Howdy All,

I’m heading to my stand with a Fred Bear Montana longbow (64” – 50#). The stand is approximately 25 ft up a pine tree. I’ve taken several nice Deer from this stand with a 36” compound bow but this will be my first trip up the tree with the longbow. I’m concerned about clearance and maneuverability and was wondering if anyone hunts this similar setup. The easy answer would be to climb the tree and test it out but unfortunately the stand is 1,500 miles away from me. The tree stand itself has a small 8” seat and a 2.5’ foot plate. The FB Montana bow is center cut so I’m assuming the trajectory will be the same if I have to tilt the bow side to side to get better clearance… right? And is the aim point still low on the Deer to make up for the shoot height of 25 ft? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Take Care.

If at all possible, practice from a stand--any stand. Get on top of the house (be safe!) if you have to.

I hunt with a 66" longbow, and you have to get familiar with it. Be sure that there are no limbs in the way before you shoot, and if you have a rail in front of you put your legs against it so you won't have to worry about clearing them.

Being that high up can be decieving--it will make the target look farther away than it actually is, and most of us tend to shoot high for that reason. If the deer (or whatever) is 10 yds. from your tree, it's 10 yds--no matter if you are on the ground or 25' up.

No amount of advice will be as good as actually practicing that shot. If nothing else, try to take a couple of blunts or field points and shoot before you climb down--a little practice is better than none at all.

Chad

LBR is right on. And I would add that you should put your exact hunting cloths on when practicing. Things to look out for when using thick clothing is underdrawing and bow arm elbow rotation (I've been known to have problems with both [:@]). Also keep your shoulders at 90 degress to target, don't drop the bow arm. And don't forget about the in tight shots, practice them hard. Personally, 25 ft is way to high for me. I like the deer in close and at a decent shot angle. 15 feet is my max.

I hope you have time to at least try the stand and make sure you don't have branches above you or in areas that youwon't be able to shoot.