I have personally never shot a deer in the heart (with my bow). I've always chose to take both lungs for fear of missing the heart and winding up with only one lung. I suppose on a broadside shot the room for error is less than a quartering away shot, but the heart shot is obviously possible.

Am I thinking this wrong? Would you wind up with both lungs on a quartering away heart shot?

From what I've seen, a heart shot deer can go just as far as a lung shot, so I've always taken both lungs to minimize error. What's your preference and why?

I will go for both lungs every time because it isa bigger target.

I never aim for the heart either...........Why would you chosefist size target when you can shoot a little higher and get both lungs. The deer will go farther on a heart shot that it will on a double lung anyway!!!

I shot a doe in the heart this year and she walked about 10 feet and dropped over dead. I usually dont aim for the heart unless i am on the ground, closer then 20 yards and the deer is perfectly broadside. If i am in a treestand then it is both lungs.

Just bust him about the 4th rib back and it will come out by his front leg. Watch him fall.

He is right on,but he forgot the most important point. After they fall you get to eat backstraps!!!!!

I aim for the heart on a close up, slam dunk, broadside shot. When I say close up I mean 15 or less. Anything beyond that I'm aiming for a center of mass hit. That said, sometimes you because of the nervousness of the deer and all that, I aim for the heart knowing the bugger is going to drop. On a quartering away shot it just depends on the angle and how severe it is. I just usually aim on a quartering away shot to hit the far shoulder or where the back of theleg meets the chest. Gives me the biggest margin of error. I should get both lungs or liver lungs or liver both lungs or some combination there of. If I hit the heart on a quartering shot I made a bad shot.....well I didn't hit what I intended to. Here's a 22 yard shot that hit where I aimed. I've had several like this, but this one is cool.

Here's another one, quartering away shot thru the heart.

I shoot for lungs.

Quartering away.... hmmm depends on distance. If you aim a bit low on the lungs but high on the heart at 25 yards and less you should be perfect. Any distances beyond that I shoot for lungs. But when its broadside I generally try to hit heart and lungs.