New archers. Practice from your stand!


johnf

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I've not been shooting long, but have practiced a lot and have pretty decent groups out to 60 yards. Last night was my first shot opportunity on a deer from my stand. I haven't shot out of my climber at all and didn't realize how much different it would be. After sitting still for 3 hours and cramping up two doe came out at 20 yards. I got up and couldn't get turned the way I wanted to because my harness was in the way. When I finally got turned they were still there, but it seemed like it took forever. I drew back aimed and released. The shot felt good and the deer took off. To make a long story short, I missed big time. By the angle that the arrow hit in the ground I must have missed about 6" under the deer. I don't know if it was nerves, though I don't think so, or bad form because of my position in the stand.

One thing is for sure, shooting from a climber is nothing like shooting in the back yard. I'm going to be up a tree tonight in the yard shooting at a target to be better prepared for next time. I suggest you do the same if you haven't.

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I put my pin where I want it to go on the ground or in the air. I've never noticed a difference except at steep angles as was mentioned above. I used to stand up to take shots, nowadays 90% of the time I never get up on the stand, just keep my seat, draw and release. You are surely right though John, shooting from the stand is a lot different from the ground, but with some practice it's a breeze.

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Hold same form just remember to bend at the waist.

I think you hit the nail on the head there. I know I've practiced doing it a thousand times probably, but not in the stand trying to move my feet around, being quiet, avoiding my safety harness strap.

Not nearly as easy as I thought.

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you must hold that T form. too many guys draw their bow, then lower the sights to the deer. this makes your form differant when you were practicing from the ground. you must bend at the waist.

this also means you must have a safety harness on in order to bend at the waist.

the differance from a 20 yard shot from a 20 foot treestand and a 20 yard shot from the ground, is only about 1 yard differance.

you can find the true distance by using a formula to find the missing side of a Triangle. A squared Times B squared =the square root of C.

so a 20 foot stand = 20 feet

20 yard shot = 60 feet

20 feet squared is 400

60 feet squared is 3600

400 + 3600 = 4000

the square root of 4000 = 63.24 feet or 21.08 yards.

this is the true distance from your stand to your target. while it can make a slight differance in your shot, bending at the waist is for sure the biggest problem most shooters have from a treestand.

Tony

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A couple other important things to remember is you may periodically through out the hunt may want to stand and draw. Work the cramps out, work those shoulder muscles(especially if you are bow hunting in a colder climate like myself)

You also want to make sure that your gear isn't going to cause a problem.

Depending on what type of climber you are using, the quarters might be a little tight, compared to a hang on. So standing and turning can be a balancing act the first couple times you do it.

The other thing you can do is take an extra arrow along on your hunt. Before you get down. Pick a leaf out on the trail or area where the deer may be and pretend it is it's heart and let loose. Practicing in you front yard is good. But get it as close to your situation as possible.

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you must hold that T form. too many guys draw their bow, then lower the sights to the deer. this makes your form differant when you were practicing from the ground. you must bend at the waist.

this also means you must have a safety harness on in order to bend at the waist.

the differance from a 20 yard shot from a 20 foot treestand and a 20 yard shot from the ground, is only about 1 yard differance.

you can find the true distance by using a formula to find the missing side of a Triangle. A squared Times B squared =the square root of C.

so a 20 foot stand = 20 feet

20 yard shot = 60 feet

20 feet squared is 400

60 feet squared is 3600

400 + 3600 = 4000

the square root of 4000 = 63.24 feet or 21.08 yards.

this is the true distance from your stand to your target. while it can make a slight differance in your shot, bending at the waist is for sure the biggest problem most shooters have from a treestand.

Tony

I aint bringing a calculator to the stand, lol.

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One thing is for sure, shooting from a climber is nothing like shooting in the back yard. I'm going to be up a tree tonight in the yard shooting at a target to be better prepared for next time. I suggest you do the same if you haven't.

Actually, for a lot of people, including me, it is very similar. You just have to remember to bend at the waist. If you just drop your bow arm, you'll miss all the time.

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I couldn’t agree more! Practicing for hunting encounters is absolutely critical not only for accuracy and proficiency but also for confidence. It makes a big difference when you are in the stand at the moment of truth, when it counts the most. It’s a great idea to practice as much as you can, shooting from your stands, out of your blinds and wearing the clothes you’ll be wearing.

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Shooting from a tree you would want the arrow to hit slightly higher on the deer to angle through the vitals. So as long as the range isn't excessive and you aren't up high enough to get a nosebleed, just range and shoot the same sight picture as if you were on the ground and you'll kill him. It's pretty much self compensating.

Mark

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