As I approach my second season of hunting with a trad bow I have a question about hunting from a treestand or tripod. Last year I only hunted on the ground because that's the only way I practiced. I was very comfortable shooting a compound from 15 feet up but I am unsure how being elevated affects "picking a spot" when shooting instinctively. I'm going to set up a tripod in my backyard and see if I can get comfortable with it by October, but any tips or input from the more experienced would be appreciated.
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I use to get up on the roof and shoot. like ya said you practiced on the ground, git up there and shoot...
btw. ya get funny looks from the folks drive'n by...LOL -
John my experience has been that if I miss from an elevated position I always tend to overshoot the target.
These have all been shots at ten yards or less hunting over mast trees from heights ranging from 15 to 30 feet. Most of my misses were at extremely close range (inside 10 yards ) and at higher stand elevations. You don’t have much to shoot at when the deer is at 6 yards and you are shooting down at him from 28 feet up.
There is not one instance that I can think of where I missed the animal by shooting under it; even at the lower stand heights.
Just something to keep in mind....Comment
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I don't climb trees...
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Be sure to bend at the waist to keep your bow arm straight with your shoulder.Comment
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Ding, ding, ding......we have a winner!Originally posted by Phillip Fields View Post
Tuco, this may be one of the main reasons for your (and mine) high misses!
John, if I were you, I would keep my stand height to no more than about 15' high at first. The very high stands can really complicate things. The high stands reduce the area you have for an effective hit due to the compound angle involved.
BischLast edited by Bisch; 08-06-2012, 09:19 AM.Comment
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This is true any time you are shooting up or down hill... even shooting at a target on the ground... I see so many people drop their bow arm to shoot a bag on the ground..Originally posted by Phillip Fields View PostComment
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Hey John, the way we practice it is we go to the levees over in grand prairie and shoot down at our 3d targets. Makes a big difference. If you go to cinnamon creek and shoot the tree stand course a few times you will get a better understanding of where to hold. You just have to practice that shot till it becomes second nature. Good luckComment
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I have not had much trouble adjusting considering all I have ever hunted out of is a climbing stand. They are a must have when the only place you have to hunt is national forest. Through out the year Il climb up a tree in my back yard with a quiver full of arrows and practice all i can. By the way it helps if you have a lil helper retrieving arrows for ya.
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Great advice above, but practice makes perfect! Get the stand set up and start flinging those arrows and you will pick it up what is needed pretty quickly.Comment
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Bend at the waist keep your same sight picture and you will be fineComment
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Only bad thing about shooting off the roof (or even out of a stand) is that you have to keep climbing down to retrieve arrows then back up again to shoot some more. I guess that's ok if you're young and full of P & V, but not so much fun when you get old and fat like............well you get the idea.Originally posted by JEFFRO View PostComment
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Like others have said you got to bend at the waist, when hunting from elevated positions I shoot a lot better leaning into the shot and dropping my bow arm shoulder when drawing. I have a extra step in my sequence where I check to make sure my shoulders are into the shot.... This has helped me a lot.
That being said I hate hunting from elevated stands... I think it's incredibly uncomfortable shooting from over 12' high, I just don't care for the look.... If I shot more weight I'd feel better about it but the angle and getting my exit hole if I caught the opposite leg on exit, just feels iffy for me.Comment
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I don't know about the physics of it.....shoulders, that the arrow is traveling down instead of across the ground, etc....
What I do know is that many people (ME) tend to shoot high from an elevated position. I am not talking about a couple of inches (which might be good), I am talking about shooting over the entire animal....and in my case, more than once.
Practice will help for sure.Comment
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