Placement

I guess I just hear of a lot more guys losing deer from shoulder hits than I ever do gut shots. I tend to aim a little more off the shoulder for that reason. Fortunately, I have never lost a deer from being gut shot. I guess I would stand corrected and say that I tend to aim where the black dot is. In my opinion, a lot of guys really crowd the shoulder and leg bones too much. Theres really no need.

 

Between the black and blue is more where I aim these days I guess. I used to really be afraid of aiming to far forward. I shoot heavier grain arrows these days with a higher FOC and a sharp COC broadhead.

 

100% broadside= I put my pin on the back of the front leg, and then go straight up vertically 1/3 of the way up the deer.

 

Agree with everything you say Fletch. I've gut shot a few animals (bear and deer). Never lost one of them. On 2 other occasions I hit the deer In the shoulder blade. Got one of them and the other lived. On the photo of that deer In Bretts post, I'll aim for the black dot.

 

This is where you want to hit them.

This shot took out the top of the heart and both lungs, of this deer.

The entrance hole is a "touch" high for the heart, but, the shot was from a treestand, so, I aimed a bit hit, looking for a perfect exit.

If this deer were standing up, the shoulder would be pulled back, giving the appearance that the shot was actually, to most, a bit far forward, when in fact, it was perfect.

 

Both lungs and the heart?

Giddy-up!

 

Excatly what I do too. I think this shot offers the most room for error also. It is almost dead center of the heart and lungs and gives you some inches in all directions for a poor shot. I am not perfect either so the more room the better. Keeps you away from the shoulder joints and shoulder blade to, as long as you hit where your pin is. Angling shots are another story depending on the degree of angle. I do not like hard quartering shots, but I still practice them on my 3d target all spring and summer. Just to make sure I'm confident and ready if the opportunity arises.

 

X3!!

I prefer a quartering shot. There is nothing like being to aim at that opposite side front leg as long as the angle isn't extreme.

A frontal shot should really never be taken with a bow. Percentages are way too low for a good, quick, clean kill IMHO

Dan

 

I agree, quartering shots are not bad, just like you said though, extreme angles can get tricky and I prefer not to attempt them. Frontal shots or angling to are a no no for me. I would rather let the animal walk then attempt them.

 

The heart sits between both lungs. If you're implying that hitting both lungs and the heart is not possible, you need to study the anatomy of a whitetail, a little more.

 

How DARE you doubt the intelligence of such a wise and noble man as Jeff! May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits. And may you suffer his PM wrath.

 

I'm saying you made a phenomenal shot.

"rath"? Whatever....lol

 

I like to hit right above the heart and cut all those blood vessels to shreds.

Shot placement perfection disease will cause you to miss hit more deer then anything else will.

Find the deer elbow, come up from that elbow and place the pin in the middle of the deer.

Game over, it's just that simple

 

exactly.

 

EXCELLENT POINT, Germ, and one I thought I touched on in my previous responses within this post.

To render the heart useless, one does not need to hit myocardium(heart muscle), it self.

The heart is a 2-way pump. It receives O2 deprived blood via the vena-covas, from the entire body. It then pumps that blood TO the lungs, where it is oxygenated, through exchange. The blood then returns to the heart, where the now O2 rich blood is pumped to the rest of the body via major arteries, that will scale down to arterioles, capillaries, etc, etc; it's basic physiology.

You're not going to sever all of the above, with an arrow, or a bullet, but, severing even 1 vena-cova, and/or, 1 artery, will cause a catastrophic loss of blood volume and pressure. This is a fatal hit.

Where I aim, I'm going to hit BOTH lungs(assuming there is not major angles involved), and, either the top of the heart, and/or, a vena-cova and the aorta; heart is now out of the equation, and, so are the lungs.

For one to claim that hitting both lungs and the heart is no possible, is one of the most outrageous and ridiculous claims I have ever read. A person making this claim has obviously never put much emphasis on studying the organ, and circulatory anatomy and positioning of the whitetail deer.

 

I didn't make any such claim, Drop......(hope you're not implying I did)

But, I will ask....do you hunt off the ground, exclusively?

 

I like using the leg as my guide, straight up the backside of the front leg facing me for broadside(about 5-6 inches up past the body line). For quartering away, aim for the opposite side leg about mid body or a couple inches down.

If it is a steep downward angle I imagine a straight line through the middle of the vitals to the ground and put the arrow there, as far away from blade and spine as possible.

Usually that involves a shot near the spine so not my favorite but still very lethal, I have killed many a deer from a steep angle(not directly under but a few yards out) where the arrow goes in just behind the shoulder blade and just to the left or right of the spine at a pretty steep angle and ends up coming out straight down or near the opposite side leg or between the two front legs in the bottom of the chest.

I don't like frontal or straight down shots.

 

Well, I took is as if that what YOU were implying, based on the context of your post.

No, I do not. Hunting from the ground would definitely increase the chances of hitting both the heart and lungs, though. So would a shot at greater distance, from a treestand, due to flatter trajectory.

But, I THINK I know where you're going with that question. Yes, the higher one is in a stand, and, the closer the range at which one is shooting, will drastically affect the ability to catch the lungs and heart, together. However, it can be done, at height and close range.

 

Deer anatomy...it aint rocket science even though we try to make it that way. Take the best shot you are offered to get in the kill zone and make it count, even then the outcome isn't always within your control.

 

Like I said, that's a great shot.

I've only killed 30 or so whitetails. I don't figure I've ever had that happen. If I think back, I'm guessing that outcome would have been (relatively) impossible on most.

Hence my appreciation for the feat.

These deer were all killed at close range (<10yds), from a perch. Not saying I always do (by a LONG shot). But, I did hit these right where I was aiming.

Entrance


Heart


Exit


Another entrance


And exit