An inclinometer is going to tell you the exact degree of angle a shot is. If an angle compensating rangefinder isn’t your flavor, you could also carry around an inclinometer and cut chart. No fuss, no muss and we’re standing in front of a dead buck. Unlike the rangefinders of the past, these do all of the math for you and give the actual number you need to be aiming for. So, how do we figure out the horizontal distance in the heat of the moment? Well, the easiest way is just by purchasing an angle compensating rangefinder. Doing math while our legs are shaking and a buck is bedded beneath us doesn’t sound like the most ideal of situations though. There is a bit of math that happens to arrive at this number. We know that when aiming at a steep up or downhill shot, we need to be aiming for the horizontal yardage, not the line of sight yardage. So, we’ve chatted about the difference between line of sight yardage and horizontal yardage. Knowing the right yardage is key and what will help avoid that crushing miss in the field. The arch of our arrows are much less affected by gravity when we aren’t shooting on a horizontal plane. For me, it was probably around 10 yards based upon where the arrow was hitting. The difference between the horizontal distance and line of sight depends on the angle of the shot. Using my situation as an example, the horizontal distance would have been the distance from the base (bottom) of the bluff to the bear. Instead of aiming for the line of sight distance, what we should be aiming for is the horizontal distance. This is why steep down or uphill grades often leave hunters wondering why their arrows are flying over the backs of animals. The fact of the matter is that 18 yards was my line of sight distance to the bear from where I was standing - not the actual distance I should have aimed for. So, why did the above happen? At 18 yards, it’s hard to miss that much. My rangefinder went off probably 10 times before I shot. This is a prime example of why it’s imperative that we practice these things beforehand. And if I knew then what I know now about shooting angles, I’d likely be looking at his hide as I type this. The steep angle of that shot is what saved that bear. The bear walked unharmed out of my view and out of my life. Just when I thought I had this bear pegged, I watched as my arrow flew right over his back.
#Bear lights out string diagram full#
Coming to full draw and resting in my anchor points with a bear at 18 yards was pretty surreal to say the least.
The bear apparently read the script perfectly because he fed on acorns beneath my boots. As light faded fast, I crept my way out to the edge of the bluff, peering down below. With any hope, he’d be right below me upon my arrival, offering a sub 20 yard shot with my bow. With an hour of light left, I decided to make a mad dash around to get on top of that bluff the bear traveled along. A lone black bear slowly mingled his way along a bluff line just up the hill from me.
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