Treestand distance vs. the ground

[eureka77]

Before I start I'll make 10, 20, and 30 yard rings from the base of the tree my stand is in, and usually hunt 20-30ft. up.
I've taken 7 deer with my bow through the seasons but they have all been right under the tree so my 10 yard pin makes a perfect shot everytime. But if I had to shoot out to 20 or 30 yards would my yardage markers from the ground still be valid? I don't have no trees big enough in my yard to shimmy up and try and I dont want to stink up my hunting spots to try there. I have climbed on top of my roof and the yardage stayed the same but that's half the distance of me being up a tree.
Just thought it'd be better late then never to ask.
Also sorry if this has been discussed before wasn't quite sure what keywords would work to type in a search.
Thanks for any input.

[lknhuntress]

20 yards is 20 yards from point A to Point B on the ground. It looks longer up in a tree because you are looking at the distance of the hypotenuse of a right triangle.

[Centauri]

http://www.visualtrig.com/ This site works wonders for calculating that stuff.

[nchawkeye]

You need to go stink up your area and find out...

It's all about form and bending at the waist so you don't change your rear anchor point...Many hunters shoot high, way high...Until you shoot out of your stand, wearing all your gear and using the broadheads you plan to hunt with you aren't ready to bowhunt...

[UPHunter08]

The difference in range due to the slant angle is negligible. It will only affect your range by a yard or two under 30 yards, so it shouldn't matter. As nchawkeye said, just use proper form (ie. don't drop your arm) and you'll shoot the same on an angle as you would at a horizontal.

[dmounts]

My first comment is that for most bows you shouldn't need a 10yd pin. If you use your 20yd pin for a 10yd target (on level ground), you should hit around 2" or so high depending on your arrow speed. I would recommend using 20yd and 30yd pins, and a 40 pin if you comfortable at that distance. Your 20 will work just fine for anything under that distance, and will eliminate which pin to use when they're up close.

When shooting uphill or downhill, Gravity must also be considered. If you've ever ranged a target from a treestand or elevated position and fired an arrow based on that distance, you'll find that the arrow hits the target high. This is gravity coming into play. The height you climb a tree will certainly affect where the arrow hits. The higher you climb a tree and the steeper your shot angle, the higher your arrow will hit.

I typically climb around 20' up a tree and have found that I range the distance to a target from the base of my tree (on near level ground) and not the distance from me to the target. This will vary slightly depending on your elevation.

I pasted a link to some info that better describes arrow trajectory. Its definitely good reading to know where to aim in different situations. It also explains how your arrow travels up before it comes down...to help explain to some people why they're hitting tree branches that they didn't think were in the arrows trajectory path.

http://www.gandermountain.com/advice...0article.shtml

Good luck all.

Don

[UPHunter08]

Originally Posted by dmounts

When shooting uphill or downhill, Gravity must also be considered. If you've ever ranged a target from a treestand or elevated position and fired an arrow based on that distance, you'll find that the arrow hits the target high. This is gravity coming into play.

At extreme heights and ranges, this can have an effect. In other words, if the hypotenuse (slant distance) is much greater than horizontal distance. A hunter at 20 feet shooting at 30 yards shouldn't notice much difference, however. The slant distance for a hunter 20 feet up at a target 30 yards out from the base of the tree is....30.7 yards.

Anyone shooting high under those circumstances is likely just breaking their form.

Good advice in your link, however. Especially with regards to trajectory when shoot through 'holes' in vegetation. Unless you have a really speedy bow, you're probably not shooting a perfectly linear trajectory.