Angle Compensation for Bowhunters
Steep uphill and downhill shots hit high — and it surprises hunters every season. Here's why it happens and the one number that fixes it.
Why steep shots hit high
Gravity only pulls the arrow down over the horizontal part of its flight, not the full line-of-sight distance. So a 40-yard shot from a treestand, angled steeply down, only drops like a ~37-yard flat shot. If you hold your 40-yard pin, the arrow arrives high.
The fix: shoot the horizontal distance
The rule bowhunters live by: aim for the angle-compensated (horizontal) distance, not the range your rangefinder reads. An angle-compensating rangefinder gives you this number directly; a "cut chart" does the same math. Practically, on steep shots you hold a little low — a shorter pin than the raw yardage suggests.
The steeper the angle, the bigger the cut. A gentle 10° slope barely matters; a 45° treestand or mountain shot can move your point of impact several inches — the difference between a double-lung hit and a high miss.
Feel it for yourself
Our free shot simulator shows the horizontal "hold" distance on every inclined scenario and lets you practice the cut against real physics — from treestands and steep mountain angles alike.
Further reading
- GoHunt — Shooting Angles in Bowhunting — line-of-sight vs. horizontal distance, cut charts, and the Rifleman's Rule.
- MeatEater — How Not to Miss From a Treestand — why steep treestand angles shrink your margin for error.
- Easton Archery — Kinetic Energy — how arrow speed and energy relate to drop and distance.
Related: Where to shoot a deer with a bow.