WAY more about improper form than the angle when evelated and that's why people miss........you'll find the angle of the stand is virtually moot with todays arrow speeds. But dropping your bow arm or not knowing where to aim is a huge disadvantage. Good luck.....get out there and try it.....you'll be gad you did.

Nothing like those 5 yard shots......if you know how to make em'.

 

Deadquiet nailed it!



A RF is worthless under 15 yards. Shooting those hard downward shots changes your alignment if you don’t bend at the waist and hold that same shot geometry as if you are shooting at a range

 

hey guys! just spit balling here, I'm new archer; got set up this year, with a few different stand w/ cam locations. looking good for this season.
Been shooting all summer feel pretty good, but it crossed my mind that shooting out a stand at 15-20 feetish there is a substantial drop angle for your shot. Wondering how much this affects you arrow flight- as far as ranging; how can it be accounted for without a stand to practice from, as i don't want to go into my hunting stand areas and spook up the zone.
also it seems like a pain climbing up and down to retrieve your groups.
I have a vortex 1800 range finder, i use for the rifle range.. it has angle compensation i'm hoping that would work at shorter ranges for bow hunting stands. any one havesome answers

Yes, your Vortex rangefinder has angle drop compensation. Depending on the model, some come with it activated and others make you go into the menu and turn it on. Either way, the Ranger line of rangefinders does have it so you're good to go there. I've used mine in multiple TAC events, at some very long distances (for bow shots) and at some very extreme angles and it worked flawlessly.

Yes, climbing up and down to retrieve arrows is a PITA but practicing from an elevated position is absolutely paramount. You don't want the first time shooting from an elevated position to be from the stand while you're hunting.

 

At normal tree stand heights (15-30feet, 5-10 yards) and normal distance shots(5-35 yards), there isn't enough angle compensation to worry about. It's either not going to be enough angle or it's not far enough to be an issue.

If you're in the hills and end up significantly above a downhill animal, maybe...do the math. Look at your hunting area and note if you will have longer shots at significant angles.

If you have an angle compensating range finder it doesn't matter either way, just shoot for the indicated distance in the range finder as it has already done the angle compensation for you.

 

Chris bee has a video out about shooting from elevated stands. According to him as long as your peep and sight housing is lined up you are gonna hit where you are aiming.. He demonstrates it several times..

 

One of the biggest mistakes archers make when shooting from an elevated position above their target is, they don't bend at the waist when shooting down (or up if the situation arises). Not bending at the waist and instead adjusting the plain of your draw will affect your anchor point and that will lead to an inaccurate shot (typically the miss will be high). Everyone has a different shot routine but for me, while in the stand, I come to full draw as though I'm standing on flat ground, hit my anchor point and then bend at the waist to acquire the target.

I disagree that angle compensation isn't needed for shorter shots. Yes, angle is more of a factor the longer the shot is but it's still a factor at shorter distances too. The distance alone isn't the sole variable. Arrow speed should be considered as well. A downward angled shot from a fast bow will be impacted less by the angle than a slower bow. Angle compensation is something that should be considered on every angled shot, regardless of distance. A good rangefinder will have this compensation built in and you should should for the distance the rangefinder reflects. Introducing terrain angle and 2nd/3rd axis angles is a whole other topic.

 

Put the any normal hunting height and normal shooting range into a calculator. There isn't going to be more than a 1 to 1.5y difference, usually less. That's not enough to warrant worrying about. Even with slow bows, 1 yard difference isn't going to make or break a shot. For new hunters, it's simply not something they need to concern themselves with. There's far more important things to concentrate on than a ~1 yard difference due to less than full value gravity.

The only time it's more is when they're very close to the tree...in which case, you're way better off waiting until they get further away from the tree anyway.

 

From about 12 yards or more, out to 40 yards, angle compensation on my rangefinder rarely shows more than maybe 1-2 yards of compensation is needed for the angle.
As deadquiet and Beendare said, it is way more likely that the really close/steep downward shots are the ones that will get you if you haven't practiced them.

With the arrow rest so much below the sight, the target is so close that the arrow doesn't have the flight time to rise up to meet where your 20 yard pin is sighted at, so you have to use a lower pin that is closer to your rest, until around 10-12 yards. For example, with my current setup I need to use my 40 yard pin for a 1-2 yard shot, 35 pin for a 3-4 yard shot, 30 pin for 5-7 yard shot, 25 pin for 8-10 yard shot.
Not only does practicing this prove very valuable in the deer woods, but it is also a lot of fun to see the way the neighbors look at you when they see you shooting from the roof of your house.