This is not mine but is one thing some people forget...2 I would use trail Marking Ribbon and environmentally safe and photo degradable you can find it on the web..Cabela's should have it to.. "All the mathematical stuff will never help. If you are shooting 30 yards, use a 30 yard pin, and expect to hit a bit high. Some bows shoot as fast as 300 fps, and this will be different than a 240 fps arrow. What I do, is bring a 40 yard rope into the woods, that has masking tape at 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 yard points. Either have a friend, hold the rope while in the stand, or tie the rope to the stands harness. You want the measure to start about 1 yard off the tree; this is where the shot begins. Now bring the rope out to various points in the area, and mark off the distance with red paint.(I do not like using paint use marking ribbon).. Mark nearby trees with the various yardages. This will ensure exact yardage, and is cheaper than a range finder. Now when your deer come into range, there should be trees nearby that will indicate the distance, allowing you to make an accurate judgment. If you don't hunt private land, or if the land owner does not like the paint, use ribbons. Green for 20, yellow for 30, and red for 40. Now get a arrow target, and shoot a few shots at a 20, 30, and 40 yard distance. You will get to know your bow. As a rule, shooting from that height will place your arrows a bit high, and the difference is greater the closer the shot. Assuming that the area is relitivly flat, the close 15 yard shot will be like shooting down, and be way high. As the distance gets longer, the angle becomes less steep, and the arrow will act more like a level shot."
Good idea! Learning to pace off yardage also works. I practice pacing at the range whenever retrieving arrows. With practice you can pace out 50 yards within a yard or two.
I am looking into this more something came to me from someone else on a different site made a good point. I will post more later... Check out part 2
I have many places I shoot from, but on one lane (straight on) I sunk old pavers flush into the ground. I made a stencil and spray painted the yardage (10, 20, 30) to help myself, kids or guests with the distance and developing the knack for estimating. I occassionally shoot from those marks, but more often from other points. -Bill
