3-deer hit
 

A hunter I know, has hit three deer from a tree stand and has not been able to recover any of them. He says that he has hit all three in the vitals... He places his stand approx. 35 to 40 feet (sometimes higher). Is there a chance that he is too high in his stand and the arrow is hitting the deer at to steep of an angle... He may also be taking shots that does not allow the arrow clear flight... The deer he has hit have been close and under his stand... He says.... Just curious if a stand can be too high.... He hit two last year and could not find them...all from a stand.... Thanks for any comments...

RE: 3-deer hit
 

Depending on the skill of the hunter you can hunt that high. I would definetly say that is wayyyyyyyyy to high for him obviously!!

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RE: 3-deer hit
 

All I can say is he is either a bad tracker or hasn't hit them in the vitals. You can't hit three deer in the vitals and not recover any of them. I have yet to see a deer go beyond 200 yards if hit in the vitals and given enough time to expire. I knew there are exceptions to this rule but three in one year?...No way!!!

Tell him to check his shot placement. I would also be interested to know if he practices at that height?

" Anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a Dad"

RE: 3-deer hit
 

If he's shooting from that high, the steep angle might mean he's only hitting one lung.

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RE: 3-deer hit
 

the angle is not too good being up that high. could also be only hitting one lung. i would suggest getting lower in the tree. heck i took my deer thsi year while i was sitting on the ground and had to move real slow while the deer stared at me for a long time. it wasnt with a bow but it was still a 25yard shot. id get lower, and id practice more

propmahn
save the world, reload your brass

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RE: 3-deer hit
 

Next time you two are sitting around the campfire, throw his bow in. This person should not be hunting until he figures out what the problem is.<img src=icon_smile_angry.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_dissapprove.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: 3-deer hit
 

I had a guy at work who always bragged about how high he put his treestand. He said he always hunts no lower than 30 feet up<img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle> He took me out on his property once and showed me a couple of his stands. When I seen them I started to laugh and told him his height estimation was way off. He insisted , so I went back to my truck and grabbed my tape. His 30 foot stand was exactly 18 feet from the ground.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> I dont think some people realize just how high 30 feet is!
If your buddy is actually that high , he needs to bring it down , way down!

RE: 3-deer hit
 

i sit 20 to 25 foot up and i plan on the shot to be between 20-30 yards out. if he is 35 to 40 feet up two things 1. he must be hunting some really big woods. 2. shooting directly below him is not a good shot.... i would lower the stand about 10-15 foot and let there be some distance between your friend and the deer.

RE: 3-deer hit
 

I have a friend that hunts that way &quot;high&quot;. He alway cuts a 30 foot cored and I have sat in his stands a few time when we where hunting to getter and the cored end was 5 foot off the ground and even a deer at 20 yards you have a bad angle but, he gets P&Y bucks every year and seems too see alot of them. Some time I get high but, not that high maybe 15 feet or even more some times. Your friends problem is angle like most have said. Over the year I have found 20 are 25 yards is the magic number of my shots to get more vitals to shoot at and a good two lung hit. I don't like shooting strieght down on deer. It's a lower percentage shot and you will lose game because of the angle. Been there and seen others do that before.

Bowdon

Edited by - Bowdon on 12/05/2002 07:03:09

RE: 3-deer hit
 

Well I can think of two things, does your friend practice shooting from that heigth? Second if he is shooting them right under a stand that high he can only be hitting one lung!

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

RE: 3-deer hit
 

At that height, the ground is almost out of range. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> As many of the others have said, it's most likely the steep angle. From the description you gave, he would need to hit the deer right next to the spine to even have a chance at both lungs. He may still be aiming down on the side of the deer and only clipping one lung, if that. Many archers make the mistake of shooting at a deer as if it is a flat, two dimensional target. A real deer is three dimensional and the steeper the angle, the closer to the spine the arrow needs to hit. At 35 and 40 feet up, he's only got about a half-inch of error, if that, on a close shot. It makes for really tough shooting.

A deer hit through one lung is almost always a long and difficult tracking job and they don't always die.

RE: 3-deer hit
 

I'd have to say he is way too high. I wouldn't put a stand anything over 20. Most of my stands are around 15 feet. Do I get winded at that height - yes. But putting the stand in a stategic position sure does help. Know what the prevailing wind is in your stand. It may not actually be the same in the general area.

Even at 15 feet, you have to be extremely selective at shooting at deer that are to close.

RE: 3-deer hit
 

thats is wayyyy to high, I hunt 20 feet at the base of my stand and I am 6 ft tall. I took a shot and killed a 9 point this year and he was 5 yards from my tree the angle was steep and my arrow did not go thru but the split fire did. I am shootiing with 71ftlbs of force according to the tables with my arrow/ speed combo. the buck only went 30 yards and died mid stride ,I was lucky

Evan
Archery Accessories
301-872-0110

RE: 3-deer hit
 

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
There is absolutely no reason to be that high....
You have to hunt the wind no matter what....
although anything over 10 feet helps you get by with more movement....
Heck at 35 feet off the ground you could have a square dance and not spook any deer......
What poundage is you friend shooting and what broadheads?
This could be a factor as well...something is definately amiss and needs fixin....
wounding deer is part of hunting....wounding that many deer in two seasons is not hunting smart....after the second time he should have smelled a rat....
Does he care....or just going to keep on wounding deer?
Maybe you can make some suggestions to him without putting him on the defensive...like---lowering the stand about 10 feet...and maybe trying some new broadheads.....
Good luck he sounds kinda thick headed....lol


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RE: 3-deer hit
 

Thanks for all of your comments... Bowdicious hit it on the head... THICK HEADED..... Yes, has killed a deer. One this year and one last year... But, as I stated, he has wounded 5 deer in the last two years. He does not take to well to critisim... Older hunter... I am going to mention maybe he should lower his stand... I hope he gets things worked out... We have approx. 2200 acres leased and just this year, out of 17 hunters, there has been 7 deer wounded . I think some of the deer have been shot from the road at long distances , also, have been shot through brush... We have to do something about this without offending anyone... maybe we should.... Thanks again for your comments....

RE: 3-deer hit
 

Just a thought, but why not suggest a Bow Hunter's education course to a group of hunters (of your 17)?

You could explain that it'll be a great way to get detailed info about any questions they may have, and get some great practice on blood-trailing, shot placement, etc. At the same time, the group might be &quot;enlightened&quot; to hunting etiquette regarding said shot placement, stand placement, should I shoot/no shot, etc....

I went to one last spring, and it was great! A lot of target/beginners that thought a 40 yd shot is a &quot;go&quot;, but throw up a few twigs and a metal target with vitals cut out and BOY! Talk about some smashed up arrows! Hee hee! What fun... <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

If the group doesn't go, you and your friend should - just for the fun of it... the courses are a blast...

Jim.

RE: 3-deer hit
 

Find a way to illistrate the angle concept, how it relates to arrow flight time and what he has to be hitting to put the animal on the ground. If you understand trig. it works out to something like this....

A 20 yard shot requires the arrow to fly:

23 yards when shooting from a 35 foot platform.
21 yards from at 20 feet high
25 yards from 40 feet

If he should try a 30 yard shot at 40 feet the arrow would have to fly about 33 yards to get there. Even I might have a chance to move out of the way of a shot from your buddy at that range. A deer can move in any direction it wants to in an instant!

I hunt from 10 feet in my primary stand. Seldom get busted and have taken 2 nice bucks from that location thus far. Have to move slower and watch all of the eyes around but when the arrow leaves my bow its a fairly flat shot that passes both sides below the shoulder. This year I had a double blood trail for 8-10 feet a few yards from the shot. He died 25-30 yards there after.

Hope the idea helps

Chris

HAD TO EDIT MY FIGURES FOLKS, SORRY ABOUT THE ERRORS. IT HAS BEEN A WHILE AND I GOOFED.


Edited by - scow on 12/05/2002 21:31:01

Edited by - scow on 12/05/2002 21:32:54

Edited by - scow on 12/06/2002 18:41:05

RE: 3-deer hit
 

If he hasn't recovered a deer, then he can't tell for sure where he hit it. SO, I would call BS on good hits. And that is way high, and if the deer are close, he is shooting down pretty steep. Seems he would see more spine shots if they are close. At 30' up, the deer would have to be 30' out to get a 45 degree angle on the deer (roughly).

--Jim

RE: 3-deer hit
 

Jake, here's what i would do. Since your friend is thick headed, let him see things for himself. Put a 3-D target at the positions he said he has shot these deer. Have him get in his stand and take some shots, chances are he will figure out he's making lethal shots and will adjust his tactics.....I hope. If not Im with Nub, in the campfire she goes!

RE: 3-deer hit
 

One word, &quot;Vertigo&quot;.

Seriously, I believe his perception of &quot;good hits&quot; may have been biased towards what he was hoping for in the heat of the moment. Height may be part of his problem, but it's not the only one. One lung hits also shouldn't be a real problem; not all 5 times anyway. Assuming he is a proficient archer taking reasonable shots, I'd bet his real trouble lies in him being unable to keep his wits about him under the excitement...believing that he's executing a good shot when he is not aiming or following through properly. Unfortunately that trouble is most difficult to overcome.

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