Deer: to adjust my shot placement or not?

A has worked for me, and I have taken over 100 big game animals in 40+ years of hunting. And using my 257WBY or my 7mmSTW, with rapidly expanding bullets, the vast majority of my deer dropped at the shot, or within a few steps. Using either of those combinations, no deer has made it 50 yards after being hit.
 
fat but funky said:
You know what, this isn't a helpful response.

The OP is doing exactly what the ethical hunter should. Evaluating all his options to make the cleanest most ethical kill and trying to improve his skills.

Moreover, he is planning for the real world where things go bad sometimes. He wants the option with the most room for the unexpected (I won't say "error" because you'll just spout off about "go to the range more"). Show me someone who claims to make a perfect shot every time he pulls the trigger and I'll show you a damn liar.

Insisting that "He ought to already know" is both narrow minded and self-congratulatory. Perhaps the only "acceptable" way to learn to hunt is from one's "Pappy and Gran-Pappy on the farm"??? If a guy didn't grow up in a hunting household, well I guess he's just SOL. Goodness knows it is a crime against nature for someone to try to learn from the internet.

And in case you didn't notice - the OP already knows damn well where the vital organs lie - look at the picture he. Blue ovoid for lungs, red ovoid for heart, gray ovoid for liver.

Of the two, I like A better, not because the animal will be 'more dead' but because a miss 'low" at B is likely to break a leg - slow and painful demise. A low miss at A may still be painful, but less likely to be crippling.

my 2 cents

Fat
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There is only 1 option for a clean kill and that involves knowing what your doing and your limitations.

Multiple choice target zones is interesting though, maybe he could shoot it in the leg, stalk it and slit its throat for maximum meat useage
 
Thanks for your "helpful" response


Rascal said:
What a messed up question.
Not sure why you would even ask this.
As an ethical hunter you should have already read up on the vital organ location of the animal you are considering shooting.

Shot placement isn't really multiple choice.

If your scared of poor shot placement, practice more at the range and pass on a live animal if your just going to cause it pain and suffering
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Some advocate a forward spine shot -

shoulder%20shot_zpsgbcalchx.jpg
 
I can't see any reason for deliberately shooting for bone on a deer. I can see some justification on sheep or goats, or even moose, that may wind up somewhere where it's impossible to retrieve. A shoulder hit is going to ruin a lot of meat, and if you hit the shoulder blade you'll send shards of bone everywhere. Deer don't normally run too far with a simple lung shot behind the shoulder.
 
Slamfire said:
Some advocate a forward spine shot -

shoulder%20shot_zpsgbcalchx.jpg
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When you want the animal to not move from the place you shot it, and you trust your ability to not shoot over its back, then yeah l, can't argue with a spine shot.

Another popular option is the front shoulder, anchors the animal but increases meat destruction...
 
As the OP has asked, over the years have experimented with shot placement.
Last year hit a Buck center 'A', ran 150 yards, double lunger and heart, all complete tissue jelly, massive blood trail, crazy how the Adrenalin propelled this guy, easy track.
Few years back hit a Buck center 'B' ran about 40 yards, dropped dead, some meat loss on the right shoulder, easy track.
Also hit a Buck with a forward spine shot, folded in half, drop on the spot, no track.
No shot placement is always guaranteed to be an instant kill, I prefer center 'A', lung and heart shot, lots of blood, center mass, low meat loss, usually an easier track.
 
Not to seem picky, and jmop, but the actual spot I aim at is in between A and B..... (this is on my typical Ontario 100 yards and less mind you)..... I aim as far foreward as I can between A and B without any shoulder involved...... essentially, picture the area between A and B just above the heart......

I got really lucky on one of last year's deer and pulled the shot off absolutely perfectly...... took out both lungs and a main artery above the heart..... deer flopped, got up, tried to run and made it about 5-10 feet.....

When I cut it open, the cavity was full of blood and clots.......
 
vpsalin said:
Does that usually disable the front legs too and shorten tracking?
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Breaking the shoulders/spine isn't really required on deer. Other animals or when it needs to go down right there maybe so. Lots of experienced posters here have obviously done some experimenting over the years. Erring too far back is the risk. Not to diminish the contribution of the very experienced here but there isnt an absolute all situations answer here.
 
h t t p://forthoodhunting.com/html/deer_shot_placement.html

Bullet: A broadside Deer offers several excellent shots for the firearm hunter. The best target is the chest area. Find the best aiming point on a deer by picking a spot one third to halfway up the side of the animal and just behind the front shoulder. A bullet enter the lungs or heart will provide a good blood trail and a quick harvest.

Shot 8 deer, try to avoid the shoulder blade but hit the lungs. Gets more tricky with quartering shots...
 
Double lung them always except when shooting in the evening and I don't have light or snow to track........then it's high double shoulder shots.......meat loss is minimal and animal stays put.....Partitions and Barnes X bullets penetrate and don't fragment....Harold
 
I know this is CGN and we all love a good shot placement / cartridge / ballistics debate...... and I don't mean to discourage that......

But one thing that seldomly gets mentioned, is knowing your area....... it sure helps a lot when you are tracking an animal if you know your area and don't have to worry about getting turned around or lost while tracking...... It is certainly beneficial when tracking an animal to be able to focus solely on the animal and the tracking and not your surroundings.....

I do understand that hunting in Southern Ontario can be different than the great white north or the wilds of bc, but I have also done my share of hunting outside of my province and can say that a simple compass, or even better, a GPS that tracks your steps is a huge help.....

Some simple trail markers (I carry flag tape), go a long way to marking a trail or the last spot blood was seen......

As seen above, you can make a really solid hit and still have the animal run.... the only big game animal I ever lost was a deer and the tracking conditions were ideal.... snow on the ground, great blood trail, butvthe deer turned back on itself several times and I didn't know my land well enough and only found it thanks to crows two days later.......
 
Bottom dot in circle "A" aka "the crease" whether I am using the bow or shotgun and typically results in only a couple ounces of wasted meat and 50 yard or less recovery. The crease gives an excellent point to aim for.
 
I normally pick in between A and B for a routine deer season rifle hunt.

In Texas, a friend had an 80 doe cull and the shots were all requested to be the high shoulder spine, "pin the shoulders" shot and it worked well.
 
Damned deer almost never stand broadside for me without a tree, brush, boulder and/or dead fall in the way. :p
As pictured, low "A" for me.

deer_sot_placement.jpg
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