Shooting from a tree stand question!?!

[TruHunter]

I've got one of those two man ladder stands that is about 17 feet tall to shooting rail. Sitting down in the seat I ranged my target at 17.5 yards, climbing down and takeing yardage at the base of the stand is 20 yeards.

So the quest is were do i put the 20 yard pin on the deer, high or low?

(I konw I can buy one of those fancy range finder that does the actual shooting yardage from elevation but I didn't know that at time of buying current range finder)

Thanks in advance
-Nic

[TXFireFighter]

17 and 20 should be the same pin placement. Its after 20+ when You would have to worry about it. What is important is visualizing where you want your arrow to exit, not enter. That way you get the correct angle to hit the vitals.

[Big thicket]

17 and 20 should be the same pin placement. Its after 20+ when You would have to worry about it. What is important is visualizing where you want your arrow to exit, not enter. That way you get the correct angle to hit the vitals.

X2

[TXFireFighter]

Also your target should most always be further from your elevated position compared to the base of the tree on the ground. Does your elevation change drastically? That would be the only way your target would be closer elevated.

[Shane]

First, if the ground is level then the target will be a little farther from your seat on top of the stand than it is from the base of the tree. You might want to range it again.

Once you have a known range from the base of your stand to the target, use that as your shooting distance regardless of the range from your seat. Gravity affects your arrow on the level, not along the slope of your angle.

[Cajun Blake]

best way to find out .... put your archery target near feeder and shoot multiple arrows from stand ; that way you will know for sure

[TruHunter]

best way to find out .... put your archery target near feeder and shoot multiple arrows from stand ; that way you will know for sure

Did this a few months back and worked fine using my 20 yard pin got a new bow and can drive tacks shooting lvl but havent shot it from being elevated yet and didnt want to go to my Saturday morning spot tonight.

Thank you all for the knowledge.

[Ecobeast]

best way to find out .... put your archery target near feeder and shoot multiple arrows from stand ; that way you will know for sure

This...... I practiced at 20,30,and 40 last weekend just to make sure I was on par with everything

[Shane]

Here's some math to put your mind at ease....

Distance from base of stand to target: 20 yards
Distance from base of stand to bow: 5.67 yards (17')

Those two sides of the triangle are a & b.

a^2 + b^2 = c^2, so

400 + 32.11 = c^2, so

c (the distance from your bow to the target) = 20.8 yards. Your 20 yard pin will work just fine either way.

[TruHunter]

Here's some math to put your mind at ease....

Distance from base of stand to target: 20 yards
Distance from base of stand to bow: 5.67 yards (17')

Those two sides of the triangle are a & b.

a^2 + b^2 = c^2, so

400 + 32.11 = c^2, so

c (the distance from your bow to the target) = 20.8 yards. Your 20 yard pin will work just fine either way.

I was just googleing this formula haha

Thanks!

[jkelbe]

Your range finder is probably made for archery. It will take off yards looking downhill and add yards looking uphill. That's the rule of thumb, add yards shooting uphill and take off yards shooting downhill. But, like said before, 17 yards, 20 yards, 15 yards, all the same pin. Aim for the heart in case they try and duck the arrow.

[PROUDREDNECK]

And remember what TxFirefighter is saying, you need to visualize where does your arrow will exit.
In my opinnion that`s the most important thing... do not aim too up since deer will jump the string easier when you`re up in a tree stand than on ground level.

[jebsvitals]

Aim for your exit hole.

[Shane]

Your range finder is probably made for archery. It will take off yards looking downhill and add yards looking uphill. That's the rule of thumb, add yards shooting uphill and take off yards shooting downhill.

Actually, that's not the rule. If you shoot at a target downhill, climb down and then shoot back up the same angle to the seat you shot from the first time, you need to hold exactly the same for both shots. Uphill or downhill doesn't matter. You hold for the horizontal level distance between the two targets either way, because gravity's pull on the arrow is the same whether it's flying uphill or downhill.

It's not that critical in most bowhunting situations since the distances are so short. But in longer distance rifle shooting situations it can matter much more. If you range the distance between you and your target going up or down a slope, you will need to hold low. How much lower depends on the distance and angle, but your bullet/arrow will fly as if it is traveling the shorter horizontal distance between you and your target rather than the longer distance up or down the slope.

[Bowhuntin_Toona]

Bend at the waist when shooting out of a treestand to maintain the correct relationship between your anchor and peep.