Uphill shooting

[irish_redneck]

I was in a situation yesterday where I had a doe about 30 yards away from me but about 15 feet higher than me how do I aim in that situation.

I realized I'd never practiced shooting uphill before. Is it the same as from a tree stand where you just aim the perpendicular distance

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

[shawnhu]

Aiming uphill will be less of a challenge than downhill, because gravity will be working against your arrow more than downhill.

At the same distance, and angle as downhill, the uphill shot will require you to aim closer to the true distance rather than the opposite perpendicular distance.

X-Calibur Lighting Systems

http://facebook.com/XCaliburLightingSystems

[Doewhacker]

Up hill angle's are the same as down hill, just take a little off the actual distance. EX if its a steep angle and 40 yards, aim for 35. Just hold a hair low is all.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

For practical purposes at the same distance and same angle the amount you are shooting high will be the same uphill as down hill.

 

So Irish- if you were in your treestand how high would your bow shoot at 30 yards? It will be the same for uphill of 15'

[Culvercreek hunt club]

To make it simple lets say you have a sight pin for every yard from 0 to 40. In your scenario you are 15' vertical and the LINE OF SIGHT distance is 30 yards (90'). The horizontal distance to the target is about 88.5' (29.5 Yards). so basically put your 30 yard pin on and squeeze. (unless you are shooting a bow where it drops like a rock at 30 yards).   The angles play a bigger role at the steeper angles or shorter distances.  That is why the ARC range finders have become so popular. it calculates the true horizontal distance to the target, and that is the pin you use.

[irish_redneck]

I thought so. Didn't want to just assume and take a bad shot though. Hoping to get back out this afternoon.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Nothing beats practice at those angles though. I think poor form at those angles accounts for more misses than the physics and math behind them. Only way to improve the form is through practice.

[nybuckboy]

When up hold high - when down hold low. Correct?

[Doewhacker]

When up hold high - when down hold low. Correct?

 

Nope, as already stated, hold a hair low. The closer it is the less it matters.

[Doewhacker]

Nothing beats practice at those angles though. I think poor form at those angles accounts for more misses than the physics and math behind them. Only way to improve the form is through practice.

 

Us upstate hicks don't know jack about physics!   lol   (A throw back joke there)

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Nope, as already stated, hold a hair low. The closer it is the less it matters.

 

 

The difference between line of sigt distance and true horizontal distance is greater making the difference more but the amount our set ups drop in those short yardages are very small so the differences are less.

 

if you ar 15' up and the deer is 15' away (45 degree angle) there is a 2 yard difference between line of sight(7 yuards)  and horizontal distance.(5 yards) . If you are using a 20 yard pin just aim a tad low.

 

Like I said before shooting form. Oh and anatomy. we practice so much on 2 D atrgets and even the 3D's have the vital rings on the surface of the sides. works great for level on the ground shooting but envision where those inside organs are at the steep angles. If the deer is 5' from the tree what do you think the chances are of hitting a double lung? If you practice from an elevated place think about where the broad head passed through and not about that vital ting on the surface.

[Doewhacker]

Yes, we always say to aim where you want the arrow to come out.

[irish_redneck]

Yeah I realized that I'd never considered practicing uphill. Got a nice spot in mind with a high back stop to give it a shot. Also have a self healing broadhead target arriving in a couple of hours so we'll see

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

[Kot2B]

Wasn't there a thread last year that had a diagram explaining the math/ angles from tree stands? I think it also had a link to a pretty cool flash app that had different shots and scored you on where you clicked. Anyone have a link to that thread?

[irish_redneck]

Would love to see it.  Shot my target from where I was to where the deer was.... killed the target. Oh well , ready for next time with a little more edumacation

[Kot2B]

http://bowsite.com/bowsite/features/articles/deer/deergeometry/

Pretty sure that's the link to the "test" I will see if I can find the rest from the forums, someone drew it on a piece of paper and scanned it to help explain

[Kot2B]

Judging Distances

http://www.bowhunter-ed.com/images/graphics/judging_distance_down.jpg[/img]

When judging distance from a tree stand, use the horizontal distance, not the greater diagonal distance. In this diagram you should aim for 12 yards, not 13 yards.

To calculate the horizontal distance “a” from a tree stand to a target, with “b” being the height of your tree stand and “c” being the diagonal distance to a target (you can establish this number using a range finder), use this simple formula:

http://www.bowhunter-ed.com/images/graphics/ch6_formula.gif[/img]

For example, if the treestand is 5 yards above the ground and the diagonal distance to your target is 13 yards, then the horizontal distance is calculated as follows:

http://www.bowhunter-ed.com/images/graphics/judging_treestand_distance.jpg[/img]

that's from the thread, don't know how to link the thread from tapatalk

[New2bow]

I missed the same doe twice a couple

Of days ago. She came in at under 20 yards, over the hill on my right. She really surprised me, because I didn't expect anything from that direction! She is about 6-8 ft above me and 15 yards out. I lined up the shot (thinking "this is it, my first deer!), and stuck it in a tree right underneath and behind. She jumped and while I'm glassing the arrow to see if I hit her (clean arrow), she comes back over the hill! Gives me a perfect broadside shot. This time I aim for a high lung shot, and I think I hit her. I find blood, but no arrow, then the blood trail ends! The rest is another story, but.. In any case, shooting up hill meant I had to adjust my shot high, not low, so this thread has me a little confused!

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I missed the same doe twice a couple

Of days ago. She came in at under 20 yards, over the hill on my right. She really surprised me, because I didn't expect anything from that direction! She is about 6-8 ft above me and 15 yards out. I lined up the shot (thinking "this is it, my first deer!), and stuck it in a tree right underneath and behind. She jumped and while I'm glassing the arrow to see if I hit her (clean arrow), she comes back over the hill! Gives me a perfect broadside shot. This time I aim for a high lung shot, and I think I hit her. I find blood, but no arrow, then the blood trail ends! The rest is another story, but.. In any case, shooting up hill meant I had to adjust my shot high, not low, so this thread has me a little confused!

 

 

Not to sound like a jerk but the math and physics do not lie. That small of an angle would make no difference. I would sooner think it was a misjudged distance or shooter error. what pin were you using and where did you hold?

[Doewhacker]

 "In any case, shooting up hill meant I had to adjust my shot high, not low, so this thread has me a little confused!"

 

User error on your part, excitement got to you I bet. You can't change physic's.

[Doewhacker]

Opps, Didnt see Culver's post.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I just have younger fingers so I type faster...lol

[New2bow]

Well, operator error is totally possible

But shooting a target I am consistent, and when I shot target from down hill, I ruined two arrows shooting them into a wooden sand box about 2ft below my target. I can heart/lung that shot all day on level ground/and from my stand at the same yardage! So, physics being constant (sort of anyway), maybe my eye is somehow fooling me? BTW, very much appreciating this thread. Thanks

[fasteddie]

When shooting from a treestand , you aim like you would on the ground but bend at the waist and put the pin on the deer while keeping your bow arm straight .

When shooting uphill , you do the same but bend the opposite way .

 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I agree with Eddie.  and here is why it is true.

 

New2bow.---try this. take a string or rope or even a tape measure. hold one end in you bow hanf and the other end in your release hand. keep the string tight and hold it just like you are shooting level. Now while still standing up. lower you bow hand like shooting at a target below the stand. what is the string doing in your release hand?  does the string pull through your release hand and need to be longer?  More tension especially if shooting a bow with no hard back wall will make it shoot higher than on level.

 

Now  dothe same thing uphill without bending back. Start level and rasie you bow arm. The string starts to sag. decreasing the draw removes energy in the limbs causing you to shoot lower that on the level.  especially with bow without very agressive cams.

 

I think this contributes to the shooting high downhill and shooting low uphill myth. when in realith if you were to have a pin for the EXACT horizontal yardage from the stand you would be right on. But we don't have that many pins. Most start at 20 and that is why that pin needs to be held low.