Compensating for elevation

[everlast]

First deer ever in bow range yesterday, and damn the adrenaline. Joined new club, scouted exactly once for 2 hours. Found a scrape and a rub, put cameras on both. Hunted twice, one morning and yesterday evening. Check cameras on way in. 0 pics on rub, camera on scrape crapped out, but i could see scrape had been freshened up. Wasn't very hopeful of seeing anything. Climbed up, got settled, and within 15 mins a doe and a mature 8 came out. Came right to scrape to smell and freshen. The scrape is 20 yards at my 10 o'clock, but lets say i'm facing north, he was facing east. Any movement would have been spotted. He walked a few more steps east, sensed something wrong, turned and walked west. I drew, but felt the angle was too severe. More than quartering away. Waited and at 30 yards he turned just enough, merped him, and let loose.

In the excitement, i know that i forgot to compensate for him ducking, and the arrow probably shave fur as it flew just over his back. Wondering if i was misinformed on how to aim from elevation. Any rules of thumb. If deer at 30 yards and i'm 25 feet up, do I aim a little low?

I realize that ideally I should practice from elevation, but had no access to the land before 1 week prior to season and leave in suburban hell.

Thanks

[Coastal Woodie]

Aim for the lower third of the body.

[Glenn]

30 yards is 30 yards. How high up doesn't matter. Distance from the base of the tree to the deer (horizontal distance) is your range.


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[dbenn454]

Being 25ft up isn't going to change much. Pythagorean theorem says if you ranged him at 30 yards the horizontal distance is almost 29 yards.

Your form will be different when you are aiming down versus aiming level when practicing unless you are conscientious about bending at the waist. If I don't maintain my form I hit high. I know this because I practice from the stand occasionally.

Also if you make a deer stop by making a noise, it will be alert. Alert sc whitetails always jump the string in my experience. Do like coastal said and aim for the lower third. I've even held under a deer when I knew it was alert at 30 yards.

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[FBT]

Armpit. Armpit. Armpit. Single pin. Sighted in at 25. 5-30 yards. Armpit all day long. Our deer move. A lot.


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[Hoggin]

Think about where you want the arrow to exit. Look at the angle the arrow is going to travel and work backwards

[SCswampCAT]

Ive never been able to climb a tree high enough to make the ARC range on my range finder any less that 1 or 2 yards closer than the actual range. Its a good selling point, but it doesnt change any really.

Edit: And if I can help it I never stop a deer unless I have to, especially with a bow. I try to give him time to stop on his own.

[quack head 11]

Do NOT NOT NOT NOT drop you bow arm to execute your shot, you will shoot high everytime.

Draw your bow, form a T with your body and bend over at the waist. Aim and squeeze. If the deer is on edge you may want to aim a touch lower, but not too much.

[2thDoc]

dont think so much.

but since we know you will overthink it, just overthink it so much you dont think too much about it.

this "aim low" shit is shit. its silly. I seriously dislike that way of thinking. i also dislike fancy rangefinders that "compensate for elevation" when I rarely shoot past 35 steps.

Bend a little at the waist. Keep your bow arm perpendicular to your torso.

and try not to get too nervous.

[Glenn]

And stay out the Woolsworth.

[StrutnBPS]

I agree with most of these guys. Whenever I shoot a deer I draw and anchor as if the deer was straight out in front of me. Then I bend at the waist brining my sight down onto the deer. I never draw "at the deer". If that makes any sense? I also agree that you should think of where you want the arrow to come out... That's what I do.

[trkykilr]

I haven't shot a deer with a bow in several years, but I know someone who has. FBT. I'd listen to what he has to say. Not saying others don't know, just saying that he does.

[SCSwitchback]

dont think so much.

but since we know you will overthink it, just overthink it so much you dont think too much about it.

this "aim low" shit is shit. its silly. I seriously dislike that way of thinking. i also dislike fancy rangefinders that "compensate for elevation" when I rarely shoot past 35 steps.

Bend a little at the waist. Keep your bow arm perpendicular to your torso.

and try not to get too nervous.

Aiming low is only silly if you like to watch deer run off with a little hair missing on their back. Arc technology is not necessary in range finders. However, if you hunt in any kind of hilly terrain it can make a huge difference. Climb 20 ft high on the side of hill and range something 20 ft farther down the hill. There's a heck of a difference there. You can get around that by ranging a tree at eye level though. This is a non issue in most of SC.

[SCSwitchback]

Armpit. Armpit. Armpit. Single pin. Sighted in at 25. 5-30 yards. Armpit all day long. Our deer move. A lot.


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Good advice here. I sight my top pin at 20 and hold low from 0-20. At 25 I hold center mass and hit heart. Its beautiful, really!

[2thDoc]

why in the hell would you "aim low?" I dont fucking get it. Its like setting your clock ten minutes fast. Who the fuck are you kidding?

I like to aim where I want the arrow to go. Is the "arm pit" not where I want the arrow to go?

FBT dont know shit

[Coastal Woodie]

Armpit. Armpit. Armpit. Single pin. Sighted in at 25. 5-30 yards. Armpit all day long. Our deer move. A lot.


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Solid advice.

A single pin that is in the center of the housing also has an advantage when it's too dark to see the pin. I've killed 5 or 6 including my biggest buck by centering them up in the sight housing at last light.

[SCSwitchback]

why in the hell would you "aim low?" I dont fucking get it. Its like setting your clock ten minutes fast. Who the fuck are you kidding?

I like to aim where I want the arrow to go. Is the "arm pit" not where I want the arrow to go?

FBT dont know shit

Aiming at the arm pit is aiming low.....as in aiming low on the deers body. Most people, especially those starting out, aim half way up the deers body. No one said to aim at the dirt. Stop arguing with yourself.

[trkykilr]

I think what people are saying by "aiming low" is picking a lower spot. I naturally did it after I shot a few. Its hard to shoot under an alert deer and hard to shoot under a turkey

[StrutnBPS]

Y'all mofos just need to stop shooting those slow ass Mathews and Hoyts.

[FBT]

Stick to advice on teeth toothdork. Aiming low on a south carolina whitetail is not bad advise. Believe me, i keep this shit as simple as possible. I dont make sure i bend at the waist or anything like that. Draw back, settle the pin, let it eat. If my bow is sighted in dead on at 20 yards......the deer is at 20........the absolute last thing im going to do is put the pin exactly where i want it to hit. If the deer is calm and i didnt have to mank it, im holding on the bottom of her heart. If i manked her and she is on pins and needles, I could probably hold it on her kneecaps and she'd still probably go down and catch it. 5" helical feathers sound like an apache helicopter approaching rapidly so that probably aids in the get-outta-dodge reaction from the deer.

Bow sighted in at 25 yards. One fixed, non movable, stationary, quiet pin centered in a non-movable round housing that is magically the same diameter as my peep as im looking through it. 10-25 yards its an armpit hold, at 30 im holding centermass because the tiger shark 175's are headed due south by then. I like it simple and thats as simple as i can make it.