How to calculate yardage from a tree stand?

This is my first season to ever bowhunt and I was wondering how to to calculate the yardage for the shot if you already know your stand height? I know I can buy a range finder but what's the cheap man's formula to finding the ARC?

If you are 20ft or less I wouldn't worry about to much. JMO

What I do as long as it is flat ground where the deer will be standing(no hill or ravine the deer will be standing in or on) is stand at the base of the tree before I get into the stand and do my yardages from there. For instance if you are hunting 7 yards up in a tree, and you have a shooting lane that is 13 yards from the base of the tree, it would show if you had a rangefinder that did not have the autocorrecting for the angle it would show a 15 yard shot. Typically from an elevated position an arrow will strike higher than it would from a flat surface, shooting on a level plane. So as the rangefinder would be telling you 15 yards from your tree you would aim as you would if it were a 13 yard shot from the ground. Before you are scheduled to hunt go out to your spot and walk off yardages to certain landmarks and mark the distances from the ground and that is how you will aim when up in the tree, it might sound confusing but it works.

Only way I know is Pythagorean Theorem.

If it's not extreme angle I think keeping your form is important! If deer is out at 25 yards and you bend at waist and not start lowering and lifting you arms and keep anchor point consistant it should be ok.If you are at such and angle that bending makes you fear of falling then the deer should get some distance or your tree is way up there!

Thanks for the info guys....my tree stand is only about 10ft high and the feeder is about 15 yards so I was just gonna use my 10/20 yard pin an it should be close right? I will use the Pythagorean Theorem to double check

I usually aim just a little lower than I would on flat ground. I don't hunt real high, but I also know that my arrow is going to drop less from an elevated position.

Pythagorean Theorum is: a^2 + b^2= c^2
a-stand height
b-distance to target on ground
C- distance your arrow travels

Use this formula.

Square Root of:

(Stand height squared) + (Distance to target on ground squared)


A

Pythagorean theorem puts your shot at 15.37 yards, at that it shouldn't make a difference but add height and distance it will. you would be shooting high just using the theory. I've always been told to aim at the point you want your arrow to exit. Of course this is my theory and I've never shot a deer from my tree stand, I've only shot them from ground blinds shooting straight. Good luck to everyone and hope to see lots of pics of trophies taken this weekend.