ORIGINAL: StraightArrowNY
ORIGINAL: bigbulls
if you are 30 feet up in a tree and the deer is 20 yards (60 feet)out from the base of the tree your straight line distance from you to the deer is 22.3 yards. If you shoot for 22 yards you will hit high. On a steep angle like this 2 yards can make a difference in a great hit and a marginal hit.
10 Yards up and 20 yards out isn't a very steep angle. You're talking about adjusting your aim to compensate for 1 foot of distance. Now think about the reduced effect of gravity on your arrow. Your arrow is now travelling in almost the same direction that gravity is pushing it (unlike a shot from the ground). If you're thinking about adjusting your aim for 1 foot you're thinking too much.
Like Bigbulls said though, the shorter the shot (or the sharper the angle), the more adjustment will be needed. I've found that if I'm between 15 and 20 feet up in a tree I don't need to worry about adjusting my aim until it's under 15 yards. Then I aim a bit low.
Gravity is not helping speed up the arrpow as it seems you are saying.The only effect gravity plays on the arrow is that it only pulls against the arrow on the straight line path,from the base of the tree,if that distance is 20 yards,then that is the only distance that gravity pulls against the arrow.That is why we shoot the distance from the base of the tree.
Proof of this is that if you were shooting the a exact same shot,but uphill,it would be shot for the same distance as the downhill distance.
Paralax comes into play and gravity will help flatten out trajectory when shot at great distances but not deer hunting distances.
