Shooting from a tree stand?

[Stephen Claypool]

Hey guy's. I want to start off by saying im fairly new to trad archery. Ive only been shooting for about a year. I have been shooting compounds competitively and for hunting for the past 16 years. A normal part of my hunting practice w/ my compounds is to shoot out of a treestand, so w/ a hog hunt coming up I hung a stand today in my yard to practice shooting out of a stand w/ my recurve. I hung it about 10' high. I climbed up w/ a dozen arrows in my pocket. I had 3 targets set out from 8-18 yards. If sitting in the stand i had the targets at 3 o'clock,12 o'clock & 9 o'clock. The 12 o'clock target was the 8yd one. The 2 side ones were farther. This being my first time shooting a recurve out of a stand i was a little puzzled. I had a extremely hard time hitting my anchor while shooting at any of the targets. The 8yd target that was straight in front i couldnt even get the string back even close to my anchor w/o the string hitting my leg. Im pretty use to shooting at extreme downhill angles but not w/ a 62" long bow. Im also use to hunting deer from 25'+ up in the air which would amplify the problem im having even more. So what do u guys do. Hunt treestands barely off the ground to eliminate steep shot angles, hunt off the ground or do u have a way to shoot the steep angle shots from a treestand? My comfort zone, where if feel i can make a good clean kill is only about 15yds max and if i was hunting in a treestand 10' of the ground i wouldnt be able to take any shots that close due to the steep angle. Am i alone here? Am i missing something. Im trying to bend at the waist but it feels like im drawing 2" shorter when i shoot out of the stand then it does if im shooting on the ground. Any help, any advise, any similar experiences?

[Stumpkiller]

I set-up with the platform about 15 feet up.

You mentioned bending at the waist.  That is the most important thing to remember.  If you are doing it right your draw won't "scrunch" any shorter.  Keep your back relatively straight and bend only at the waist.  Don't just curl your whole body/back.

If the string or limb is hitting your leg then cant he bow more.  Some shots I have had to hold the bow horizontal to clear limbs.  I like a stand in a "busy" tree with lots of branches to break up my silhouette and give cover and that means I have to be very careful with enough clearance for the bow's limbs to avoid contact.

[Cocklebur]

I usually hunt 12' or less and as I bend at the waist I kind of lean out, it gives the limbs more clearance. If you use a safety harness it will kind of give you something to lean against. Other than that what Stumpkiller said.

[Crooked Stic]

Yep practice with your bow canted and bend at the waist Dont give up you will figure it out.

[YORNOC]

Charlie pretty much wrapped it up.  This shows how important it is to practice. The good thing about traditional gear is that you can adapt to many situations that are impossible with the vertical crossbows. But PRACTICE shooting many different ways is the key. Shoot as much as possible, learn to cant at different angles. This is fun stuff isn't it?

[Sean B]

All of the above!

[Stephen Claypool]

Archery is fun period, but this trad game has really humbled me. Still have lots of room for improvement and lots to learn. Ill keep practicing, but shooting out of the stand really felt awkward and unnatural. If i "cant" the bow more, wont that play w/ my left and right?

[smoke1953]

I find I cant and bend the knees much more from a tree when the angle is steep. Again for me this results in a somewhat different anchor higher on the face to account for the change in head position to maintain the arrow under the eye. I love shooting with different bow position and angles.

[xia_emperor]

I find shooting from a tree stand is like shooting down hill. I aim lower and practice often.  

[bentpole]

I shoot 62 and 64" Longbows. I usually go up at least 18'. I ALWAYS practice on the ground "canting" my bows. AND always BEND at the waist when hunting from a tree stand.

[sawtoothscream]

Drove me crazy the first time I tried. Can't the bow, bend at the waist and pratice alot.  I finally got it down after a few long practices

[treetoppredator]

I'm new too! Glad I happened upon this thread.

[crotch horn]

I use a 54" Lost Creek NAT longbow. No problems with ladder stands but the rail on my climber can cause issues if not careful. I wera a safety harness & lean out.