right hand shooters...shooting towards the right??

[regulat0r]

ok i apologize for the confusing title but i hope you understand what i mean. when you are in a tree stand...as a right hand shooter, the natural and comfortable direction too shoot would be towards your LEFT side. the shot would become increasingly more dificult if the target is towards the RIGHT side. so what then do you do in the following scenario...

you are sitting in a ladder stand. a deer comes from behind and is standing broadside at your 3 oclock position. (Directly to your right.) i would assume it would be an extremely uncomfortable, and therefore unethical, shot to take from that position. if you try to stand and turn yourself around, there is a chance you will sppok the game with the movement. any thoughts?

[sweet old bill]

as they say twist at the waist, and you may have a shot and or maybe not. The key is can your turn your body so you can take a good shot. If not, let the deer walk. You are right as far as if the deer was just at the 9 o clock position it would be a lot easier for a right hand archer. Being a old guy at 70, and not a small waist, I would sure have to let the deer walk. Or when the deer is behind a tree, stand to position my body to take the shot.

[bubba]

I would wait until the animal either moved in front or to the left. I worked hard at being an ambidexterous shooter for that reason, and never got to the point I was comfortable enough ot take that shot left handed. This is one reason I hunt from the ground most if the time.

[MountainHunter]

I would move my feet so I could turn my body. The situation would dictate what I would do. Shift my feet, wait for the deer to move etc.

[Doewhacker]

Stay standing and have a big enough platform to turn around on, make sure you have enough room with your safety harness to turn. Problem solved.

[Doc]

I know I can't do it without standing up and changing position. So, if the deer's got you, he's got you, unless you stand all the time (which I can't). And then even standing all the time, you're still going to have to turn or move in some way to get positioned. Hey, there's just some circumstances that you can't avoid. The big thing is to not take a foolish, low percentage shot that you know you have little chances of making.

There are a lot of different things that can happen that force you to pass. You can try to slowly make the move and get turned, or hope that it moves into a more favorable position. But other than that, I would think the best move would be to sit still and let it go and hope it comes back another day.

[growalot]

You'd actually be surprised at how much movement you can get away with...If you practice and move slowly...but if I had heard the deer I would have stood well before they had gotten that far...if not...I would let it walk until I had a clear shot or better time to stand and shoot....I practice on deer I have no intention of shooting usually off season as to how much close quarters movement I can get away with...

[moog5050]

Interesting question. I was asking myself the same thing as I was setting a stand yesterday for the first time. I have 3 good areas, I think, around the stand, but only 2/3 of those areas are really useful since I would have a move quite a bit in my stand to shoot to the area farthest right. Good suggestions on either moving slowly or letting it walk. If it happens, I suspect I will take Doc's advice and wait for another day.

[Twax10]

I would watch the deer and try and judge where he will be When he presents a shot. If I feel like he'll be on my right side I would try my best to stand up as soon as possible. The farther away he is the less likely he his too see you. If that's not an option then just pass. Not worth making a poor shot

[Uncle Nicky]

I can usually get away with moving to get in position, what gets me busted is when I stand up for the shot, the stand creaks a little and the tree shakes. Sometimes I still get away with it, sometimes I get busted. Before I move, I try & figure out if there's a possibility the deer will move in front or to the left of me.

[nybuckboy]

I have had to make the same shot at 3 oclock. In a ladder stand you can swing your right foot under the ladder stand and swing you body about 90 degrees and then you can make that shot relatively easy.

[A Sportsman]

Nice question. This is a real life scenario that happens often enough. I think turning your feet and your body is your only option for making an ethical shot. That said, it becomes a matter of do you make the turn or do you wait it out and hope that the deer moves in a way that presents you with a shot. Other factors will guide me in this choice. Where is my wind? if that deer comes any further along his path, is he going to wind me? Is there any background wind noise/brush movement to cover my movement? Is the deer moving fast? Whats his body language say? Is he a giant? If he is a giant, and I elect to not even try to move and he walks away without a shot, I may regret not trying to move for the rest of my life. This sounds like a lot to consider in a short period of time, but when I see deer that I intend to shoot, these are the things that are flashing through my mind constantly.

All that said, going from a seated position to a full draw at 3:00, is a heck of a lot of movement. Even moreso if your bow is hanging on a bowholder at the time.

[sahle17]

had this happen to me last year! nice 8 pointer i tried to slowly stand and turn he looked right at me turned on walkeaway wish i would have waited and gave him some time for a shot did not see that buck for the rest of season! got him on trail camera this year cant wait to try again. my advise sit and wait for a shot or wait till hes looking away to make a move .good luck!

Edited September 13, 2012 by sahle17

[crappyice]

I try to work different foot positions into my practic routine to help this xact scenario. Regardless of the practice, they still find that one way in that I have never thought of...

[phade]

The big thing with that three o clock position is not the feet, but the waist and whether your arms can cleanly shoot without tree contact.

I try to place stands with shots to the left (roughtly 8 a.m. to 11 a.m on the dial). Usually if the deer is behind and coming to your right, you have time to stand and move with the tree providing cover.

[G-Man]

My hunting partners hated this at first but, i always set my stands so deer come from behind me. let em walk by, stand and shoot. a lot easier than having them watch you for 20 min as they walk in. you get to temped to stand and get ready for a shot, usually getting busted. When they walk by they have a blind spot only about 90 degrees behind them, as the can see abouut 270 degrees, they always move their heads so when they are past you gives a nice opertunity to stand and take an easy quarting away shot!! seems to work quite well as your ears become your warning device and teaches you to look right and left slowly as well.

Edited September 14, 2012 by G-Man

[Doewhacker]

Am I the only one that stands most of the time? I have never had a problem getting into position to shoot because I stand with my bow in my hands ready to go most of the time. Wait for the deer to go behind a tree and make final adjustments and draw when I can. Maybe this is where hunting from the ground will help prepare you for hunting out of a tree stand better. I learned quickly what can and cannot be gotten away with when a deer is coming in. Tree stand hunting is relatively easy after hunting on the ground for years.

[nybuckboy]

Making the 3 oclock shot is easier if you have the forthought to position your ladder stand or any for that matter. Think of the shot area as 180 degrees, maybe as much as 210. Looking at it is a 180, if you position the ladder facing 45 degrees to your Right you will have an easier time making the turn to the Right for the shot and the other 135 degrees is to your Left. I've even made the shot slightly behind the 180 to my Left, thus the possibility of 210 degrees.

[Doc]

Am I the only one that stands most of the time? I have never had a problem getting into position to shoot because I stand with my bow in my hands ready to go most of the time. Wait for the deer to go behind a tree and make final adjustments and draw when I can. Maybe this is where hunting from the ground will help prepare you for hunting out of a tree stand better. I learned quickly what can and cannot be gotten away with when a deer is coming in. Tree stand hunting is relatively easy after hunting on the ground for years.

Actually, Things are a little easier on the ground if your blind is set up properly. My ground stands generally have a substantial wall of cover for me to duck behind and get set for shooting in any direction necessary. In a treestand, I always felt very exposed when something unexpected happened and I had to move.

As far as standing all the time, I have reached the point in my life where that just ain't going to happen.