Shooting uphill/downhill

Hitzy

Hitzy

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
146   0   0
Location
Rottawa
Our local free hippie rag had an anti-hunter whining about deer hunters around his property shooting up his house, walking on his "plants" etc...
One of the lines he used in his article was "I was taught all the old hunting tricks when I was a boy, how you aim high when shooting uphill and aim low when shooting downhill"
Now, I do know the true effect up/down hill shooting has on POI, but I'm wondering if anyone else was ever told this........and if they buy it:D
 
Aim low under both conditions. It all has to do with cosines, slope distance(hypotenuse),horizontal distance(side opposite) and gravity.

If the big buck is 100 yds away slope distance on a 30 degree slope, it will actually be about 87 yds away horizontally(COS30 X 100 = 87). so if you were to hold for 100, you'd probably hit high.
 
Any decent rifle adjusted to a 300 point-blank just point and click out to that range,big uphill/downhill increases your reach-cool.
 
Unfortunately , i missed a bighorn Ram this year when I neglected to aim low. I was aiming low, but not REALLY low. It was a 400 yard shot, but the angle was incredibly steep, and I shot over...

But yes, i have been told to aim high when shooting uphill..And by people that should know better, too..:D
 
Mauser98 said:
Aim low under both conditions. It all has to do with cosines, slope distance(hypotenuse),horizontal distance(side opposite) and gravity.

If the big buck is 100 yds away slope distance on a 30 degree slope, it will actually be about 87 yds away horizontally(COS30 X 100 = 87). so if you were to hold for 100, you'd probably hit high.
Click to expand...


Think of the animal as standing on the tip of an imaginary right angle triangle.....Although your shooting along the hypoteneuse,the distance is calculated as the base or opposite side
 
When shooting either uphill or downhill, a bullet travells a shorter horizontal distance through the earth's magnetic field, thus it tends to strike high.
Unless the angle is unusually steep, or the range very long however, it usually doesn't end up being outside the kill zone of a big game animal.



Both bullet travel distances are the same, but the horizontal distance in the gravitational field for the downhill shot is shorter.
 
Last edited:
Mauser98 said:
Aim low under both conditions. It all has to do with cosines, slope distance(hypotenuse),horizontal distance(side opposite) and gravity.

If the big buck is 100 yds away slope distance on a 30 degree slope, it will actually be about 87 yds away horizontally(COS30 X 100 = 87). so if you were to hold for 100, you'd probably hit high.
Click to expand...

Mauser has it right.
You also have to consider the change in the position of the vital area when shooting at serious angles.
 
When using a bow the rule of thumb is to guesstimate the horizontal distance and aim accordingly.
Personally, if my bow is sighted for 20 yds on the ground and then I go to a treestand I find my arrows are hitting a bit higher.
 
walksalot said:
When using a bow the rule of thumb is to guesstimate the horizontal distance and aim accordingly.
Personally, if my bow is sighted for 20 yds on the ground and then I go to a treestand I find my arrows are hitting a bit higher.
Click to expand...

When using a bow, the same rule applies as for shooting with a rifle. You have to aim low, or as you say, your arrows are hitting a bit higher. If you mean guesstimate the horizontal distance as being from the base of the tree you're in, to the animal, i suppose that could work, I've never tried it. I've always practiced shooting from elevated areas, as well as horizontal shooting. I just use instinct when it comes to how low I feel I should shoot when in a tree stand.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom