Hunting from an elevated position can be extremely effective for getting into bow range of deer; but shooting a bow from a stand requires the correct technique to seal the deal and fill a tag. Sometimes you simply can’t reach these high-traffic areas without bumping deer in the process. Although the heart shot is extremely deadly if penetrated, the safest shot is to follow the back of the deer’s front leg up into the chest cavity a few inches higher than the heart to pass through both of the deer’s lungs. When my dad and i went on our first few deer hunts together, and we began looking for good places to sit, there were two key things he usually emphasized: he would say, "Hunt where you know the deer are and sit where you can see good." I rest the bottom cam on my left thigh so I’m not holding the full weight of the bow. Shooting down from a high tree stand, however will probably hit the lungs or spine - it would be almost impossible to pass between lungs and spine shooting down at the deer without hitting lungs or spine. Would You Shoot This Deer the State Says is Special? So if you hunt from 20+ ft up and are shooting down at the deer, disregard this "no kill zone". As diehard bowhunters, we understand the importance of proper and ethical shot placement. While traditional towers, shooting houses, and box blinds offer convenience, smart hunters realize they must venture farther to find the woody haunts where pressured deer hide. With deer hunting, the perfect tree for a stand and hottest buck sign doesn’t always match up. Will that be the same with my bow and any other useful tips for hunting whitetails from a tree stand would be appreciated. What I would like to know is how will my arrow be affected when shooting from a 16 foot tree stand? Finding the trails for entry and exit from the food plot is the key. Then it becomes an issue. A gut-shot deer will take a long time to die, so you've got a responsibility to find it and speed up the process. 3. However, shooting from a treestand significantly changes the path of your arrow as it travels to and through your target. Convinced that you cannot beat being elevated when it comes to hunting success, I also wanted to ensure that my hunts would be safe and enjoyable. The more realistic the decoys, the better. I've shot deer from the base of my tree to 165 yards. Deer move quickly, even when wounded, and it's possible for them to cover quite a bit of ground after being shot mortally. If the deer is 10 yards from your treestand and you aim at the lungs, center of the body, you will probably hit high in the back. My tree stand is 22-feet high and I have been told to aim low when shooting at a deer. Guest Shoot Me Down: Quartering-To Shots Shouldn't be Taboo ... Where To Shoot A Deer Diagram : 10hunting - 10 Hunting . No matter where you set your zero, or what sight you choose, the key to accurate shooting from a treestand is to practice from a treestand - while wearing your hunting gear. When shooting your bow from the treetops, follow these pointers and you’ll keep more arrows in the kill zone this season. However, in this article, we will look at how to shoot a compound bow from a tree stand. It works, too, until a whitetail deer shows up in your shooting lane at an angle you hadn’t even anticipated. If at all possible, spend some time practicing from an actual treestand before the opening day of the archery season. I had a wide open shot at the buck. A large portion of bowhunters choose to climb into a treestand when hunting whitetails to help them avoid detection. Shooting uphill, downhill, or at a downward angle from a tree stand causes the arrow’s point of impact to be HIGHER, in nearly all cases, than if you had taken the shot from the same distance on level ground. Shooting downhill at 45 degrees over 400 yards? How can you use this information to enhance your 2018 firearms season? - Deer ... 350 Legend The Ultimate Cartridge – Midwest Hunting & Fishing. Honor the animal, and be the best prepared you can be for it. A ground blind on the edge of a large crop field that affords a large field of view but minimal shot potential. All of it. C. A tree stand overlooking an area that has some activity but is easier to hunt without being busted by swirling winds. Follow the blood through the foliage. Shooting from a tree stand is believed to maximize the precision of your shots among other advantages. Archery deer-hunting pointer: Practice shooting from tree stand rather than from ground level. Your elevated position affects your arrow trajectory, requiring you to make some key adjustments to bring down game successfully. Again, make sure you can see the decoy and position your shotgun from your tree stand; you don’t want to have to stand up and move around to get ready. Proper aiming points are best determined by practicing from elevated positions. Also, make sure in your practice routine to add in seated and odd angled shots. And that's where to shoot a deer. ENCORE Premium Member. My last 2 deer i put it right in the heart/lung shot and both times the shot blew out their back. Shooting at an animal with a bow from a tree stand can be one of the most difficult shots you may make. When shooting at an angle, the drop of the projectile is reduced, so you need to make sure your pins are sighted in from tree stand height. This is my first year archery hunting whitetail deer in eastern South Dakota. Poor form and incorrect yardage estimation can make the problem seem worse. The exact spot to place your arrow depends largely on the height of your stand and the distance to the deer. Twenty yards and out, I aim right where I want to hit. Of the 493 deer harvested, deer shot in a vital area involving the heart and/or lungs ran significantly shorter distances than those shot further back. Archery tackle is more of an issue due to slow speed- larger LOS/LOD angle. The shooting angle to a deer's vital area is much better from a lower height. Obviously, preventing deer from detecting human odor is a building block of deer hunting. Again i am not a bad shot at all and my scope puts a grouping of 5 shots in a circle about the size of a gatorade bottle at 50 yards. If there is little chance of the deer entering cover in the next few yards, it's probably best to wait until the angle becomes less extreme. 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