target shooting from your stand

[jonny5buck]

If your lucky enough,like me , to have a place where you can practice shooting your bow from your stand ,do it.Nothing quite builds the confidence quite like shooting, dead on ,from the stand you will be hunting this season.I believe that rep. of getting in & out of the stand and shooting from your reg. hunting height is as real as it gets.I am lucky enough to have this spot,for practice,and have noticed a huge improvment since using it.For me its a huge confidence builder.IF you can stay mentally focused, the rest,USUALLY, falls into place.I only shoot one arrow.WHY? realistically thats all you usually get! then i get down, get that arrow& do it again&again.This is also key for me.The one shot , one kill mentality,will make you concentrate on that shot. It works for me , anyway.Give it a try,and you may notice a change mentally in how you approach deer hunting this fall--ONE SHOT, ONE KILL,YOUR READY!!!

[tnt1960]

I don`t have the luxury of shooting from an elevated platform. I practice from the ground, but I do have the same mentality as you.  Make that first shot count. That`s the one that matters. I use that same thinking while hunting with my muzzleloader.

[MHHC S. IL]

Good philosophy, I leave a stand set up in the back yard almost year round to practice out of.

[Patriot]

I totally agree.  I have done some stand shooting in the past, but really plan to (and already have) ratchet it up this off season.
 
I seem to notice my shots are 3-4 inches high when shooting from the tree stand vs ground level.  Something to be aware of for sure.
 
My hope is to put up a ladder stand in my yard in the next week or so.

[Woody]

I do agree with the above. Although I do most of my practice shooting from the ground I have taken my target out in the woods and shot out of my tree stands. It is a great confidence builder.

[passin through]

We stuck an old ladder stand up in the camp yard last year..... its a homemade job but made out of 2 inch drill stem so it weighs a metric ton and is well enough made to handle us practicing from it... it has about a 3 ft square platform to stand on with a added safety rail.....its about 18ft up so unless you have somebody there to fetch arrows its not something you are going to shoot for a long period of time from.  It is very nice to have right there though.

[Woods Walker]

If you can practice this way do it...it's an excellent exercise.
 
If most of your deer hunting is from a tree, then damn near all of your practice should be from an elevated height also, especially the last month or so before the season starts. Based on the number of guys I see at 3-D shoots that don't bend at the waist when they have an elevated shot, it's evident that more need to do it!
 
Patriot: You are 100% correct about your shots being high from a stand. When I treestand hunted and shot a compound, I'd re-adjust my sights a month or so before the season started, and then I'd only shoot from an elevated perch.
 
I also like to do a lot of roving archery with some Judo points on the ground I hunt, and I take shots from all different situations in the woods, sometimes even sitting on the logs I've prepared to sit on and hunt from. It's a real confidence builder to know that you are accurate in the exact same location where you may have a shot at a live deer.
 
 

[danesdad]

I agree strongly with the idea of making the first shot in practice count. That's when your muscles aren't warmed up, but it is also the same way they will be on your first shot in an actual hunting situation. There have been times when that is the only shot I take in practice. If I pick up my bow and ring one dead center on the first shot, then I know I'm ready (tho I still have sessions where I shoot many shots-to build and condition muscles and improve form). I also think shooting from an elevated position in practice makes sense if you hunt from a tree stand a lot.

[jonny5buck]

I do also shoot while standing on the ground,usually 2 arrows.That repitition is good.I will also shoot groups of 5 to 6 arrows when i have made a change,to sight the bow in, but after that 1 arrow up in my stand is 90% of my practice.I noticed that one shot, one kill mentality worked for getting that captain back, 3 shots simultaniously 3 kills --way to go guys-i bet that captain bought a round of drinks for those navy seals-way to go,YA BABY!!

[fasteddie]

I have a 10' high ladder stand set up in my back yard . I have the targets set for 20 and 30 yard shots .