Arrow trajectory question

Very experienced deer rifle hunter but brand new to bowhunting. Im about to buy and hunt with a xbow that shoots about 400fps and I expect 1" groups out to 30 yards and that is my self imposed limit. Huge WT is coming in regular to one of my bow setups which is 30' in a tree and the feeder is about 28 yards from the tree. I know a good bit about what a rifle bullet will do when shot downward at a steep angle and at distance and Im figuring a bow may be a similar thought process, but I do not know. Im not sure if my rangefinder(for rifle) compensates angle or not but I think not. Ranging from the top or bottom of tree its not much difference. I also know the actual distances to various landmarks. If I have time I will climb a tree at the house and practice. With all this in mind I am not real worried about hitting where I aim but I thought I would throw it out to yall and see what you can teach me about bow hunting from a steep angle. I also know there are other considerations to consider when shooting downward towards a deer but I welcome any advise yall may have.

I like to set up 18' high and the shot at 18 to 22 yards, if you get to high in the tree you can shoot over 1 lung.
Like you said practice at the height and distance you are hunting. Forrest

Best advice is to take your target block and go practice from the actual stand.

Leaving in 3 days for antelope archery. Hard drive failed my pc and I lost my trajectory program. I went to range with rangefinder and moved targets until I found exact bullseye for each hashmark on my scope on two crossbows. Took awhile but now I’m not only very confident on my distances, I’m very confident on my shooting ability. I’ll be shooting from ground level so I should be good.

I’ve found that steep angles don’t affect arrow points of impact very much. I was surprised.

But as mentioned may shoot a block target out of a similar setup to make sure.

Not sure about the 1” group at 30 yards as being a baseline, but that isn’t a shot you should have a problem centerpunching the vitals at.

You using a scope on your crossbow?

Practice off of a step ladder is what I did to learn how much it effected the shot. The higher the height you are shooting from will start to effect the shot IME. With any weapon it is the exit hole you should be aiming at....not the entry hole. That is where height and angle of shot gets tricky.

You shoot the horizontal distance just like you would with a rifle.

If it is 28 yards from the base of the tree to your target on level ground you will shoot 28 yards for the shot. If it is 28 yards to the target line of sight from 30 foot u the tree it is 26.15 yards horizontal to where you are shooting. In those distances and speed of the arrow do not worry about it.

Shoot like STX described for the point you want the exit at shooting through the deer. Where more get in trouble is not IMO is not taking into account the path through the chest fotr the broad head to hit what you want like both lungs, if the shot isn't high enough on entry you will one lung it and a deer hit in one lung can go further than one hit in both lungs. Say a double lung shot from your setup aim for a lower in the offside lung than the nearside lung. I have made that mistake years agoand one lunged the deer, recovered it but that would have been easier with a double lung shot.

When I was still hunting treestands I would shoot at the house from the roof of the house or barn..

Thanks guys. I understand the part about aiming at where you want it to exit but thanks. I also understand the double lung is much easier to hit when shooting from lower to the ground. At steep angles I can see shooting under the back one OR over the front one. But also ducking the arrow shouldnt be as much problem at steep angle. I understand exactly how Kmon explained the angle and the math. Kind of like a rifle, it has to be a long distance and a steep angle to make much difference. I didnt think it mattered much at these distances and at these speeds but thought i would throw it out. One of my main setups is so high up I really need to find time to practice.

Unless your rangefinder is pretty dated most have angle compensation built in these days.

Between Kevin and STX, they hit the nail on the head. The only real issue that I see with your setup it the steepness of the angle. It really makes the double lung target smaller. Practice and you will be fine. As was stated, the distance is not great enough for the angle to matter as far as which pin to aim at.