Hey turtle I have never had to take a straight down shot but I understand its one of the hardest to make. maybe because straight down distance is irrelevant. In this Mountain country here in NH, being only ladder stand high puts you in direct view of the deer and your scent is closer to the ground. I have one of those range finders that have the angle compensator in them. The Bushnell elite 1500 with arc. Leupold makes one as well. It works very well. You'd be surprised what a difference angle makes. It is still wise to practice those shots no question. And then there is the canopy. You would think because you can not see through a tree looking at it horizontally that there are no holes in it. If you get above it and look more vertical you will find that there are lanes an arrow can go through. It does take some getting use to climbing that far up and that to takes practices. NEVER EVER go without a harness, I don't care if its only 5 ft, and pick a good tree. Don't under estimate the benifit of height.  |