Do the Math By Tom TaTum Joe Kosack The geometry of hunting from a tree stand. Back in high school, I struggled with algebra. But geometry came easy. A few years later, when I embarked on my bowhunting career, I realized my understanding of basic geometry would come in handy - particularly the part about triangles and the variety of angles that produce them. Every triangle consists of a total of 180 degrees. We generally think of shots from tree stands as following a right triangle, where the base of the tree and the ground would form a 90-degree angle. But the angle of the tree itself, as well as the contour of the ground creates all sorts of odd angles. Deer approaching from uphill often 56 are at nearly eye-level angles, while those approaching from downhill can be at extremely sharp angles. Deer at eye level are far more likely to detect your presence. The only benefit of an eye-level shot is that a properly placed arrow likely will penetrate both lungs. But even with these relatively flat shots, depending on the archer's height and the size of the deer, an arrow's flight would descend about 2 feet before impact. Theorem Thoughts The Pythagorean Theorem can help us understand the complications associated with shots from tree stands. It states that if a and b are the lengths of