Hunting from elevation using gap shooting?

[sar]

I've been playing with gap shooting.  When shooting from a tree stand is there any guesstimate I can make, or do I need to shoot a bunch of ranges from my intended height to re-learn the gaps?  I tried shooting from a height today and kept shooting under my target!

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

There was a big discussion on another site not long ago about whether or not folks need to adjust their yardages from a treestand. In the end, I swear some hunters must take a slide rule in the woods with them.

Think of it this way: Suppose you're 21 feet up and the deer is 20 yards out. The deer is actually about 21 yards from you, but the trajectory of the shot is only 20 yards. Now, I've shot some awefully slow bows in my day, and none of them were so slow that the difference between 20 and 21 yards was anything more than an inch difference in impact, at most.

If you're shooting considerably low out of a treestand, odds are it's a form issue, not a trajectory problem.

[vermonster13]

The distance from the base of the tree to the target is the gap you should use. Be sure you are bending from the waist and keeping your alignment.

[smoke1953]

I was working on treestands this weekend and also did some shooting. I was dropping my bow arm at first until I concentrated on that aspect of the shot. In my opinion that's more of a natural occurence from above.

[ChuckC]

The trajectory shouldn't change but it seems logical that the aiming point might since you are not aiming horizontal but downward.  I haven't done gap shooting much at all and none from an elevated stand so I am by no means an expert but I sure would like to hear about it.
ChuckC

[sar]

Thanks.  I'm only now just trying gap shooting and have been pleased with how well I shoot.  I bet I am dropping my arm.  To some extent, it's harder for me than instinctive shooting because I have to concentrate on lining up the arrow point, etc.

I don't think I have much problem with slowbowness, I'm shooting my new 60#@27" hybrid black swan limbs with the new carbon matrix Mr. Danielson has.  I was trying to find my point on and it seems to exceed the 50 yard bag target at the archery range.  When I have some time, I'm going to take my wife's rangefinder(she shoots one of those wheeled things!) to the field archery range and walk it back til I figure it out.

[Reformed]

Guys you also ned to remember that this applys for arrows that are shot uphill as well the shot should taken in teh manner of distance on a horizontalplane to the object that you are aiming at eether it be foam or a deer  and also shoot as if you can visiualize the exit wound as the spot that you are aiming for.

Jerry

[Pinecone]

I am a gap shooter and from a tree stand, I shoot the same gap as I shoot from the ground.  I always aim for a heart shot and if the critter drops when the arrow is released, I still hit mid-lung.  At typical trad ranges and heights, as Jason indicated, you should see little discernable difference in point of impact based on elevation alone.

Claudia

[Big Dave]

I agree with Vermonster