Adjusting for downhill shot

[Bullzeye]

So I will be hunting from where I normally rifle hunt, in a ground blind looking down a slight decline. Now with my rifle at 30 yards I hit dead on with no need to adjust my shot, but how does a slight downhill shot effect my shot placement with my crossbow ?

[Masboy]

no need for any adjustment for that but for me I have to adjust and hold lower on the deer everywhere I shoot them from!!!!!!!!

[Bullzeye]

Okay great, thanks Masboy.

[vixenmaster]

Slight decline no problem steep up or down will need to aim lower on heart n lungs.

[Cossack]

Simple rule: the arrow is affected by gravity over the horizontal distance to the target, i.e. as if the target were on the same plane as the bow. The hypotenuse distance (long leg of a triangle) may be longer but the arrow is pulled by gravity over the distance of the base side.i.e. Distance from the base of tree to target on the level. It's not a matter of aiming high or low, it's knowing the distance over which gravity acts on the arrow. This applies regardless how high up or down one is shooting from. Therefore, a range finder that compensates for the angle of the shot is invaluable to archery.

[Tom]

So I will be hunting from where I normally rifle hunt, in a ground blind looking down a slight decline. Now with my rifle at 30 yards I hit dead on with no need to adjust my shot, but how does a slight downhill shot effect my shot placement with my crossbow ?

I have to ask 1 question first ........... you are saying 30 yards, for a shot, is that measured from the seat or the base of the tree.

Why this is important is that if it is from the base of the tree (the way we did yardage before range finders), your shot from the seat will be a little further then that distance. This extra distances will usually equal out on the less effect gravity has on your arrow.

IF it is measured from the seat then you will have to aim lower as you will hit higher because there is less effect of gravity on your arrow. A slight decline will have little difference but try a shot or two and see for yourself.

[epd1102]

The distance would be if you were both on level ground. The additional distance with the height is measured with less-expensive rangefinders that don't account for angle. If I'm using my bow from a sharp angle and I have to eyeball it, I guess the distance and then subtract 10% to get the actual distance to aim with. That quick formula has always worked well for me.

[Bullzeye]

I have to ask 1 question first ........... you are saying 30 yards, for a shot, is that measured from the seat or the base of the tree.

It's 30 yards from my ground blind to my salt block.

[nchunterkw]

Cossack is right. Gravity only affects the arrow during the horizontal distance. So for SHARP uphill or doenhill you need to aim lower, because the horizontal distance to the target is shorter. This still holds true for slight angles, but the difference between the hypotanuse and adjacent sides of the triangle is not great. For example on level ground if you are 15ft up in a tree and the deer is 20 yds from the base of the tree, the shot distance (line of sight) is only 20.62 yds. But if you are on a 45 degree hillside, and the deer is below you 20 yards away line of sight, the distance gravity will affect the arrow is only 14.14 yards. Easiest way to deal with this is with an angle compensating rangefinder.

[mb5200]

I was playing with my bushnell arc 1000 range finer yesterday, looking up at a tree it gave me the distance of 23 yrds and gave me the shot yardage as 22yrds.
might be useless info but thats all I have to share......

[Bullzeye]

My buddy has lent me a rangefinder, it's a Bushnell Legend 1200 arc, time to read the instructions on this arc thing.

[mb5200]

I have the arc 1000 and it is very useful. It was a little overwhelming at first for me to figure out but the really are very easy to use, especially bow hunting.

[awshucks]

Here's my experiences. I drug an 18-1 around on 4 wheeler, [yes, same one I shot] and shot my Emax standing up on a 12' ladder stand. Call the xbow 17' off the ground.

The most it shot 'off' was an inch at 30 yds from base of tree. That range = 31.5 yds.

[Masboy]

I,ve shot up to 20 feet off the ground at a lot of different ranges and could not see any difference hardly at all in poi that I would hold different on a deer from any of my stands. but do aim low on all deer rather shot from a tree or on the ground because I always hit deer high if I don,t for whatever reason.

[nchunterkw]

I'm just doing the math. 20' up and a deer 30 yards from the tree is only an angle of 12.5degrees. That means line of sight and horizontal distance is only different by 0.8yards. So hold dead on. The worst case will be at an angle of 45 degrees - which you could see when the drre is closer to the stand. For example, 20 ' up with a deer 10 yards line of sight equals an angle of 41.8 degrees. There you should hold for a shot of 7 yards. Of course using your 10 yard sight for a 7 yard shot probably means nothing. BUT... sitting on a hillside with a 40 degree slope and seeing a deer/elk/bear 35 yards line of sight means hold for a shot of 26.8 yards. Use your 35 yard sight there and you hit very high or it's a clean miss over his back.