shooting sitting down - anyone do it ?

[BradLantz]

I've struggled with my bowhunting since going from compounds to my longbow. I've killed one nice buck, the other shots I've taken has missed or almost without fault, hit high.

I hit a buck in Kansas this year - high of course, and I've got to change something, I can't/won't do it anymore. I simply MUST change something, to feel like I'm trying to better myself as a bowhunter and to NOT wound deer in the future.

That said, I'm trying to go 4-5 pounds heavier in draw weight, with maybe 100 grains more on my total arrow weight. That'll help penetration and me still be able to control my bow.

 The only thing else .... I stay seated when I shoot at deer. I've always done it, I don't like risking deer seeing my movement. I'm wondering now, if thats having an affect on my shots going high ?

Does anyone else shoot sitting down ?

I practice in a treestand in my yard sitting down, not all the time, but I'm confortable with it.

I'm just trying to do everything I can, to figure out WHY I cannot seem to get my arrows to hit where I'm wanting them to. I swear I'm concentrating on a spot ..... and then my arrows sail high. Its the most frustrating thing I've ever had to go through, because I'm a pretty good shot, I practice a lot, I work with my arrows/broadheads and bows ........ and to put all that work into it and then high 6" high and lost the deer is driving me back to a compound  

[dhaverstick]

I usually stand when I shoot but this year I killed a doe while sitting. I don't think your position has as much to do with it as other things. It sounds like somehow you've lost your form. When I start shooting badly, I always go back to the basics and start over.

[Jesse Minish]

I like to aim low on a deer especially if they are alert. If you aim at the bottom of the vitals when the deer jumps the string you sill hit the center of the vitals.

[mcgroundstalker]

You can't change being human...Might just be the deer jumping the string...You may be looking at the outline of the deer upon release...Shooting sitting down needs to be practiced...It's human to get worked up when game comes within bow range...

So many "simple" factors add up to a miss or high hit/poor hit...I know...Been there...Alot

Don't give up the ship just yet. We all "need" to practice hunting shots...That's the fun part of Trad hunting...All The RIGHT kind of practice.

Got some questions for ya:
How far/close were the shots?
Do you use bright color feathers?
Gap Shoot or Instictive?

I'll say again. I'm no deer killing king pin but maybe a pea brain like me can help some.

>>-----> mike <-----<<

[Al Snow]

If you're shooting sitting down from a treestand, you may be torqueing the lower limb by putting too much heel pressure on the grip.  That's why the standard advice has always been to bend from the waist.... it keeps your body in the same relation to your bow, string, etc., as it normally is when you're standing on the ground practicing.

It doesn't take much lower limb torque to throw an arrow high.

Try some treestand practice both ways, sitting, and standing while bending at the waist.  That will show you quickly if that's the problem.

[Terry Green]

Standing or sittin,....you still need to bend at the waist toward the target....if you are shooting down and sitting straight up...that very well could be why you are shooting high....try leaning forward just like you do when standing.

[Stu]

I think Terry's right. Every deer I've shot with a bow has been from sitting in a climbing stand. You sound like your on top of the shooting-while-sitting thing, I'd guess it's something else.

Also agree with aiming low, I try to think "high heart" or similar as most my shots are pretty close & angling down. That said, it is easy to shoot high at a deer from any height or angle, and not just with a bow. Maybe it's instinctual in us humans or something...

[hawkeye n pa]

I practice the sitting down and shooting quite alot, and with good success.  But find that if I'm cold and hold the bow near horizontal that I either torque it up or raise the arm.  If I'm comfortable and warm no problem.

[Bob Barnes]

hey Brad...how are you doing?  
I practice sitting, hunt sitting, and shoot sitting...I'm getting old and lazy.  LOL.
Bob

[bayoulongbowman]

JUst my 2 cents , if ya cant shoot sitting down , ur prob over bowed...i shot rabbit the other day on my knees, good luck!

[BradLantz]

Bob - struggling, thats how I'm doing  :(

I know about the "bending at the waist" ...... and thats why I'm not going to shoot that way anymore. Eliminate one more factor that might be causing me to hit high.

I use all white fletching with bright 3M reflective tape.

One deer was about 12 steps ...... this years buck was about 21-22 steps I'd guess, absolute broadside, stopped still with a mahhhhh. I remember both arrow flights ...... both hit way high of where I wanted them to by 6-7", but exactly left/right just up/down issue

[Panzer I]

The first deer that I ever killed with traditional equipment, I did so sitting down. I haven't shot any more sitting down since then but I think siting down is a real stable platform for shooting.

[ber643]

I do on occasion, and I practice it often from both my tower and from my pop-up blind - just in case the occasion does arise.

[TimBow2]

i alway's shoot from a stand in a sitting postion, works for me

[VTer]

I always stand.

[ChuckC]

Practice both ways so it is normal for you.  Practicing while standing and hunting while you are sitting could cause problems.  

Now..the REAL  question......anybody practice while LAYING down ?     :D

[BradLantz]

I'm trying to find the "why" of my arrows always seeming to hit higher than I want them to.

I swear if I took a 70 yard shot, I'd hit 6" high  :(

I do practice from a tree stand, with hunting clothes on, sitting down - trying to mock hunting as closely as I can.

[ChuckC]

Wow..if I was only 6" high at 70 yards...I'd be pretty happy !

I know what you mean Brad.  So many things can change your arrow flight.  This makes it difficult to assess on line.  

Maybe try taking some video of you shooting in various poses and positions and watch yourself in action.  

Sometimes we change the position of our hand (heel the bow or use a higher wrist hold), or we squeeze harder one time, or we anchor ever so slightly different if we are, say, seated vs standing, or we hold our head differently in the same circumstances.  From above, or from below for that matter, the arrow travels a shorter horizontal distance to the target than it appears and naturally tends to hit higher, hence the need to aim lower from a treestand....all these things could cause you to shoot high.  

Or, maybe you just need to keep at the practice for a while more.  What really helps me is getting into the woods, or even the back yard, and just roving, one arrow only.  Start short and after you get into it, any target range you chose is fair game.  I try to just have fun and just forget about whether I hit or not.  Eventually it all comes around for me.

Stay in there.
ChuckC

[Jerry Jeffer]

When hunting, I shoot from a sitting, kneeling and also one knee positions. I hunt the ground, no more tree stands for me. (just my preference). I also practice this way, but also do plenty of standing shots. I find shooting from a sitting position to be quite easy. Leaning into the shot as mentioned by others is a must. Sitting up straight will mess you up every time.

[Wile E. Coyote]

Brad,

I do not necessarly think your problem is due to sitting v.s. standing. I shoot sitting and the advantages I see to it v.s. standing is that it is extreemly stable, and from that position I can bend at the waist more so than standing without compromising my balance.

The two main factors I have found to cause me to shoot high are:
1. Not keeping my chin tucked in for the shot. (sometimes we slightly elevate our chin to get a secondary perspective on the shot especially when we are concentrating on not missing)

2. Sometimes at the moment of truth I slow down and over evaluate my shot, trying to insure a good shot. What ends up happening is that I do not complete my draw, and therefore my hands are both just slightly higher than they would be if I were pulling tightly into my anchor. You've got to tell yourself to "Bear Down on the Shot"

Alot of it is mental, you have to be thinking not that you don't want to miss, but that you are going to hit them there and how hard you are going to hit them there.  

Hang in there.