The Close Shot

[sproulman]

When they are 5 paces or so from the tree I don't worry about exactly where the arrow hits, its all within the pie plate kill zone if you are aiming in the center. A couple inches high or low is still within the pie plate. The problem I have is when the deer is as the base of the tree or 1-2 steps away and where to aim to get a double lung. I know some people will just spine shoot at these steep angles, but I have yet to try and just let them walk and hope to get a double lung opportunity as they walk a little farther away. Unfortunately most times they catch on something is wrong right before I am ready to take the shot after they have passed. Its very hard not to spook the deer or make any noise when they are right at the base of the tree and you are contorted and leaning trying to see the deer right under you.

I have lost some big bucks just with your info you said.Most times they are staring at me too that close because I screwed up on where I placed my doe scent rut thing..Now I put my summit just off well used paths instead of in deep woods because when buck comes running he will use those paths to get there quick.....If he ever gets wind of you FORGET THAT SPOT its ruined..

[robertyb]

A few years back I took a shot almost under my tree at a big 8 point going straight away from me with dogs behind him. He stopped for a couple of seconds and I took the shot and barely hit to the right side of his spine. He took off and I was able to get the dogs attention and ran them off in the other direction. Got down and found my arrow and a pretty good blood trail. I waited for an hour and for my brother to come before tracking. Right after we started a thunder storm blew in and totally whipped out the blood trail. We never found him but a few days after another guy did find him less than 200 yards away in a blow down when he saw buzzards eating something. I have never tried another spine shot since that day.

[nchunterkw]

When they are 5 paces or so from the tree I don't worry about exactly where the arrow hits, its all within the pie plate kill zone if you are aiming in the center. A couple inches high or low is still within the pie plate. The problem I have is when the deer is as the base of the tree or 1-2 steps away and where to aim to get a double lung. I know some people will just spine shoot at these steep angles, but I have yet to try and just let them walk and hope to get a double lung opportunity as they walk a little farther away. Unfortunately most times they catch on something is wrong right before I am ready to take the shot after they have passed. Its very hard not to spook the deer or make any noise when they are right at the base of the tree and you are contorted and leaning trying to see the deer right under you.

When they are that close and you are shooting straight down I don't think you can get 2 lungs. You can get the heart, but that will be a spine shot as well. And you bring up another good point. When you are twisted around and the bow is canted, the arrow will hit low along the vertical line of the reticule because it is launching off the rail along that line towards the center of the scope. Hope that made sense...

[gerald strine]

When using the excalibur scopes sighted in with the center of the cross hairs at twenty yards and the speed ring set properly, for ten yards use the spot on the duplex where it goes from doubble thickness to a single thickness above the cross hairs for all shots zero to ten yards .
I practice this with my Equinox and shadow zone and it is dead on and actually used this to kill a huge 195 lb dressed buck at ten yards from a tree stand last fall.

[TenshiB]

That deer, Ol' Goofy Horns, is a battery killer and I'm guessing he's between 3 and 4 years old.. I will be very surprised if he made it through this season, because he'd walk around during daylight hours and gave me a couple chances to get him.. So I betcha he's been capped on a neighboring property. The two pictures I posted of him are from two different seasons. The night shot was this season, and it looks like he gained a little extra point on one of his tines. He is pretty big, I'd guess around 160 lbs this year, if not a little more... I just don't know if his antlers represents poor genetics or not. There's an 8 pointer that looks to be around his same size/age with a BEAUTIFUL typical antler layout.. I call him "Gang Signs" because when he looks straight at the camera, it looks like some hoodlum holding up his fingers to make a gang sign. [=

As far as the close shots go.. what if I just bring a good spear with me when I ascend the tree? I'll carve "Zeus' Bolt" down the side of it!

[georgiaboy]

When using the excalibur scopes sighted in with the center of the cross hairs at twenty yards and the speed ring set properly, for ten yards use the spot on the duplex where it goes from doubble thickness to a single thickness above the cross hairs for all shots zero to ten yards .
I practice this with my Equinox and shadow zone and it is dead on and actually used this to kill a huge 195 lb dressed buck at ten yards from a tree stand last fall.

This is good advice...i killed a cow horn spike a few year's ago that was two steps from my tree. I leaned over so far i thought i was going to fall out of my summit!!
I put the tip of the 10yd post just behind his front shoulder and followed a short blood trail to my deer.

[ninepointer]

Shoot for double-lungs and use your main crosshairs. If you really want to hold low, make sure you still HOLD ON FUR AND IN STILL IN THE KILL ZONE. Try testing this yourself and I think you will find that the difference in POI will be no more than 2" if at all.

The "hold-low-on-close-range-shots" mantra is more relevant to vertical bows than it is to crossbows. And it has less to do with gravity/trajectory and more to do with how bending at the waist to shoot downward can affect the anchor point dynamics of a vertical bow archer.

[nchunterkw]

The "hold-low-on-close-range-shots" mantra is more relevant to vertical bows than it is to crossbows. And it has less to do with gravity/trajectory and more to do with how bending at the waist to shoot downward can affect the anchor point dynamics of a vertical bow archer.

I agree. While I tried to explain what is happening trajectory-wise, if you think about it, if zeroed at 20yds, if my max height above LOS zero is 1" @ 15yds, and my arrow starts out 1.5" below LOS of the scope, then I will be within +1"/-1.5" of my 20 yd site from zero to 20yds. And if you are shooting very close to the tree, the deer is not far away (15 ft, maybe 20ft)

[paulaboutform]

Shoot for double-lungs and use your main crosshairs. If you really want to hold low, make sure you still HOLD ON FUR AND IN STILL IN THE KILL ZONE. Try testing this yourself and I think you will find that the difference in POI will be no more than 2" if at all.

The "hold-low-on-close-range-shots" mantra is more relevant to vertical bows than it is to crossbows. And it has less to do with gravity/trajectory and more to do with how bending at the waist to shoot downward can affect the anchor point dynamics of a vertical bow archer.

I disagree completely. Not my opinion, just fact. To say use your highest pin doesn't work because there are bows of varying speeds which will affect your crossover point. (previous post by someone else). It is true that compounds are more greatly affected but that's because the arrow is four or five inches from your line of sight whereas a crossbow is much less.(your scope is closer to your arrow on the rail) Again, the difference using an HHA Optimizer, for example, would be more. If an animal is one or two or three yards away from the base of your tree (poor low percentage shot to double lung) and someone tells you to just aim low, they've never done it. Guaranteed! As mentioned several times, go out and practice the close shots. Start at one yard away and figure out your marks. I promise you will not be aiming low.

Paul

[ninepointer]

Shoot for double-lungs and use your main crosshairs. If you really want to hold low, make sure you still HOLD ON FUR AND IN STILL IN THE KILL ZONE. Try testing this yourself and I think you will find that the difference in POI will be no more than 2" if at all.

The "hold-low-on-close-range-shots" mantra is more relevant to vertical bows than it is to crossbows. And it has less to do with gravity/trajectory and more to do with how bending at the waist to shoot downward can affect the anchor point dynamics of a vertical bow archer.

I disagree completely. I promise you will not be aiming low.

Paul

I think if you read my post again you will find we agree.

[nyexhunter]

Paul
Thanks for bringing some science into the discussion. I know from experience, albeit just from the Vertical compound bow, that it is all about the trajectory of the arrow.
For a shot one yard away from me, I would use my 40 or 30 yard pin (depending on the speed of my bow)to hit dead on. If I used my 10 yard pin or aimed low,I would miss the center of the target.
I would have never thought that this would be the case, as it is counterintuitive, however, an experienced archery instructor explained the arrow trajectory part of it to me and it then made sense.
I will need to figure out my aim mark with my crossbow and practice to confirm it, as we all should. That is also very good advice.

[vixenmaster]

I have shot a fer tick toters down at the bottom of my tree while i was up in the stand. Don't need to worry about gravity on shot its goin most straight down. Make sure yer sighted in xhair is on yer side of the spine several inches n let 'er rip. If'en i have my set-up right n heavy arrows i choot them most any direction they be wid'in 40 yds. Remember some mech.'s have thin blades n the blades will shear off n or break. I like the heavier bladed models also the coc models wid thick blades

[paulaboutform]

Paul
Thanks for bringing some science into the discussion. I know from experience, albeit just from the Vertical compound bow, that it is all about the trajectory of the arrow.
For a shot one yard away from me, I would use my 40 or 30 yard pin (depending on the speed of my bow)to hit dead on. If I used my 10 yard pin or aimed low,I would miss the center of the target.
I would have never thought that this would be the case, as it is counterintuitive, however, an experienced archery instructor explained the arrow trajectory part of it to me and it then made sense.
I will need to figure out my aim mark with my crossbow and practice to confirm it, as we all should. That is also very good advice.

What the archery instructor explained and described to you is indeed called 'archer's paralax'. Shooting my compound from one yard I believe I was in the 95 yard vicinity.

Paul