Practice Shooting from Height

[dsd48]

Just some advice for anyone new to the sport, as I was this year. MAKE SURE YOU SPEND TIME SHOOTING FROM TREESTAND HEIGHT. I had a beautiful Ontario eight point at 22yds in my sight and hit it low in the brisket. I spent loads of time sighting in and shooting at ground level, but never did the platform practice. I never tagged the deer

[GaryL]

Some good advice dsd48, most learn that the hard way

[BOB VANDRISH]

I have never shot a crossbow DOWN at an an animal,but would have thought that you would have to allow for LESS drop than a horizontal shot.
That is the way I compensate for drop with a rifle,on a downhill shot,and would assume that it works that way for either a bow,or a rifle.
In simple terms,if you imagine a trangle,with the angle of flight being the hypotenuse of the triangle,then the actual distance that you aim or compensate for is equivalent to the horizontal distance out to a point directly above the object.
If the shot was 22 yards,then the calculation is based on the Pythagorean Theorem,which is the sum of the squares on the two sides of a right angle triangle being equal to the hypotenuse-in this case that horizontal distance would need to take into consideration the height of the shooter from the ground to complete the calculation.
That is the law of physics,and gravity,to the best of my knowledge,and I am sure would be available as ballistic tables from some source.
Just my two cents worth.
Ching

[huntman]

In simple terms,if you imagine a trangle,with the angle of flight being the hypotenuse of the triangle,then the actual distance that you aim or compensate for is equivalent to the horizontal distance out to a point directly above the object.
If the shot was 22 yards,then the calculation is based on the Pythagorean Theorem,which is the sum of the squares on the two sides of a right angle triangle being equal to the hypotenuse-in this case that horizontal distance would need to take into consideration the height of the shooter from the ground to complete the calculation.
That is the law of physics,and gravity,to the best of my knowledge,and I am sure would be available as ballistic tables from some source.
Just my two cents worth.
Ching

Hey Bob i don't want to bring one of my old university textbooks to the stand with me (just kidding around)

[GREY OWL]

Thanks Bob for the geo-trig lesson. But what happens if the deer to the south of you is standing on a small knoll, and the tree your in is leaning to the north, throwing the triangle out of wack. I'm confused.

Grey Owl

[BOB VANDRISH]

Guys,I didn't want it to sound too technical,but the fact of the matter is,when your are shooting downhill,your bolt will drop less than when you are shooting horizontal.
Gary L has it right,practice,practice,practice!
I have an indoor target,set up at 10 yards,and my scope is set for 35 yards.
With those settings,I have to aim 4" low to hit dead on.
So,outdoors,anything shorter than 35 yards,I have to aim low.
I set up my rifle the same way,where I set it 2" high at 50 yards,and will be dead on at 200.(.30-06)
Anything in between has to be compensated for.
Ching.

[ExcalBeliever]

What Bob is trying to say is that the gravitational effect on the horizontal component of the velocity vector is lessened because of the relative angle from the initial launch vector to the intended target.

In our terms...it is much easier to hold/balance a 10 foot long pole for a relatively long period of time vertically than horizontally.

Gravity is pulling in the horizontal plane downward, as the angle relative to the horizontal approaches the vertical plane, the effects of gravity start to lessen.

On thing important to remember though.

On a completely vertical shot (read, directly below your treestand), you have to aim slightly HIGHER!!

Why? Your point of aim is HIGHER than the path of the arrow. Think about it...when you are aiming you are not looking directly behind the arrow. You eye's position is above the arrow's path. Since the shot is straight down, gravity will have little effect on the arrow's trajectory.

'course...I would just let the buck walk out a little ways....

[Spring]

Practice shooting will become mandatory for the guys I hunt with this year, myself included.

Each year we get together to brush out trails and set up and repair treestands. Previous years I've floated the idea of bringing our bows so that once the work is done we can get some practice.

Last fall we missed too many deer. Stupid stuff. Shot over, shot under, couldn't come to full draw with the compound because something was in the way.

My personal favourite screw up was whacking the tree with a limb when I took the shot. Not once, but twice. It sure got my attention. It also left a mark.

In any event, this year, once the work is done we're going to shoot. That way we should be able to eliminate a few of the goofs, and gain valuable experience without risking game or missed shots.


Cheers!

[DesertRat]

Man, shooting from the trees sounds complex Just shoot the deer for the ground distance (the distance from the base of your tree to the target). If that distance is 20 yards, you will get 20 yards worth of drop wether you are 3 feet or 30 feet up. The only compensation you have to make then is the bolt entry/exit angle.

[mdcrossbow]

I'll chime in here; Over many years and many types of crossbows, I use to sight in from a ellevated stand when I used a pendalum sight. Now with the newer bows I find no need to sight in on stand. I sight in at 17-20 yards in my shop. I use a scope and the gold tip ll's and the right heads shoot exactly where I aime them either on stand or on the ground. If I need a new arrow I just get a new one afix the Slick trick head to it and go hunt. If I were shooting an old PSE or Bear or inferior bow I would feel the need to sight in the new arrow but the Ten Point and Excalibar are so percise that I never have to check it's accericy unless I drop them or bag them against anything. I do practice to keep my eye hand cordination and to make sure that nothing has losened up on the bow. The K-engery that these bow produce can and will cause fatige and losening of parts over time. The more shots one takes the loser parts will become.

[Newbi]

I agree with the practice priciple, BUT, how do you safely recock your crossbow in a tree stand? If it is a climber like the Viper, or similar, the climbing bar is in the way, and it doesn't seem safe at any rate. Just wondering!!

[mdcrossbow]

1ST AND FORMOST , YOU WARE YOUR SAFTY BELT OR HARNESS. That being said, I just put my size 10 foot out and into the sturrop and pull back. Never had any problems with that. That's is one of the reasons I shoot a 175 pound bpw also. I dought if I could do that with a 200 pounder. I have taken many 2nd shots out of my stands with out any problem.

[rigbymi]

I had to cock my 175 Exocet this past Saturday in my climber and used the same method as above. My boot in the stirrup and the cocking aid was no trouble. I was seated when I cocked the bow. I believe that I could cock it by hand, but have not tried that yet.
Riggs

[mdcrossbow]

It's not hard to cock by hand , you need to lean back as you pull. mostly forarm and shoulder usage.

[ecoaster]

If Bill T keeps uping the speed on these bows, we won't have to compensate for arrow drop. I can hardly see the bolt in flight now on a 30yard shot they are so fast .