Shooting at deer with bow from tree?
 

Do you aim a littel high or low to make up for the angel in which you are at by being up in a tree stand at about 20 feet? Thanks Drew

Don't aim high or low, just bend at the waist to prevent changing your anchor point. If you move your bow arm down to aim without bending at the waist, your shot will likely be high.

Great point made here.

I would also suggest practicing shooting your bow from 20 feet up. That will answer a lot.

how far are you shooting from your tree? severe downward angles you will need to aim low-even when you do bend at your waist. Aim where you want the arrow to exit on the other side

No more then 40 yards! I just want to get my facts straight thanks

15 yards and out you will be fine putting you pin right on it-under 15 yds to straight down shots you will need to aim low.Strutstopper and JImmys both make very good points tho-bend at your waist and practice from the height you will be hunting at. The last month b4 the season opens i strictly shoot out of a practice stand i hang in my yard. Get a deer 3d target and practice at those angles. i have a buddy move my deer target all over then i shoot as if it were a real deer. he pulls my arrows and keeps moving it. we take turns doing this-there is no better practice for hunting.

any angle shot you must compinsate by aiming lower....steeper the angle the more you have to adjust...

ie horizontal distance not direct distance...

The best way to know is get in your tree stand with your hunting clothes in and the broadheads you will use and see where YOU hit...

There is much that can go wrong when 20 feet up in a tree trying to shoot down at a deer...

Trust me...I know...:)

Why spend all the time/money on this sport and not know what will happen...

I've seen anchor points move from the mesh camo worn...Hat brims that interfere with the string...Peeps that don't line up like they should...Harnesses that don't bend with the hunter...Limbs hit the side of the stand...Rests that don't cut it when bending down...

Any of these can spoil a hunt...

figure out yardage on your own to practice for times when you dont have the oppurtunity to use a rangefinder-A couple days before the season i put all my hunting clothes on that i will be wearing on my hunts-including gloves and facemask. This will let you know if anything causes an interference. years ago i missed a buck opening day cuz my bowstring slapped my new coat. since then i always practice at least once with my hunting clothes on!!

Beat me to it!! great point!!!!!

You all are great, thanks for all the great tip's!

I used to shave back hair every year on bucks until I finally reallized how much they drop at the shot as well as aiming too high. Last several shots have been money since I started aiming where I wanted the arrow to exit.

The deer will almost always react (drop) to the shot noise when within 35yds.Less than 20yds they just don't have time to duck the arrow.Beyond 35yds they usually don't react to the shot.As such between 20-35yds I aim a little low to put the arrow down where the vitals will be when the arrow reaches the deer.As to the rest you must practice shooting from the height you hang your stands.You also need to practice shooting bent over,crouching,sitting,kneeling and twisted L/R at the waist.Both on the ground and in the stand except kneeling.In short be prepared for ANY possibility.

Instead of thinking about where to aim on the deer, think about where you want the arrow to exit. If you're 20 ft up and the deer is 10 yards from the tree, you can't aim at the same point as if he's 20 yards out. I aim higher on the deer to ensure a double lung.

Arrow Exit is the key

Well i shot from my tree stand tonight an it makes a big difference to see what thats like because its been so long since i have done it. thanks for all the help, i feel confident in my abilities an my scouting now its time to bag a buck......... thanks for all the help guys.

at an elevation of 20 feet you want to aim low, usually around 19.5 yards. TFox has some videos that teaches this. Contact her.

That's it! Period. Gravity falls the same whether you're 20ft up a tree, or standing flat on the ground, or shoting down hill, or shooting up a hill. Keep the anchor point, keep the form, and you'll be dead on. Practice out of your stand at 20ft, as far out as your going to shoot. Practice! Bending at the waist will become second nature, and NO deer will jump your arrow.

They can and often will until arrows travel faster than sound.Plain'n simple.

Often times you need to aim off a bit high/low, but it is NOT due to the angle causing the distance to be off. Do the math, from treestand heights, with normal deer shots, the distance difference is about a foot. Can you tell the difference from 24 yards and 2 feet to 25 yards? I can't, heck impact point difference is probably less than an inch anyway.

The reason people miss high/low is the form breakdown that happens when you don't bend at the waist.

The long term solution, learn to bend at the waist, keeping a solid anchor point an T formation. this also assumes you have the right draw length.

Short term: go out and try it, see what it does to you.

There are many good points here and I also shoot from a stand in my back yard at a 3-D deer target that is moved around, then the arrows are brought back up to me by a rope.

Also, without spilling the beans, I HIGHLY suggest you shoot straight down on a target. I don't mean 5 yards from your stand... I mean STRAIGHT DOWN. There may be a time when the buck of a life-time gets you in that shooting predicament and that's the only shot you may think you have and it's important to know how to hold on that.

You can only bend over at the waist so much before you lose balance. By practicing lowering your bow arm and raising your draw shoulder, you'll quickly discover the pattern to how your arrows are hitting.

iSnipe

I bought a pendulum sight years ago, probably the second best thing I bought next to my overdraw.It takes all the guess work on where to shoot and which pin to use.once sighted in 0 to 30yds it is right on although I like to keep my shots 20yds or less.I guarantee if you ever try one you will never go back to pins shooting from a tree.I also never try to guess if a deer will lower itself when I shoot.I put the pin on the money everytime.the first time you try and shoot low you may find the arrow sticking in the ground below the deer.that is why I take all the guessing game out of shooting from a tree with the pendulum sight and aim on the mark too much thinking going on to add to your all ready heart pumping, knees shaking,nerves about shot to add anything else to the fire.just my 2 cents take it or leave it.good luck this year.