But you see....."Mathematically" it would be right. Numbers don't lie. BUT.....in reality......how far is it "nominally"?

Here's one for ya. Go 100yds up in a tree (I know it's absurd....but it'll prove my point)......and figure the theorum for a 1yd (out) shot.

Are you gonna shoot for 100+yds? Of course not. At some point gravity becomes your friend....and your yardage would need to be compensated for, accordingly.

Here's a novel thught.....just sight your bow in from your treestand height you hunt at (which really isn't necessary, either).

I just ran a whole bunch of scenarios using 10 and 20 foot tall stands and needless to say the difference was minimal, most were under a yard (buck fever would be much more of a concern). Hmmm I wonder why they don't point out how high the hunter is in the advertisement.

I'd like to make one more point...When you hear guys talk about shooting over a deer from a treestand, assuming that they know the distance and use the correct pin then the reason is their form, plain and simple...

Face it, many of us are not comfortable in a stand 20-25 feet up in a tree, to help us feel secure, we lower the bow hand, line up the pin and release...If you don't bend at the waist and lower your head so your nose touches the bow string then you are raising the rear sight and you will shoot over...Trust me, I did this twice one evening...

On the ground, I was perfect, on the roof of my house, no problem...Put me in a stand and I like to feel the bark of the tree on my back...Also, a face mask can keep you from feeling the string with your nose as well...You've got to get in the stand, with your hunting gear on, put a target out there and have a buddy retrieve your arrows and pull them back up...This will help greatly with your confidence as well...I also suggest shooting with your broadheads now, before the season...

I believe gravity has exactly the same effect regardless of angle. It is only the horizontal distance gravity "sees".

Regardless of the above statement, I also believe bowhunters do not need angle compensating rangefinders.

Assume for all examples you are 20 feet up in a treestand.

1. Shot distance of 20 yards. Difference between real distance and ranged difference is exactly 1.08 yards.
2. Shot distance of 40 yards. Difference is exactly 0.55 yards.
3. Shot distance of 3 yards. Differece is exactly 3.3 yards.

Example #3 would certainly be a difference worth worring about, except for the fact that at such short range, there is no need for a range finder, just shoot the darn thing. For anyone that would overthink it and worry about a 1.08 yard error at 20 yards...keep in mind the stated accuarcy of any rangefindersI checked was + or - one yard.

And yes, there is a "trick". If you range trees around you before any deer show up, range them horizontally at the same level you are sitting and you will know the true horizontal distance, which is the distance that matters for the shot.
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Excellent reply and breakdown about why "angle compensating" is just another catch phrase that is used to separate bowhunters from their money and giving them nothing much in return.

A decent rangefinder and the "trick" are all you need.
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could not have said it better myself, pretty good explination of the workins. Unless you hunt out west and have steep up or down hill shots or stand hunt at the 30+ ft level angle corection is just a added frill to drive up the price on the range finder, IMO.