Shooting downward
 

One of the biggest problems I have is being accurate when I shoot downward, at angle. I don't use tree stands because for mule deer you really don't need one. Its more walk and stalk until you can get in close enough. However, with my setup I am right above a watering hole which I will have to aim down. I have been praciting a lot at the range but just can't seem to get the yardage down. Any advice?

RE: Shooting downward
 

you have to figure that when your above the target its longer than it is from the bottom (on a tree stand) twenty yards from the bottom of the tree is like 25 at your stand...also make sure you bend at the hips

RE: Shooting downward
 

At typical bowhunting distances from an elevated perch....this logis is flawed. The effects gravity plays on your arrow will more than compensate for any difference in yardage due to your treestand height.

Bending at the hips, however, is sound advice.

Just sight your bow in from how you're planning to hunt. If you plan to be shooting from an elevated spot......it makes sense to sight your bow in the way you hunt.

Good luck to you.

RE: Shooting downward
 

what GMMAT said..:)

RE: Shooting downward
 

When shooting upward or downwardat extreme angles, the arrow will impact higher.
The target willseem to be further awaythanthehorizontal distanceactually is from the base of tree, which is what matters when it comes to arrow drop.
You need to measure the distance from the base of the tree to the intended targetto know how much the arrow will drop andwhich sight pin to select, not the distancefromyourposition in thetree stand.
Or aimlower.

RE: Shooting downward
 

When shooting up or down, you must bend at the waist and keep the same form as if you were shooting flat on the ground. The distance to the target, from an elevated position, is not the hypotenuse (long side of a triangle). For example, if you're 25' up in a tree and a deer is 20 yds from the base of your tree, that is the distance you shoot for while bending at the waist. If you range the deer from your tree it will read 22-23 yds because it is the hypotenuse or long side of the triangle. They do make range finders with a correction factor to give you the true distance. I don't have one. Try this..... walk 20 yards out from your treestand then range up at your stand about where your head would be, you'll see that it registers a greater distance.

The biggest mistake that people make when shooting downward is to drop their bow arm instead of bending at the waist. This changes your form and your sight plain and causes you to shoot high.

Good luck.

RE: Shooting downward
 

Get the Anchor Sight

Don't worry to much about the yardage thing.

If I remember right the yardage difference @ 25 yds up a tree or on the ground is like 2 yds.

Practice shooting from elevation just to get your confidence level up.

The bending thing IS mandatory

The Anchor Sight will make sure you do it.

RE: Shooting downward
 

If you are aiming down at a 45 degree angle and the target looks to be 30 yards away... If you aim for 30 yards, you'll miss high. The actual horizontal distance to the target is only 21.2 yards.

You are looking and shooting down along the hypotenuse of a right triangle. Always keep that in mind when you're judging the distance to a target on a downhill grade.

Shooting uphill, I've found GMMAT's logic about gravity to work. But not for shooting downhill.

If you intend to only hunt from that one spot, then I'd set a pin to hit dead on at the near side of the water hole and, if the hole is small enough, one for the opposite side. Maybe another in between. But you'd have to shoot on level ground in order to know where to aim if you catch one away from the water hole.

I think it makes more sense to sight in on level ground and then make allowances for the angle of the dangle, rather than sight in for a specific spot and then have to make allowances for all your other shooting possibilities.

RE: Shooting downward
 

Aim at your spot and bend at the waist. Dropping your arm also increases your draw length .

I've been playing around with my rangefinder that has inclination on it and even at 35 ydsand 20 ft in the air the rangefinder still reads the same distance. Now, that's set on the "C" range for bow speeds which is the upper end.

With my old Whitetail LegendI did have to aim a few inches low when shooting from a stand. The speed of the ow plays a big part on if you cna aim right at the target or need to aim low to compensate for the arc of the arrow.

RE: Shooting downward
 

That is what I realized while shooting from my stand. I shot normal with no bending at the knees. My Iron Mace flys 285 fps and this is how I shot from 18 feet up at around 20 yards. I do not have a range finder, because I haven't been able to afford it.