A very good tutorial and is spot on with what was said about head shots. He didn't seem to elaborate on what would be the correct shot placement when the deer is facing the shooter straight on but I would try for a higher neck shot above the line of the spine assuming I am close enough to be confident of good placement.
Deer shot placement, what is your favourite and why.
- Thread starter valczer
- Start date
Don't put much thought toward it. Being that you are new here...here's a secret. If you and I met at a suitable location...coffee shop, reloading room, gun show....we would likely get along famously.
I suspect my Avatar doesn't help...but he surely wasn't a Fudd. That is my Great grandfather out of Texas... no lack of guns in my past heritage.
But to throw down the 'Fudd' remark first thing. ? You went too far too fast...
Obviously you don't think the remark carries much weight, whereas I think that it does. Perhaps a regional difference. Out here...you throw down such an insult in person? Better be handy at the 'Sweet science of Boxing' LOL
Folks from 'not West' seem to be that way...too bad IMO
Not sure what you’re rambling about. Mostly false assumptions it looks like. I don’t know you from a hole in the ground but I’m not just gonna be silent if you come at me and I don’t understand why you’d expect me to. Don’t insult me and I won’t insult you. Deal?
blasted_saber
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- A blue part of Ontario
Double lung. Nothing worse then wasted shoulders
My first four deer were taken with a head shot. 2 between the eyes, 1 in the temple, and 1 in the back of the head where the spine joins the skull. no meat loss at all, no tracking, instant death. All with an old Savage 22 250. All under 75 yards away. (also hunting over bait) But after helping a friend who tried a head shot, track a deer for hours and still not find it, I think i will start going for the double lung. Kills me to think of a deer walking around with the lower jaw blown off.
You must have watched the Gunblue video where he talks about that exact scenario. Yea, it put me off also.
blasted_saber
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- A blue part of Ontario
Poke it through the ribs and you lose a couple ounces of meat tops.
Also don't overgun in case the shot is a little off and you hit the shoulder. #### happens hunting and no shot can ever be certain of its trajectory. That's pretty important. Magnum cartridge and deer don't mix
I've seen a few beef get put down...it doesn't take much of an angle change and they will absorb an M43 round to the head at arms length distance. Jump and run 50 yards away, stand there and look at you.
Someone was talking about never seeing dead 'escaped' deer the other day on here? Son stepped over a decent Lil buck that was pretty much eaten to the bone...sent me a pic and went and grabbed the head after he filled his tag.
The thing that p*sses me off is he said the blood trail actual came from the direction on my place ( other than a pre walk warm up run of a dozen or so rounds...I've not fired a round at a deer this season...nope, not me). Which means some Nimrod shot that deer poorly...and did it right close to my house.
Nice!
Amateurs' with high powered rifles ambling through the creek brush, rock throwing distance from my lil place... love it!
A Corp ranch bought the land adjacent to my place...so the Nimrods are gonna be hard to keep out now. Used to just be a couple guys got in, I knew them and they were respectful.
If the term Nimrod seems harsh..Google it. It's actually benign, it's how you use it. Sorta like hero.
Best of luck all, stay safe
Got a doe and a buck this year. Hoping to fill the third tag on a big mule with only a few days left. So I guess we'll see. Both deer I've gotten so far we're both double longshots. One ran about 40 yards and the other one ran about 150. Both times we're in fading/gaining light one at the end of the day and one at the start of the day. I agree, tracking animals that know you hit kind of sucks. So I have been very fortunate in the last couple years. Got myself a new dog 3 years ago, only had them for a few months when hunting season rolled around and I quickly realized this fella was an Olympic quality natural bloodhound. This boy has a nose on him for blood that is nothing short of astounding. He is so damn smart that he already knows what he's got to do when he sees me walking in the door with the rifle in my hand. He gets so excited he turns himself upside down. And at 140 lb.. things can get a little rambunctious. I never trained him one iota to do this, he literally went out with me one time and I noticed he was tracking. Didn't take long to realize he was a natural. All I got to do is look at him and say "all right boy it's your turn to shine ... Go to work." I take him out, I show him one speck of blood or one fluff of fur and it's game on! That dog ill track that deer and find it in moments if it's gone anywhere.
I've now officially had him on six deer. He' 6 for 6 now however one did get away as he ditched the dog and I in the super thick bush. Understandable though that one was able to stand there and give me the good old greasy eyeball for a moment or two and I noticed that he only got an ear piercing ( bad shot, broken scope, long story... The deer's fine he just wears an earring now).
I was always a headshot guy or a neck shot guy, but the eyes are getting older and a buddy of mine made a point about headshots. The animal does not bleed out properly and the neck shot although is hugely effective, there's room for error and you blow up a lot of meat typically.
With ole "Rough" waiting in the truck/house etc now, I'm no longer "as" worried if my old eyes don't put that shot exactly where I want and that deer runs into the woods a little bit. He loves that game!
I've now officially had him on six deer. He' 6 for 6 now however one did get away as he ditched the dog and I in the super thick bush. Understandable though that one was able to stand there and give me the good old greasy eyeball for a moment or two and I noticed that he only got an ear piercing ( bad shot, broken scope, long story... The deer's fine he just wears an earring now).
I was always a headshot guy or a neck shot guy, but the eyes are getting older and a buddy of mine made a point about headshots. The animal does not bleed out properly and the neck shot although is hugely effective, there's room for error and you blow up a lot of meat typically.
With ole "Rough" waiting in the truck/house etc now, I'm no longer "as" worried if my old eyes don't put that shot exactly where I want and that deer runs into the woods a little bit. He loves that game!
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You are correct. The skull is one of the toughest parts on living creatures. It has to protect the brain. Add to the thickness of the bone, the round-ish shape and that makes things difficult for bullet penetration.
As I mentioned before, for me it is either the double lung or high shoulder if I do t feel like looking for the animal for whatever reason.
I know what you mean with people not respecting private properties…I have very similar issue with my land. People think they can just waltz right in without asking for permission smh
I wish to have such a dog. Someone was pondered a Black light the other day...if a deer gets shot poory and makes it out of sight around here on a warm year...no snow to follow the blood trail...not a good scenario. Black light would rock about dusk for tracking a blood trail.
Your hound intact? Maybe get a pup?
Yep, he's a good old boy. And believe you me I know just how fortunate I am to have such an animal as a friend that has such a natural talent. Lord knows I probably would not have been able to train him to do what he does. But hell yeah, a black light? That sounds like a great idea. Might have to try that one myself as an added backup when the hounds not around.
cdn1canhunt
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- southwestern ontario
Spine…..no tracking lol…kidding boiler room is the goal every time.
jlovie
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I spined a buck a few years ago with an absolute dog crap shot on my part. That shot still erks me when I think about it.
I done one in the spine. He sure didn't run anywhere. But the loss of the prime cuts was a real kick in the nuts! Like, ten inches of backstrap, both sides!
There are so many places to hit a deer, which give it a good, clean death, without screwing up the best eating parts, that I try to avoid it if possible!
They don't run after a shoulder hit, but that makes a mess of a lot of what little decent meat there is on a deer too. May be OK, if you are slug or Black Powder shooting, but for someone with anything that shoots even reasonably fast, it just makes a bunch of bloodshot trim.
I like to maximize my yield! Side on, behind the elbow, up some. Usually you get lungs, maybe lose the liver, and only sometimes the heart, which I'd have over Liver any day. YMMV.
cdn1canhunt
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- southwestern ontario
I just spined one with the bow last Saturday horrible shot on my part. I Hated every second of the rest of the end for that buck. But there was no tracking. And he is in the freezer. So it ended with the intended outcome…I need to better…enough said.
