Getting in Bowhunting Shape

© By Othmar Vohringer
This is a column I wrote a few years ago for Whitetail Deer Passion, however the message it contains is timeless.

Last year has been very busy and I didn’t plan on bowhunting so I never took the time to head to the archery range. This year is different. We finally have moved to our new house and most of my seminar engagement dates are finalized. Time to sit back and think of the upcoming bowhunting season. With the season opening on September 1st. it is high time to head to archery range and practice.

On Saturday evening I drove the short distance to the Nicola Valley Fish and Game Club, wondering how my first bow shooting session in a year would turn out. Will I have the strength to pull that string back on the bow? Do I still know how to shoot a bow?

I stepped up to the 20-yard target set an arrow on the string, pulled back, aimed and released. Swiiiish –Thud it went. "Would you look at that!!" I heard myself saying. The arrow stuck perfectly in the center of the target. Well that is easy. I thought as I nocked the second arrow and two seconds later it joined the first arrow less than an inch from the first arrow. After five rounds I was confident that – surprisingly to me –it seemed I hadn’t lost my ability to shoot my bow. Although a faint muscle pain in my back and shoulder reminded me that I need to do a lot more bow shooting to get the muscles back into shape too.

Make that Shot Count

© By Othmar Vohringer

On Saturday a bowhunter from Ohio sent me an email in which he asks. "Where would you aim at on a deer when your stand is 15 feet high off the ground? ” This is not much to go by to give a sound recommendation.

There are two variables to consider, besides stand height, in estimating the point of aim. How far from the stand is the deer? How fast is the bow you’re shooting?

Regardless of stand height and distance of the deer from the stand, I always recommend aiming low. There are two reasons for that suggestion. Shots that are taken from any height always impact higher than the same shot taken form the same level as the target. Second, if the deer "jumps the string" ( deer actually do not jump the string they drop to the ground) the impact will be higher again. It is a fact that most deer are missed high shooting from treestands. Go figure.

The best way to learn where you have to aim is to practice with your bow from various stand height and target distances. Once you have established the aim point difference you either can adjust your sight pins accordingly, or do as I do and commit the aim point to memory.

Here is where I genearlly aim from my average stand height of 15ft and the deer at 15 to 25 yards from the stand.



And here is a chart of what my practise arrow(*) imapcts look like with the same point of aim and target at the same distance from the stand but different stand heights. (Click image for larger view.)