Shot Angle Calculations While Hunting?

[Hatchet Jack]

The best advice I ever got for a kill shot was.... Be more concerned where the bullet or arrow would exit the animal, rather than where it would enter.
A lot depends on your position, the animals positioning and the angle of the shot.

 

[bwiechman]

The best advice I ever got for a kill shot was.... Be more concerned where the bullet or arrow would exit the animal, rather than where it would enter.
A lot depends on your position, the animals positioning and the angle of the shot.

I would agree.

If you are shooting something with a scope that will also have a big impact at very close ranges if your zero is at a longer range like 50/100/200 yards.

 

[nodanlboone]

Well, now I am confused, thought I needed to aim lower, now someone says to aim higher.............reckon the shooting at a target from the stand to see for yourself is the best way to find out why you suddenly can't hit a deer when you are off the ground................

 

[ElDiablo]

Well, now I am confused, thought I needed to aim lower, now someone says to aim higher.............reckon the shooting at a target from the stand to see for yourself is the best way to find out why you suddenly can't hit a deer when you are off the ground................

You’re right - always aim lower on steep up or down shots.

Edit: With a rifle.

 

[Wilyote1]

For years I set a tree stand up in our yard and practiced from it with my bow. I was a pretty good judge of distance ( I thought) until got a range finder. I mainly use my range finder to range points around my tree stands. Since I have only shot one animal over 30 yds with my bow the aim point change is minimal. I live on relatively flat land. There is a gently 5° down slope on the whole property. My closest deer was 8' and the furthest was 32 yards with the majority being under 20yds.

 

[bronko220002]

I used to hear folks say you had to shoot higher on uphill shots and lower on downhill shots. Sometimes I still do and I have to try to correct them. Gravity is the only force that effect bullet drop. It doesn't matter if you're shooting level, uphill or downhill. The good thing about this is that gravity is constant (of course I believe there is a stronger gravity force in my bathroom where the scale is!). Bullet drop is the same.
Being a bow hunter and hunting mostly from elevated stands with today's speed bows the difference in shooting down at an animal doesn't matter much until you get out to about 35 yards and then it depends on the angle. That is the reason I like to use a rangefinder with a built in range calculation readout for angle of shot.
For a CF rifle hunter that sights his rifle in 2" high at 100 yards - he doesn't have to worry about the shot angle until about 250 yards and beyond. Muzzleloader shooters should start considering it at about 125 yards depending on your load.
**On a side note I had a guy try to convince me that when a bullet leaves the barrel, because it is rotating, it rises (basically defying gravity). I had to explain to him that was because the barrel was actually pointed up and he looked at me like I had 2 heads. I had to draw him a diagram of line of sight and bullet path.

 

[Waxxy]

I have to politely disagree with New member Biermishman, I have found than when shooting down you need to aim down, as Mr. Tom as replied. Nothing beats a field test as Mr. Tom has demonstrated to determine that. Distance to the target and angle are the determining factors and are best resolved by the field test.

 

[X-ring]

I have to politely disagree with New member Biermishman, I have found than when shooting down you need to aim down, as Mr. Tom as replied. Nothing beats a field test as Mr. Tom has demonstrated to determine that. Distance to the target and angle are the determining factors and are best resolved by the field test.

I used to hear folks say you had to shoot higher on uphill shots and lower on downhill shots. Sometimes I still do and I have to try to correct them. Gravity is the only force that effect bullet drop. It doesn't matter if you're shooting level, uphill or downhill. The good thing about this is that gravity is constant (of course I believe there is a stronger gravity force in my bathroom where the scale is!). Bullet drop is the same.
Being a bow hunter and hunting mostly from elevated stands with today's speed bows the difference in shooting down at an animal doesn't matter much until you get out to about 35 yards and then it depends on the angle. That is the reason I like to use a rangefinder with a built in range calculation readout for angle of shot.
For a CF rifle hunter that sights his rifle in 2" high at 100 yards - he doesn't have to worry about the shot angle until about 250 yards and beyond. Muzzleloader shooters should start considering it at about 125 yards depending on your load.
**On a side note I had a guy try to convince me that when a bullet leaves the barrel, because it is rotating, it rises (basically defying gravity). I had to explain to him that was because the barrel was actually pointed up and he looked at me like I had 2 heads. I had to draw him a diagram of line of sight and bullet path.

YOU ARE CORRECT! Aiming higher or lower from typical tree stand heights is totally unnecessary. It MAY become a factor if you are hunting in high mountains and shooting at really steep angles. X

 

[nodanlboone]

well, except for a bambi in a corn field I wished i had missed, i have been unable to hit deer from a stand with both my shotgun and Magbolt…..no problems with either when I am on the ground, which I prefer

 

[Wilyote1]

well, except for a bambi in a corn field I wished i had missed, i have been unable to hit deer from a stand with both my shotgun and Magbolt…..no problems with either when I am on the ground, which I prefer

I never give it much thought. I have shot a lot of deer from a tree stand with, shotgun slugs, bow and rifle. Just curious what caliber you are using. What yardage do you site in at?

 

[nodanlboone]

the magbolt is a .50 with a cheap scope and i shoot 90 grains powder in pellet form and 295 gr powerbelt sighted in at 50 yards. Almost all shots from the elevated blind are 20 yards or less (except for bambi, who was more like 40 yards). Never really sighted the shotgun……most shots ground level with both are 30-50 yards…..and much more successful

 

[smokem]

In my opinion, so much agonizing over the angle is unnecessary. I always tell new hunters, do the math if you know how. You'll probably stop worrying about it if you do. Having said that, the situation is somewhat different depending on whether I am hunting with a firearm or a bow.
With a bow, depending upon the distance, it is a good idea to aim a touch low if the shot is over 25 yards for the simple reason that a deer will react to the sound of the shot and when they do, they compress down before they launch to turn and run. Because they do that scootch, a high shot is often going over the top or stinging the backstrap. Also with the bow, a lower shot will fill the lungs more quickly and improve the blood trail for tracking. If you lung shoot an elk high, it will take a while for the lungs to fill and dump blood. A lower shot gets you a trail to track sooner.
With a gun, hopefully you are sighted in and know your hold-overs? Bullet drop and trajectory blend together at longer distances. So, if you are shooting inside the range of a relative flat shot, hold on your target. The bullet will get there and do the job. If you are shooting way out, your hold-over will be far more critical to get right than a few degrees of inclination. If you are in a stand or on a hill, it really does not play a big role.
And finally, buy yourself a good range finder that does the math for you. My Leupold is perfect for bow hunting and burps out the right numbers for me every time. I spend far more time thinking about shot angle and placement than the hypotenuse of the triangle.

 

[nodanlboone]

Well, to me, the obvious solution for me is to stay outa the elevated blind! I only use it if it is raining hard, anyway.............I am too
ADD to sit that still in one place very long. Too much trig and geometry for me...............and I still need to deal with the fact that maybe from above I am a terrible shot..........