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Weak Side Shot without Platform

J

Jebster

Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2019
Messages
58
Location
Northern Kentucky
Seems the preferred way to make a weak side shot is to spin around to get your bow on the side of the tree needed for the shot. What is best way to spin about if you don't have a platform?
 
I’m right handed. I Put the outside of my left foot against tree directly under me, or where my right foot normally is.

ill have a step in each of those locations.


Rotate hips. Shoot deer.

nothing to it
 
I use a ROS and my preferred method is to walk myself into position since I am already moving around the tree to use the trunk for cover, anyway. If I am paying attention to the deer as soon as I see it, I can use this method for that cover and make every shot a strong side shot.
 
It’s really not that tough a shot with a modern bow. You need to make sure you’re not torquing your bow. My recurve is a little more tricky but I’m switching to a clicker this summer and think that will improve my consistency on those weird shots.
 
kyler1945 said:
I’m right handed. I Put the outside of my left foot against tree directly under me, or where my right foot normally is.

ill have a step in each of those locations.


Rotate hips. Shoot deer.

nothing to it
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I’m trying to picture your technique. Which way do you rotate your hips? What do you do with your bow while rotating
 
WannaBMonkey said:
I use a ROS and my preferred method is to walk myself into position since I am already moving around the tree to use the trunk for cover, anyway. If I am paying attention to the deer as soon as I see it, I can use this method for that cover and make every shot a strong side shot.
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This is certainly a strong argument for a ring of steps, step around clockwise until you get your shot around the left side of the tree.
 
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EricS said:
It’s really not that tough a shot with a modern bow. You need to make sure you’re not torquing your bow. My recurve is a little more tricky but I’m switching to a clicker this summer and think that will improve my consistency on those weird shots.
Click to expand...
I can understand the torque part but my question was less about taking the shot and more about positioning for the shot. If I have, say, two Wild Edge steps at 5 o’clock and 7 o’clock, how do you position yourself? Do you bring the bow up and over to the left of the tree and take your shot?
 
With a ring of steps there is no week side shot...that’s why I use them. Just like the others have said you move clockwise keeping the tree between you and the animal so they don’t see you moving to get into position for the shot.
 
Jebster said:
I can understand the torque part but my question was less about taking the shot and more about positioning for the shot. If I have, say, two Wild Edge steps at 5 o’clock and 7 o’clock, how do you position yourself? Do you bring the bow up and over to the left of the tree and take your shot?
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That’s why practice and s much more important from a ring of steps compared to a platform. Practice to the point where position is a thing of nature so you can focus on the animal and making the shot. On a basketball sized tree I can shoot from 3:00 all the way back behind the tree to the 10-11:00 position with my feet positioned on your 5 and 7:00 steps. From the 1:00 position to almost 4:00 I’ll do like @kyler1945 mentioned and put the outside of my left foot against the tree. I can shoot from 11:00 back past 6:00 without moving my feet. I can push off the tree with my right hand swap my feet on those same two steps and shoot all the way back around to the 3:00 position. So on a normal sized tree I can shoot 360 from two steps without moving around the tree. I was able to accomplish this by listening to some of the old timers on here. I dropped my draw weight from 70 to 55lbs and limiting my shot distance to 25 yards on anything but a perfect shot angle. As long as I make a conscious effort to check that I am not torquing my bow I am able to get away with some pretty bad shooting form at 25 yards. That is with a compound with a peep sight and a solid back wall. With my recurve I have to scoot around the tree and make every shot a strong side shot.
 
I'm right handed. I walk around to my right as far as I can with my tether. If I hit the limit and need to turn behind me further I will turn my right foot so it is facing the opposite way from usual on the step (to the left) take my left foot completely off a step and let it hang in there air and rotate my hips and back to where they need to be to shoot.
 
As you’ve already seen, there’s more than one way to make the weak side shot from a ROS. Best advice is to practice with your bow in a tree and find what works for you.

I’d love to do Boswells method in the video of bringing your bow up and over your bridge but I can’t pull my bow back when I’m twisted like that. So I do a counter-clockwise pirouette on my right foot and end up with my back against the tree and left foot on a separate step. I’ve shot multiple deer this way.

Walking around the tree is the best option but I can’t do this in big trees or ones with branches in the way. Plus I keep my tether pretty low so I don’t have a lot of slack to walk around a big tree. In Boswells video above he has his tether set way higher than I set mine so I don’t have the same options as him.

All goes to show, you gotta try stuff out with your bow in the tree with you and find what works for you.
 
drew13 said:
As you’ve already seen, there’s more than one way to make the weak side shot from a ROS. Best advice is to practice with your bow in a tree and find what works for you.

I’d love to do Boswells method in the video of bringing your bow up and over your bridge but I can’t pull my bow back when I’m twisted like that. So I do a counter-clockwise pirouette on my right foot and end up with my back against the tree and left foot on a separate step. I’ve shot multiple deer this way.

Walking around the tree is the best option but I can’t do this in big trees or ones with branches in the way. Plus I keep my tether pretty low so I don’t have a lot of slack to walk around a big tree. In Boswells video above he has his tether set way higher than I set mine so I don’t have the same options as him.

All goes to show, you gotta try stuff out with your bow in the tree with you and find what works for you.
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I agree with everything you said. I'm pretty short so I feel like that factors into not being able to bring my bow over my bridge/tether too.
 
I use DRT and most of the time i don't even set up a separate tether. Being tied in really high above your hunting height is awesome as rotating is super easy.
 
Bowmanmike said:
I use DRT and most of the time i don't even set up a separate tether. Being tied in really high above your hunting height is awesome as rotating is super easy.
Click to expand...

Yup, I agree that a high tether gives you more slack to move around. But it’s not comfortable for me, personally. Everybody’s different.
 
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