Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Practice Tree Stand Shots Now
I wonder how many people really pay attention when they watch television shows as our host shoots a buck from a tree. Many of those shots are taken from 25 or 30 feet in the air, and some appear to be even higher up the tree.
A deer traveling very close to the tree will offer a very small target. Watch most of these shows, and it appears that some television hosts know little about shooting down at deer.
I finally watched a show a few nights ago, and the host knew what he was doing. He came to full draw, bent from the waist, and shot a bear feeding at a bait site.
Study some television shows, and the shot is taken in broad daylight, but it’s long after dark when the deer is found. Brush or grass is piled up near the entrance wound, and they prattle on about the buck only went about 80 yards.
If that is so, why did it apparently take a few hours to find the animal? I often wonder about such things.
It may sound as if I’m against television hunting shows. I’m only against them when they do one thing, and it’s shown on the screen, and the next thing we know hours have passed while they look for a buck killed with a “great” shot.
Shooting down from an elevated position is a great way to miss or make a bad hit, and the higher up in a tree, the easier it is to make a bad hit or miss completely. The higher the hunter, the more acute the angle. Most such shots sail harmlessly over the deer as they shoot high.
The hunter who shoots with a steep downward angle and bends only from the shoulders will probably make a bad hit or a complete miss. Often the hunter is shooting at something that appears to be two inches wide.
The hunter who concentrates on a firm anchor point, maintains that anchor point while bending from the waist, will probably kill the deer. Whenever the anchor point changes while shooting at a steep downward angle, the odds of missing are high.
This is a shot that requires considerable practice. It comes naturally to some bow hunters but seems uncomfortable or awkward to others. It’s easier to stand upright, bend a bit at the shoulder, and such shots usually go high.
Is there a better way of shooting deer? Not really, especially if the hunter is high up in a tree? Shooting that same buck from ground level would be much easier, but many hunters do not have that option.
Take turns working with a fellow hunter. Have one person in the tree stand, and another on the ground to move the target and retrieve the arrows, and practice often to make certain the shot is perfect every time.
Many hunters shoot while sitting down, and this means clearing their legs out of the way for a smooth draw and an easy release. Sitting down and drawing on a deer well below you eliminates some of the exaggerated angle from which a bow hunter must shoot.
There is another reason why some hunters miss these steep downward shots. They are standing, leaning out against the tension of a full body harness, and whether they will admit it or not, there is a fear of falling.
We’ve all seen those tree stand ads where a hunter leans out, and they are not perfectly balanced. The body will always attempt to correct the balance when such shots are taken, and a tiny twitch when the arrow is released is enough to throw the shot high or wide… or both.
If you hunt from up high (over 15 feet off the ground) it pays to practice this downward shot. It is not an easy position to shoot from, and the closer the deer is to the tree, the steeper the angle is. One of my hunters made a straight-down shot on a buck last year, and the Carbon Express arrow went through the spine, exited through the sternum, and the deer died under his tree.
I repeat: these shots are rarely taken, and shooting down at a steep angle can cause the arrow to shoot high if your anchor point shifts. Now is the time to practice such shots. Don’t wait until October to practice on live deer.—The Whitetail Wizard