bowhunting in tree stand

[chappy]

is there any truth to when shooting up in a tree stand you must aim low in order to shot straight?

[spotforkids.org]

Chappy,

Here's a few tips for tree stand hunting. First, don't do it without a safety harness that is in good working order. Accidents happen. Prevent injury or death. Hunter Safety Systems makes the best vests around. Go to hssvest.com and read some testimonials.

To answer your question... Technically no, but probably yes. I'll explain.
It may appear that you have to hold low because when you put your 20 yard pin on a deer that is only 15 feet from the tree, you are aiming 45 feet too far away (20 yards is 60 ft). The distance from the bottom of the tree to the deer will denote which pin to use, not the distance from you (in your tree stand)to the deer. The top sight on your bow is for the closest target, so if you have that pin set at 20 yards (60 ft) and a deer is only 15 feet from the tree, you would have to hold low, because you are actually shooting at a target that is just over 3 yards away. When you put your 20 yard pin on the deer at 3 yards, the arrow will fly over the deer. Therefore you think you must hold low in order to actually make it work. The difference is, you don't have a 3 yard pin do ya? Most of us don't. Lots of us have made the same mistake- many of us more than once. It doesn't matter how high you are in the tree. Only the distance from the bottom of the tree to the deer.

"Breaking the T" is the other reason it may appear that you have to hold low.

If you try to shoot at a deer directly underneath you, most likely you will "break the T", which happens when you can't bend any more at the hips so you lower your bowhand until the pin is on target. When your anchor point doesn't change and you lower your arm, you "torque the string". As soon as you release, the string immediately corrects itself, which causes the arrow to miss your target on the high side. The "T" is the typical archery stance that creates optimal accuracy. The T remains intact if you bend at the waist while keeping proper form. Here's an exersize. Put a target 20 yards away from the base of your tree, and one at 3 yards from the tree. From your tree stand, draw back at the 20 yard target. Note how your form feels. While drawn back, slowly bend at the hips until you get your pin on the 3 yard target. Chances are, you will feel the T break when you can't bend at your waist any more and you naturally start to drop your bow hand to get your pin on target (because you can't bend that far).

The best advise I can give you is to follow these steps.

Bring a tape measurer, your bow, and a few arrows out to your stand. From your tree stand, draw back and anchor as if you were going to shoot a deer at 20 yards out. Begin bending at the waist (keeping good form). Keep bending down until you have reached the point where you can't bend any more (keep good form-don't drop your bow hand!) and shoot your arrow into the ground from that "maxed out" position. Safely climb down and then measure the distance from the tree to your arrow. Sight in your top pin for that distance. (While you have a measuring tape out there, measure out and drive a stick in the ground large enough to see from your stand at 10, 20, 30, and 40 yards in one direction. You can use these as a guage while hunting to get an idea of how far away the deer is, and what pin to use). From now on, never shoot at a deer that is closer than your T will allow. Have the patience to wait until the deer is within your T and you should be eating backstraps soon!

Good luck, and good hunting!

spotforkids.org