This is assuming you don't have a rangefinder with built-in angle compensation...
How's your "off-the-cuff" angle/yardage guessing compensation when bowhunting? Guesstimating yardage is hard enough at times, but throw in a steep upward or downward angled shot and most shooters are stumped.
In the latest issue of Bowhunter magazine - "Gear Special 2008" - there is a very interesting article by a guy named Jack Frost (no kidding!). The article is titled "Ranging Ups & Downs". It highlites a few of the newer Angle Compensating Rangefinders. But. It also provides a tip/trick for those without ARC Rangefinders.
Basically it goes something like this...(or you can buy the magazine for yourself)...
In 1990 a fellow by the name of Greg Piesinger (I don't make these names up - honest) used calculus formulae to generate a table of "hit windows" for various arrow speeds and angle on incline, whether up or down.
Well those formulae and tables were pretty complicated for use in the field so good ole Greg analyzed them and came up with his own table. There are small discrepancies (according to the article) but all that is really necessary to hit the "window of opportunity" ie. the kill zone, was to determine the horizontal distance and apply a bit of math.
Here are the results of Greg's deductions.
If the upward or downward angle is...
60-degree angle: divide the line of sight distance by 2
50-degree angle: divide the line of sight distance by 1.5
45-degree angle: divide the line of sight distance by 1.4
40-degree angle: divide the line of sight distance by 1.3
35-degree angle: divide the line of sight distance by 1.2
25-degree angle: divide the line of sight distance by 1.1
less than 20 degrees: hold an inch below
Obviously estimating the angle of incline is every bit as important as estimating the horizontal yardage for this to work.
So brush up on your math skills or pack along a calculator and get out there in them thar steep hills and "harvest" something!
Last Christmas I got a bushnell trophy ARC Rangefinder which calculates shot angle and distance for you. Here is my take. If you are a bowhunter who hunts just deer/elk, you don't need to waste your money on one. If you want to hunt goat/sheep with your bow, sure you may get into a spot where you will need to shoot extremely steep "near verticle" at longer ranges I've spent alot of time with this rangefinder shooting all kinds of ranges and shot angles that I figured I might encounter when bowhunting elk/deer, and I can honestly say the old standby of "shooting the horizontal distance" will put you in the kill zone every time and keep you accurate within 2-3 yards. I just think that most of us "myself included" have enough difficulty accuratey estimating range in the heat of the moment when a shot presents itself, that adding another variable like trying to guess the angle will just add more unescesarry pressure to the situation.
Exactly Ron. Who the heck has time to do a bunch of math when a shooter walks within range? I had a bit of a chuckle when I read the article and thought I'd post up to see what everyone else thought.
I doubt that I'd be dividing 28 degrees by 1.18 before drawing and aiming.
Most of my bowhunting is done from treestands. The day I set the stand up I pre measure the distances to the spot where the deer will show up in all my shooting lanes and then whatever compensation for the stand height added. Usually my stands are around 10 to 15 feet of the ground, which generally makes out less than a 45-degree angle.
"Wouldn’t it be wise for us to be more tolerant of each other and pick our battles with the ones that really threaten our way of life?"
I've only had experience shooting steep angles at 3D shoots. Most of the targets weren't over 30 yds., making them fairly easy to figure out how hit the kill zone.
That being said, it's a damned good idea to get out there and practice, practice, and practice some more.
who the heck has a inclanation meter{ spelling, measureing angles } not to many of us, maybe if we're building a road. Most of the time there isn't much time for a shot let alone time to judge the hill angle then range distance then do the math for that shot, most do better to just judge the shot, we have a hard enough time judging distance, trow in trying to judge hill angle to,the game will die of old age, I'm not good at math.
The best thing is to get out and shoot up hill and down hill, 3 - D shoots, stump shoot, what ever ,practice,practice,practice.
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Most of my bowhunting is done from treestands. The day I set the stand up I pre measure the distances to the spot where the deer will show up in all my shooting lanes and then whatever compensation for the stand height added. Usually my stands are around 10 to 15 feet of the ground, which generally makes out less than a 45-degree angle.
Exactly, improve your chances by being in the tree, but predict the window of opportunity and know ahead of time the horizontal distance. Keep your stand low 12 - 16 feet to maximize the window of opportunity on the animal. Sometimes I'll dangle a little flagging, or a branch at yardage as a subtle reminder to myself. Keep the distance to your target close!!
who the heck has a inclanation meter{ spelling, measureing angles } not to many of us, maybe if we're building a road. Most of the time there isn't much time for a shot let alone time to judge the hill angle then range distance then do the math for that shot, most do better to just judge the shot, we have a hard enough time judging distance, trow in trying to judge hill angle to,the game will die of old age, I'm not good at math.
The best thing is to get out and shoot up hill and down hill, 3 - D shoots, stump shoot, what ever ,practice,practice,practice.
Sometimes I'll dangle a little flagging, or a branch at yardage as a subtle reminder to myself. Keep the distance to your target close!!
That is exactly what I do.
I stick a little square, about 1" x 1") of red flagging tape on a tree, brush or scent station as distance markers.
One square means 15 yards (hold dead on from zero out to 20 yards*), 2 squares 20 yards (hold dead on from 20 out to 25 my maximum self imposed distance*). Where possible I always make a scent station, which distracts and holds the deer just long enough to get a good shot at an unsuspecting animal.
*Aiming dean on at the distances mentioned above are for my bow set up and may differ for other bow set ups.
"Wouldn’t it be wise for us to be more tolerant of each other and pick our battles with the ones that really threaten our way of life?"