Hunting 5 yards off a trail

[PredatorTC]

In one of the whitetail addicitions epesodes Andrea talks about how sometimes he will hunt 5 yards from a trail at neck breaking heights. He says the wind can then spin however it wants and your then so high and they are so close that they wont wind you.

ANyone ever do this? ANyone ever have problems doing this?

[dan]

I have a hard time making killing shots in that situation.

[DEERSLAYER]

I have shot at least 80% of my archery deer at 7 yards. Scent is just one of the reasons I do this. I also like the challenge of getting so close. It dose make for a smaller target though because of the angle. I shot a huge 8pt a few years back and hit the shoulder. It stopped my arrow cold. I seen him an hour later chasing a doe. If I had a lower angle it might have punched through.

[GRFox]

I made a commitment after last year that I would NEVER shoot at a deer less than 10 yards again. I had a beautiful 8point come by this past year an and I tried shooting him at about 5 yards and wound up putting the arrow right through the bacckstrap. Tracked that buck for 300 yards on pin drops of blood when all of the sudden, there he was at 60 yards down the hill, feeding like nothing ever happened.

There is too much room for error on shots that close and even if you do put a hit on a deer the odds of hitting two lunges are slim to none when hunting at 20 feet up.

I know plenty off people have killed deer at 5 yrds but im sure a lot of deer get lost that way too.

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[DEERSLAYER]

...I know plenty off people have killed deer at 5 yrds but im sure a lot of deer get lost that way too...

Could be for others, but I think I have only lost three deer out of about 45 shot at 7 yards. One of them lived (that big 8) and was shot the next year. One definitely died as she had an incredible blood trail for about 250 yards and I'm pretty sure the other one died too.

I hope I didn't just jinx myself!!!

[GRFox]

...I know plenty off people have killed deer at 5 yrds but im sure a lot of deer get lost that way too...

Could be for others, but I think I have only lost three deer out of about 45 shot at 7 yards. One of them lived (that big 8) and was shot the next year. One definitely died as she had an incredible blood trail for about 250 yards and I'm pretty sure the other one died too.

I hope I didn't just jinx myself!!!

How high is your stand? Were they all killed out of the same stand?

[RaisedByWolves]

i have quite a few spots where the shot is 5-8 yards...the stand is usually set pretty low though

[Brad]

I ussually hunt 20 to 25 feet with a climber, 15 feet or so with a hang on. I set up for shots that are 15 to 20 yards if at all possible. The first archery kill i ever made was on a buck at 7 yards, I put the arrow in just to the side of the spine and drove it clean through him, he tripped over the arrow as it came out of his underside. It killed him but it was a horrible blood trail and we found him by gridding the area. I like them close, but not that close, and I dont like that steep of an angle. With todays bows I think its easier to miss them at ranges under 20 then it is at 30.

[Stanley]

If you are up 25 feet at 7 yards that's a tough angle. 16 feet up at 7 yards you'll clip both lungs. Makes a difference if they are broadside or lengthwise also.

[Dor]

I'd say a majority of my kills are inside 15 yards with me sitting above 20 feet. I haven't had any issues. I think this is just something that needs to be practiced. These types of shots are not that difficult IMO.

[PredatorTC]

You don't have to shoot the deer straight under the tree. you can let him walk past and possibly get a good 15 or so yard shot. I'm just concerned my human scent could linger at the bottom of my tree and the buck would get too close.

[DEERSLAYER]

...I know plenty off people have killed deer at 5 yrds but im sure a lot of deer get lost that way too...

Could be for others, but I think I have only lost three deer out of about 45 shot at 7 yards. One of them lived (that big 8) and was shot the next year. One definitely died as she had an incredible blood trail for about 250 yards and I'm pretty sure the other one died too.

I hope I didn't just jinx myself!!!

How high is your stand? Were they all killed out of the same stand?

I usually hunt 18'-22' up. Sometimes a little higher, sometimes a little lower. 3-4 were out of one tree. Three were out of a different tree (same sit) and I "think" the rest were all out of different trees.

[Indianahunter]

You don't have to shoot the deer straight under the tree. you can let him walk past and possibly get a good 15 or so yard shot. I'm just concerned my human scent could linger at the bottom of my tree and the buck would get too close.

That is exactly how I handle situations where I set up close. I let them walk past 30+ yards if I have a shot and go for the quartering away. The greater the distance the better the shot angle. 30 foot up and 35-40 yards is a very do-able shot angle. I have had deer freak out where I stupidly places my back pack and bow on the ground before hoisting it up. I guess that is just one of the risks with that type of stand set up. The only other important thing about this that I think Andra' mentioned was the approach to those types of set ups. I think this one of the most important factors in all of deer hunting.

[Ack]

I would rather not shoot a deer inside 10 yards due to the angle, but if that's where he is I'm going to either make that shot or wait to see if he moves out a little. Practicing close shots from a stand before season is a must.

[Gibby]

A pass thru shot can make all the difference in the world on close up steep angle shots because the entry is going to be very high on the deer and without a pass thru there may be very little to no blood to follow for quite some distance because the chest cavity will just fill up with blood due to the high hit. Its very important to make note of the last place you phsyically seen the deer becuase you might not find blood right away
I have shot two bucks this way, both deer were 5 yards or less from my tree, one I got a complete pass thru with a Magnus cut on contact head and the deer ran 250 yards but there was a very easy blood trail to follow and the other I broke the spine and a second shot was required.