Missed one at 12 yards

emac396 · November 01, 2011, 08:56:00 AM

Missed at 12 yards last night. took morn off to shoot. I seem to hit high when shooting from stand, I practice from my deck 15' but I climbed 30' last night due to hill and cover in tree. Anyone else hit high when shooting from heights? I have been shooting a doz arrows everyday?? I'm gonna sit on top of 10' ladder on my deck and shoot till my confidence is back then hit the woods. Thanks for listening I had to whine to someone. Ed

November 01, 2011, 08:58:00 AM

One of the things I became aware of is the need to practice during season-- you really lose your eye if you don't.....

Stinger · November 01, 2011, 09:03:00 AM

Make sure you are bending at the waist and not just dropping your bow arm especially when that high up in the tree and the shot at only 12 yds. In the heat of the moment it is sometimes very easy to forget to do this. I saw a trick on TV the other evening that showed how the guy bends his knee on his forward leg inward and it helps to make the waist bend easier.

ken denton · November 01, 2011, 09:09:00 AM

When I shoot high over a deer's back, I forgot to pick that tiny spot(or hair). That last 1 to 5 seconds before the release if you are not consentrating of the spot, it will happen. Also, if the deer ducks at the bow noise.
I have been picking the spot right in the grove where the leg joins the body( it is only about 1/3 up from the bottom of the chest.
When at full draw I talk to myself to hold low enough. Hope this helps. Another thing is getting excited when it is a really big buck! Ken

MI_Bowhunter · November 01, 2011, 09:18:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by Stinger:
Make sure you are bending at the waist and not just dropping your bow arm especially when that high up in the tree and the shot at only 12 yds.

Important to do, just lowering your arm changes draw lenth and can affect arrow flight.

Also don't forget that on extreame downward shots gravity has less time to act on the arrow over that distence.

If you hunt from an elevated stand then you should regualrly practice from one as well.

Rob DiStefano · November 01, 2011, 09:19:00 AM

hitting high from shooting up in the air is soooo common, welcome to the club. it's a form thing and physics thing. the form thing is like stinger said, bend at the waist any way ya can. the physics thing is that the arrow's trajectory is greatly lessened. practicing from a high ladder or roof top is essential for guys in tree stands. good luck, you can do it next time!!!

Friend · November 01, 2011, 09:19:00 AM

Nothing wrong about being human.

Lost Arra · November 01, 2011, 09:25:00 AM

I'd get altitude sickness at 30' up a tree.

14-18' max provides a better shot angle for me.

I realize the surrounding terrain may have dictated your height.

reddogge · November 01, 2011, 09:42:00 AM

Your problem is 30', an almost impossible height to hit a deer 12 yards away from. You are almost shooting straight down at them.

RM81 · November 01, 2011, 09:46:00 AM

yeah, that angle is steep. I like my stands at 16' up and shots about 15yards out.

Stumpkiller · November 01, 2011, 09:49:00 AM

Wow! 30 feet! My stand platform is at 18 ft to accomidate the tree I needed and that is three feet higher than I prefer. That's an awful angle to try and catch vitals.

You're handicapping yourself with a lung target half as tall as a broadside lung shot, and the shoulder blades might deflect a heart shot from even broadside.

emac396 · November 01, 2011, 10:03:00 AM

I try to be 18'-20' but because of steep grade I went higher, it made sense when I set up last night just not much sense now.

Ed

caleb7mm · November 01, 2011, 10:30:00 AM

shot over ones back at 5 yards last year. dont feel bad it happens.

Swinestalker · November 01, 2011, 10:36:00 AM

Put it behind you. We all miss, especially me!

Jason R. Wesbrock · November 01, 2011, 02:39:00 PM

The trajectory difference is often blamed for misses over a deer, but the reality is often different. In your case, with a deer 12 yards from the base of the tree and you being 30 feet high, the deer is 15.62 yards from you. The trajectory is 12 yards. I've shot a lot of slow bows in my life, but have yet to see one where the difference between 12 and 15.62 yards is a clean kill or a high miss.

Even at 20 feet high and a deer 20 yards from the base of the tree, the animal is 21.08 yards from you. At 15 feet up and a deer 15 yards from the tree, the animal's distance from you is 15.81. Long and short of it: don't worry about the trajectory difference so much as your form.

vermonster13 · November 01, 2011, 02:42:00 PM

+100 to what Jason said.

geales · November 01, 2011, 03:09:00 PM

I'm right there with you. Saturday morning I sailed one a 1/2 inch over a does back. She was nice enough to come back in and I lost all concentration and sent the second a foot over her back.

Stumpkiller · November 01, 2011, 03:41:00 PM

Here's another ponderable. If you practice on a 3-D target or just observe deer in general you get a mind's eye image of their relative size and kill zone (red shape). When you then see a deer from a height, because of their body shape, you are seeing less torso area (brown shape). Put another way, the deer occludes less of your visual arc. Your brain is telling you the deer is further away than it is. Your arm compensates and the shot goes high. That is why it is SO important to pick a spot; not shoot at the whole deer.

I go further and pick a spot where the arrow will EXIT and think about that. Keeps my brain busy so I have enough time to shoot before I start to think about compensating.

wingnut · November 01, 2011, 03:44:00 PM

Find another tree that is conducive to hunting with trad equipment. 30 ft. is too high to hit both lungs consistantly. Especially at close range.

Don't get me wrong, I've shot over a bunch of deer from treestands. Can't remember one I shot under though.

LOL

Mike

KSdan · November 01, 2011, 04:08:00 PM

Agree with Jason on trajectory and distance- I have never seen a difference. The waist thing only makes sense because your draw length and anchor may be different when you bend (that even happens up or down hill). The thing that prevents all of that for me is my clicker (which is almost completely silenced-it works off feel). This assures me that whatever the angle etc I am at full draw- great little tool to keep my mind in the game.

I would bet you lost the "spot focus" just before you released. Button technique by Jay Kidwell helped me on that.

Good hunting
Dan