Honestly if you shoot it like you would with a bow it will go down quickly and humanely, heres a little visual.

I guess I need to work on my Paint skillsshould get the point across...

Quote:

ORIGINAL: slsail

Newbie gun hunter.
I want a clean quick kill with a ML.
Where do I hit the deer.
Archery Lung and heart shot usually don't have to chase far.
With a ML i want to drop em fast to keep em on the property.

I am into archery also. My point of aim is no different with muzzleloader as it is with my bow. Vitals and broadside or I don't make the shot.

sisail...With a good bullet like the 250 Shockwave, I put it through the shoulder blade, the spine is behind and the bullet will also penetrate the spine and drop the,...

Now, with my flintlock and a round ball, I take a shot behind the shoulder (same as I do when bow hunting)...

This will sound funny, but I get better blood trails with a heart/lung hit out of my flintlock than with saboted bullets out of my inline...So, with my inline, I want to drop them, seems sometimes it takes awhile for them to start bleeding to give me a good blood trail...

i want to put the bullet right were Carpmaster's visual shows. This is also where i put the crossbow bolt.

Gun or bow (crossbow, too) I usually shoot for the top of theheart. With the bow broadside or slight quartering awayonly! With a muzzleloader about any angle but straight away, but I prefer broadside or a slight quartering angle. I try tovisualize where the heart is and aim for it.

My favorite shot is a broad side deer, angling slightly away at 5 to 10 degrees. I wait till the deer takes a step with his front leg(the leg facing me). I then put the shot in behind that leg, and it hit's the shoulder on the other side. That shot put's then down every time, and only damages one front shoulder. I am a handicapped hunter, so I have to put the deer down right there. I am very selective with my shots. The only time I take a hurried shot is when I am shooting at a large buck. Any other shot is for meat, so I only take the good shot. Tom.

Mostof the time I aim just behind the leg for the bottom of the lungs, this gives me room for error both up/down and side to side. I honestly haven't had a deer travel much further then 100 yards with a double lung shot, which i think is a pretty quick drop. All said my favorite shot is a 1/4 away where I hit the vitals realitively unobstructed and take out the opposite shoulder on exit, here I aim for the top portion of the lungs so I ensure I hit scapula on the exit and not leg bone.A double shoulder shot is highly effective if you get enough pentration for both shoulders or at least lots of damage on the onside shoulder to effect both upper lobes of the lung. Deer can go a long way with one wheel and lung. My experience with polymer tipped bullets hitting heavier bone, especially at higher MV's (ie close range or hotter loads), makes me suspect relability and thus I'd either move up gr size or chose a more robust bullet like barnes, nosler, etc.