Look and Learn!

[MNpurple]

Old news for some of you, a great learn for others.

Found this on another site and its a great photo to learn from. I know its an antelope but a whitetail is going to be very similiar. There seems to be a fair amount of posts lately mentioning "i hit too far back" "gut shot" whatever.

I as probably many of you, was taught to always aim behind the shoulder on a deer. I still hear alot of people say this and I think this is the main reason so many deer are hit in the gut or too far back. Too many people think the shoulder is straight above the leg when in fact the shoulder blade is very high above the leg and the leg bone protrudes way out into the chest of the animal. When you aim "behind" the "supposed" shoulder you are giving yourself zero room for error going back on the animal. Aim directly above the back of the front leg (at the black X which is right on the lung, soo how close that stomache is?!) and you have just given yourself room for error in all directions, and I think everyone I know would love to have some margin for error. Take it for whats its worth and if it changes one persons idea of where to aim, good enough.

[mauser06]

thats a GREAT picture...

dead broadside, im shooting just low left of that +


i follow the inside of the leg up a couple inches and send it...(if the near leg is straight at 90 degrees)


many times with deer there is a crease or pocket right there that would be a perfect spot to aim for....

i agree that many people shoot "too far back" and the arrow is usually hitting where they archer sent it...just like you said "behind the shoulder" to alot of people mean behind the leg...and they go a couple inches behind the leg trying to avoid the shoulder and center punch the lungs when really they are hitting back of the lungs and even liver...shots the drift a bit farther are liver or gut....

that + is dang near exactly where i hit my buck last year...could measured recovery in inches and not gotten to a very high number..maybe 15-20yds TOPS...both lungs and everything off the top of the heart...took the heart back to camp and didnt have to do a whole lot of cutting lol...

thats a great pic...wish there was the same of a deer...but thats still very comparable...


notice how large the backbone is over the vitals and how low the spine actually is?? theres still guys that swear theres a void...they arent realizing how large of an area there is to hit above the spine and hit nothing but back bone and muscle.....thats the "void" most of us know that....

[Schultzy]

I agree with everything you say Craig and for the longest time I didn't realize the lungs were that wide open up front but I'd rather have my room for error towards the guts rather than hitting the knuckle. I personally shy away from the shoulder area just because of that damn knuckle, that thing scares me! Every gut shot animal I've hit accidentally I've gotten without any problems being we treated It right.

[MNpurple]

Mauser, great point about the location of the spine. NO DEAD ZONE above the lungs and below the spine

[Rob/PA Bowyer]

[TFOX]

Rob's picture shows that you definately want to be a bit further back on a whitetail than the + in the antelope picture for a dead center shot with the most room for error.

[MNpurple]

I'd say that first picture of Rob's is a great refernce if you are shooting at a sprinting deer. Bring those front legs back as if standing broadside and its getting pretty close to the the black X on the antelope.