Here goes, controversial sensible debate time.
Engine room shots are "best practice" because those teaching the "craft" of deer shooting have to cater for the lowest common denominator. The engine room on a deer is the largest effective target area- look at the size of the scoring circle on a DSC target. To be considered suitably competent, a NOVICE needs to be able to score within a target area the size of a saucer.
Let's not beat about the bush. If after forty odd years of rifle shooting I was straying outside of that target area from 100 m, I'd think there was something seriously amiss with my rifle, ammo, scope or technique.
However, add in a few other factors. I can shoot pretty well. I'm not going to start a pis$ing contest, my circumstances, experience and whatever else mean I'm a confident shot at various ranges in many different sorts of conditions, but I have my achilles heel which is sticks. I know that shooting off sticks will rob me of the accuracy I can expect off bags, bonnets or bipods. Not enough to score outside of the magic saucer, but enough to tell me I won't be sure of hitting a golf ball at 100. And that is the target size of a brain shot on a deer. Yes, yes, if I were to use a frangible varmint round that sort of opens up my options, but the only head shots I've taken on deer have been on still days, at short ranges, and off a bipod. Even then I've had to be convinced the deer is relaxed and unlikely to move.
So, that's my experience and my personal mantra. Now add in the "expert" factor. Here's an example: Read any debate on Farcebook, or even to an extent on here, and you'll start to notice some serious gaps in people's knowledge and approach. One of my favourites is the old "where should I zero my rifle?" and you'll see an instant flood of "One inch high at 100" responses. So the novice swallows that whole, because all the old "experts" said so, and goes to a range where his round is striking one inch high of his aiming mark at 100 yards. He's now equipped to shoot anything between 50 and 200 yards (according to the experts). He then reads all the "head shot versus chest shot" debates and sees that "experts" can and regularly do shoot roe deer in the head at ever extending ranges. Now the last time this novice went to the range he managed a cracking "sub-moa " group at 100. He must now be approaching sniper status (in his own mind) so it's now safe to start shooting at deers' heads. After all, his rifle is perfectly set up with it's "one inch high at a hundred" zero, and 1 MOA is good enough for anything isn't it?.................... do you see where this is going? In the cold harsh light of reality we now have a rank novice, in proper field conditions, with a rifle and ammo combination that no one knows where exactly it is zeroed, because no-one thought to ask him how high his scope is, what calibre or MV his round is travelling at, and his true shooting ability is masked by the fluked inch groups he put into some paper on his second or third visit to the range. Is he going to hit a golf ball at 125 yards? At 75 yards? At 150 yards? Answers on a Doe's ear to the usual PO BOX .
That's why anybody worth their salt doesn't advocate anything other than engine room shots, no matter what the company they're in.
Skill, experience, and JUDGEMENT. Oh, and ideal conditions. Not the so-called wisdom of experts.
