shot placement...

[The deer man]

Agree with you there the most important thing is the deer is dead a.s.a.p.

My local game dealer would deduct money for that shot as she would claim blood would travle up around the saddle joint. I know it makes no difference to the joint a shot like that.

It may not be but I could guess who that may be!

And it's a claim mostly as when I've taken this shot and butchered the animal there may be bruising but this never leeches into the saddle and spoils it unless the shot is higher than the one in the picture and clipped the backbone.

A point to consider regarding animal welfare is that whether a shot like this or a neck shot is taken in some cases all you have done is paralyze the animal, so still alive until fully dispatched. I used to neck shoot everything but my views have changed and mostly now H/L shoot my deer.

 

[redandroe]

I had some Spanish clients out on a pals estate a few years back and there were no end of injured animals due to heart shots between all the stalkers. They continuously shot them through the sternum leaving them to run on and bleed out or be badly injured. This meant we had to enforce the mid chest shot to ensure the deer did not suffer. Middle of the chest is good enough and leaves lots of room for mistakes.
One of the best shots I like to take is when the beast is 3/4 away, going in a few ribs forward of the diaphram and coming out the front opposite side. This drops them on the spot and I believe it is because the shock wave is going through the vitals at a different angle.

Also, have a look on-line for terminal ballistics. There is some interesting reading out there; particularly the knock out type effect where the shock wave pushes the blood up to the brain in a way that knocks the animal out. By the time you get to the beast it has bled itself dead, making the stalker think that the animal dropped dead on the spot.......now did it?

 

[dlz90]

I had some Spanish clients out on a pals estate a few years back and there were no end of injured animals due to heart shots between all the stalkers. They continuously shot them through the sternum leaving them to run on and bleed out or be badly injured. This meant we had to enforce the mid chest shot to ensure the deer did not suffer. Middle of the chest is good enough and leaves lots of room for mistakes.
One of the best shots I like to take is when the beast is 3/4 away, going in a few ribs forward of the diaphram and coming out the front opposite side. This drops them on the spot and I believe it is because the shock wave is going through the vitals at a different angle.

Also, have a look on-line for terminal ballistics. There is some interesting reading out there; particularly the knock out type effect where the shock wave pushes the blood up to the brain in a way that knocks the animal out. By the time you get to the beast it has bled itself dead, making the stalker think that the animal dropped dead on the spot.......now did it?

I don't know some fall on the spot some run maybe even 100yds or more see it happen, but maybe its like this every shot is different because every deer is unique in its own way, you just never can say with any degree of certainty just what will happen at any given moment....

 

[adam whyte]

Yep definitely a time and place for neck/ spine shots but I have only had success with mid chest. Some know something's going on and don't run and some do. Likewise I've shot deer who haven't got a clue in the chest and on gralloching it's perfect heart and they run 100 yards. My advice if ur worried is get a deer dog or even just give a rough shooting dog a basic insight.
​

 

[dlz90]

Neck shots... now if you miss the spinal colum that will result in a true runner, and worst of all you may not even know you hit it at all, the chest shot is the way to go........

 

[308rws]

This is a good thread.

What about the ethics of the shot? Are you shooting to wound the deer, or to kill the deer? If you have sufficient knowledge and understanding about the consequences of your shot placement, and you take a shot for venison purposes as opposed to achieving the optimal kill are you not potentially breaking the law i.e. higher risk of wounding and causing unnecessary suffering?

Every shot situation is different, I always shoot in an attempt to achieve an optimal kill factoring the variables, that may be aorta, heart and lungs or neck.

Shoot to kill, anything else is unethical.

308RWS

 

[jimmy 84]

It may not be but I could guess who that may be!

And it's a claim mostly as when I've taken this shot and butchered the animal there may be bruising but this never leeches into the saddle and spoils it unless the shot is higher than the one in the picture and clipped the backbone.

A point to consider regarding animal welfare is that whether a shot like this or a neck shot is taken in some cases all you have done is paralyze the animal, so still alive until fully dispatched. I used to neck shoot everything but my views have changed and mostly now H/L shoot my deer.

I used to neck shoot the majority of deer but now its 90% heart and lung. It may run 40 yards but its dead!

I don't know what other members think but I believe if your going neck shoot deer most of the time I would choose a different bullet head like a ballistic tip or v-max instead of a soft point, as the energy transfer is faster and more instant than in a soft point. Just my thoughts but I would be interested to know what others think.

 

[woollyback]

Heart/lung shots every time, an accurate shot in that area is a certain kill. A deer running after a chest shot shouldn't be a problem because any responsible stalker should have a dog capable of finding a dead/wounded beast or at least have access to a friends etc.

 

[Cyres]

Neck shot with a v max is the way forward but as previous people have stated every situation is different, however effect is awesome and no runners.

​D

 

[Heym SR20]

Neck shot with a v max is the way forward but as previous people have stated every situation is different, however effect is awesome and no runners. ​D

no issue with that - but emphasis on the v-max. Likewise with a head shot. V- max blows up and massive damage, so even if you are spightly out, it's still a killing shot. But I would not use a v-max on a body shot - not enough penetration / too much meat damage. Equally a well constructed soft point is not going to expand enough on a neck shot to cause explosive damage. In my younger days I shot enough hinds with head shots and high velocity varmint bullets to know that the results are deadly but not pretty. The estate insisted on head shots to maximise meat value, and all shots had to be either back of head or straight on - never side on.

Nowadays I much prefer up the offside leg, just under halfway up the body and squeeze and using a good normal softpoint - they don't go far.

 

[Willie]

Shot a doe the other day off sticks while it was grazing at 70 yards and hit high on the spine (not where i was aiming). When I got to the deer it was struggling to get to its feet and trying to crawl away. Dispatched the deer with a second shot to the neck. On experiencing this I would not deliberately spine shoot a deer far rather heart/lung shot as I usually find they don't run very far (.243", 100gr SP).
On butchering the deer I was surprised the see very little meat damage to the saddle

 

[Glendine]

Superb tread all. Glendine.

 

[Rake Aboot]

I dropped a buck yesterday with this shot. It fell on the spot , looked like it was sleeping when I walked up on it !. Not one bit of meat damage, quite amazing really, and a shot I have never really tried before, but after that, I would certainly consider it.
Very neat and tidy

 

[Muir]

You guys are wicked good shots. I'm just not that good off hand. Accordingly, I try to angle a bullet between the front legs, quartering from the rear if possible. Cross wise through the lungs if broadside, and straight into the chest from the front. The farthest a deer has run was 40M or so, leaving the landscape painted with her blood as she ran, and that was a broadside shot at 90-ish yards. The last deer I shot was up hill at a little better than 100 yards with the same shot and she rotated sideways in the air, hit the ground, kicked once, and was dead when I got to her. They can't go too far without lungs.~Muir

 

[Jager SA]

Shot placement is surely the one that best presents itself at the time of taking off the safety to ensure a clean kill of the beastie. If you're not happy with the shot that presents itself you have two options...move into a better position which you are confident/happy with or leave it. As in another thread here meat damage should be the furthest from your mind...controlling/culling Deer in a humane manner is why we do what we do...

 

[Heym SR20]

Tried a high shoulder shot on a good buck last night. He was laid up in the middle of a hay field that was cut mid June and is now 12" of lush fresh grass. No other option but to quietly walk down the side of the field with a high thick hedge behind me - the hedge is really thick and no chance of going down behind it and then locking through. At last light got to within 100 or so yards. A bit far to take a head shot - all I could see of him as he was by now lying up. Crept a bit closer - he stood up and trotted away a few yards. Not a safe shot. So onto the buttalo call. A couple of peeps stopped him, but I needed to move him back into a bit of a hollow to have a safe shot. Some gentle squeaks got his interest, but only when I gave it some good grunts did he start coming back. I was very much in two minds as to whether or not to take him as he was a nice buck, but eventually he moved into a safe position and absolutely broadside. Carefully noting a tall tree on the far horizon that was in line, cross hair on the high shoulder and squeezed. He went straight down. Given it was nearly dark and he had gone down in lush grass I kept my eye on the exact spot where he had dropped walked straight to him. Dead at the spot, with no blink reflex a minute or so after the shot. Will use this again. He was a very nice buck and did feel a bit sad at taking him, but he has had a good life and sown his seed, and it has been a tricky season.

 

[Wingy]

From an animal welfare & humane prospective it's heart & lung shot where ever possible for me. Animal is dead and if it runs into cover I always have a dog on hand to track it. But I appreciate that all situations are different and sometimes the animal needs to be dispatched and the conventional shot is not an option. I've shot 3 more or less as described,
2 through front of neck at an angle exiting high shoulder & 1 through high shoulder exiting front of neck. On these 3 occasions the spinal cord has been disrupted leaving the animal (which dropped on the spot) paralysed. I don't hang around waiting the suggested 10 or so minutes. It's straight in and dispatch with a knife. Meat damage as said is very little but as I only shoot for my personal consumption I don't give a stuff about how game dealers would like them shot.
Animal welfare for me every time and if that means the animal walks away without a shot being taken, so be it, there's always next time
Wingy