Arrow Drop at High Elevation

[bullet225ho]

He folks,

Just curious if any of you have noticed a change in arrow drop (lack of) from sea level to say 10,000 ft. I'm sure it's minimal....but I'm sure it's also there. Just curious if one should sight in say 2" low at given yardages at say 600ft knowing they will be hunting at 9-10.5k ft in Sept. ....or just sight in normal and then make changes when you get to camp and check your bow.....basically knowing your gonna be moving sights down a bump?

 

[Fire_9]

How far are you shooting? It will absolutely make a difference at distance

 

[ColoradoBowhunter]

Agree, how far are you shooting? But I'd ask that + how accurate are you when shooting at home? The difference might not be noticeable once you factor in human error anyway. But if you're shooting long and at extreme angles then it would be magnified. here is an article about it from a while back too.

 

[CJF]

You definitely need to shoot at your max effective range at elevation in order to make this determination prior to hunting. If you have practiced and set up your bow at max poundage and you are hitting high at your max effective range then a simple solution is to slowly turn your poundage down until you are back on target. The other articles will suggest this as well.

 

[bullet225ho]

I practice out to 70. with broadheads I'd say 50 will be max.

 

[5MilesBack]

....or just sight in normal and then make changes when you get to camp and check your bow.....basically knowing your gonna be moving sights down a bump?

Actually.......you'll be bumping your sight up a bit if you hit higher at altitude.

 

[bohntr]

5MB is correct…..your arrows will
most likely be a little high at elevation….not low.

 

[wildbill34]

at 50yds max, my recommendation is to forget about it. the difference will be negligible compared to the kill zone and like 1000 other things in archery, that rabbit hole is deep.

 

[cnelk]

You wont be able to hold the difference

Just go hunt

 

[Billy Goat]

I won money in camp shooting beer cans at 75 yards. Bow was sighted in at 1280', camp was around 9200'.

It could be an inch, maybe 2, but it's nothing to concern yourself with inside 100 from my standpoint.


I'd likely be considered an above average shot, and I have never taken note of any changes, and generally shoot a fair amount in camp.

 

[bullet225ho]

Thanks a bunch folks,

With 1 Sept fast approaching these are the kinds of things that I'm pondering about these days. Probably not as important as I want to make it. back to e-scouting, 10 day out forecasts and a myriad of other things that probably won't really affect things.....lol

 

[Jahvette20]

Take a target and shoot at the trail. 2 years ago I was hitting about 4-6” high at 60 yds at 10k vs sea level. Some of that may have been me though? Last year was about 1/2 that. Vanes, heads, diameter all factor

 

[rclouse79]

It is hard for me to imagine the 4000 ft difference between where I practice and hunt making enough of a difference to worry about. I have shot targets at the trailhead. If there was any difference, my precision level was not sufficient to see it.

 

[BucksNBulls]

Best solution is to take a target to camp. We always take 1 or 2 if for nothing else to make sure that nothing got bumped etc during the trip there.

 

[Elk97]

My son was just here (sea level) for a visit from Bozeman (4500'). His bow was shooting dead on at home but his groups (4-5") at 60 yards were almost 6" low. That seems too extreme to just be the elevation change, but it was at all ranges (less at shorter distance, more at longer). He's going to check it when he gets home. I've never noticed any change going from here at 1' to where we hunt at 7-9000'.

 

[Super 91]

For me, I live at 1000' above sea level. We set up camp at 10,000. If I shoot lighter arrows in the 350-400 range they hit a lot higher at 50+ yards. My normal 550-600 grain arrows only end up being slightly higher, but just barely enough to notice. Most of the time I shoot to hit where my pin is at. When I get to Colorado at hit elevation, it's more like I have a 6 o'clock hold on the target and I end up hitting just above my pin hold.