fixed crawl on vertical shots?

[olddogrib]

Let me preface this by saying I'm not a big fan of basically straight down vertical shots.  I've heard the arguments that "the vitals is as wide as tall", but I don't particularly care for the shot.  I took one against my better judgement on Saturday evening.  I misjudged the trajectory and my arrow apparently clipped a mountain laurel branch as it snapped cleanly when it buried in the ground.  No problem, I'll take a miss over a wounding hit every time. Before the season I practice sitting shots, as I often can't stand up without getting busted.  I honestly didn't practice vertical shots as I mentally argued that:
1) My stand is intentionally not directly over the trail.
2) I'm not hunting more than 12-15' high.
3) I hunt mostly evenings and if the deer came under me I'd likely get busted by the thermals anyway...
so that's naturally where they decided to approach! Even though I don't currently shoot a "fixed crawl" I have in the past and am comfortable reverting to one out to 25yds.  In retrospect, I happened to think this might be the best option on this shot, due to you're basically "gun-barreling" and it may provide a better visual perspective for branch clearance.  I know to bend at the waist for elevated shots, but the waist really doesn't bend the necessary 90 degrees required for this shot(at least mine doesn't anymore).  That's the other reason I don't care for it..."good form" is "wishful thinking" if we're truly honest.  Who likes the fixed crawl when there's so many eyes around that it's all you're going to get?

[LB_hntr]

Don't know what a fixed crawl is.
But from what I read in your post you are trying to figure out how to shoot animals right below you.
My advise is don't! If you are 15 feet up and the animal is closer than 5 yards your vertical shoot window to get both lungs is about an inch or 2. Meaning if you are off by an inch you are gonna get one lung. One lung hit deer are the worst to track and find as they can live for a day or 2 or not even die.
I let hundreds of deer pass that walk right under me. If I want to shoot them I will try and turn them when they get out far enough with a bleet or grunt or whistle.
I used to hunt at 20-25 feet high and found that in that couple years span I killed 8 deer from those heights and 5 were one lung hit deer because of the shot angle being too steep (same as a deer close to you). All I will say about those 5 deer is thank God for snow and for now having to go to work the next day or once 2 days later.
 So now I keepy stands about 14-18 feet depending on situation and won't shoot anything closer than 7 yards.....I really really like them between 8-12 yards!
Hope that helps answer your question.

[Doc Nock]

Richard,

I too, don't know or am not familiar with the fixed crawl term, but 2nd the option to not shoot down too straight.

I DO practice (DID) that shot,cause deer in my old area seemed to come from where you least expected and do what least expected...travel areas can be a labyrinth of travel directions, not those great set ups between feeding/bedding like we read about.

10 yards out is about my limit... I shot one at 10 and cut the artery under the spine...3 steps and she dropped dead.  LUCK!

I don't like to rely on luck.  First trad deer after passing many shots for 4 yrs fearful I'd not connect. I joked saying I had to bite my fingers to let go of the string, --- lack of confidence...soared after the first kill and got my 2nd deer 2 days later...

IFFY when hard below...

[olddogrib]

Hi Dave,
"Fixed crawl" has been around quite awhile but is more popular on other sites.  It's basically addressing the string 1/2- 1" below the nock in order for you to reduce your "point on distance" to normal hunting ranges of 20-25 yds. This allows you to basically put the tip of the arrow on the vital center at any range you'd shoot a deer and be confident of having a lethal double lung hit.  That part is irrelevant for what I'm talking about, but this is accomplished by raising the shaft to where it is directly under your eye, which should, at least theoretically allow you to gauge the trajectory of the arrow better relating to obstacles it must clear. Basically, it's roughly equivalent to sighting down a slug gun vent rib. I generally agree with Jason that it's best avoided, but in this case I did have a slight angle facing away where I thought I could get top of one lung/ bottom of the other and the heart if I didn't.  It just that when one shoots gap the gap looks a whole lot different in the horizontal plain than the vertical, when the tip will generally be at the deer's hooves (roughly 18-20" below the spot.  In hindsight, I should have just Geronimo'd out of the tree and broke the deer's back and probably my neck!

[dnovo]

My experience is to not take that shot. I did it one time quite a few years ago and swore I would never do it again. I lost that deer due to lack of blood trail because the arrow didn't penetrate thru the bottom of the chest. I like my shots to be out at 7-8 yards and beyond where I get an exit hole.All of the deer I've taken over that years, my average shot mis about 11 yards.