davidmil

After reading a couple of our annual "Lost him" post it still remains evident to me that a lot of people just don't understand the anatomy of a deer from the angles we get when hunting. Probably 90 percent of us hunt from 15-25 feet up. We all shoot 3D targets and many do the tournament bit predominately from the ground. We all know where to aim from the ground, sneak it up as close as you dare to the back of the front shoulder, midway up or a little lower and let it go. Take the same shot straight up about 20 feet and you throw in another dimension. The higher up and the closer or further away twist the shot placement more. This is when people start making mistakes. Our goal is to give us the best chance of getting two lungs, center of mass. Well that's easy at ground level. But as you go up it becomes a smaller target the closer you get to verticle, at which point you can't do it. You can get one or the other or the heart, but you can't get them both. Same deal goes for quartering to or away shots. As you go further and further on a quartering away shot the aiming point slides to the rear on the deer. As you get to a straight going away shot(which we know we wouldn't take but I mention it for emphasis) you again arrive at a point where you can't get both, only one or the other or the heart. You got to imagine the path of your arrow. As you approach a 45 degree angle on a quartering away shot you're probably aiming at or behind the last rib to catch both lungs. Now take it up 20 feet in the air and you have another angle to figure. The best way that I know to explain the shots from above is to decide on you arrow path and then shoot at a point midway up or down on center of mass for your arrow line. Just imagine a deer broadside. You have his belly line and his back line. We aim halfway in between those two points or slightly lower. Again for imagery, If you take it up in a straight down angle you have a left and a right rib cage. You aim half way in between. Swing back on a quartering shot and your aim point moves back and back. Hopefully you'll pick a spot to connect with or close in front or back of the off side shoulder. Another mistake people who feel they have to take that straight down shot make is to aim too far forward. I'd say most aim between the shoulder blades. In this case they're way too far forward. Their is a hollow on both sides just behind the shoulderslooking down at a deer from above. You have to aim just behind the hollow. If you aim between the shoulders you're lucky to hit the very front tip of the lung lobes. Anyone in question should go out with a 3D Deer target with an arrow in hand and start with a broadside. point the arrow where you think it should be aimed. Then put yourself more and more into quartering shots and do it again at the angle the arrow would hit. You'll see how far back you end up aiming really quick to stick that offside shoulder. Eventually you'll be aiming at the guts and coming out in front of the offside shoulder. Do the same things for an imaginary treestand shot and see what happens. Do it from quartering to shots also. Consider the wedge form of the brisket and the heavy leading edge of the shoulder bones too. You'll quickly realize why these are just too crappy a shot to take. More deer are shot at some quartering angle than straight broadside. More deer are shot from some downward angle, yet we persist in practicing day in and day out at ground level on broadside bucks. Have fun.

Rickmur

There you have it. A good leason in shot placement.

bloodcrick

Davidmil
I dont think you could have explained that any better if you tried. two thums up. great thread!!!
Dan

GMMAT

I can't help but think your post was directed at ME, David. I'm familiar with "Aim for the exit hole". I also practice a LOT....and I have a ladder stand set up at my house.....in the woods.....where we take shots from all angles. My son had a friend over a few weeks ago.....and I preched to them to not be concerned with where their arrows were striking thescoring lines on the McKenzie buck we own. I gave to them the lesson you just preached.

I made a bad hit, Tuesday. I'm living with it.

For the record.....my buck wasn't quartering away at a very acute angle, either. When I said I aimed for "above and behind the buck's shoulder".....I think you have a GREAT idea of where I was aiming. Anything other than EXACTLY what I'm telling you is pure conjecture. I wasn't aiming at his shoulder.

Did I flinch? I don't know. Did I do something worng? Yes.

Jeff

rybohunter

That is one of the best laid out explaination I've heard.

Critr-Gitr

Very well said, and completely accurate.

And also the mainreason I brought my 3-D buck target to work so I can use the Rick James trick of practicing out of our manlift. That was a very good idea he had.

Exocet77

May not be so much for shots from above, but heres a bit of a diagram of shot placement.

DannyD

Thanks David . Great post

sdmonster

Great post hope everyone reads it and lives by it.

davidmil

SBGoobler: Nope my post wasn't directed at anyone except those who may Not know or have a wrong preconceived notion of where to aim and what the should be thinking. Your post DID lead me to post this, but it wasn't directed to you. I probably DID insert more into your angle and shot than was there...my bad. It's just I wish I had a $5 bill for everytime I've heard such things as, "It was straight down and I aimed right between the shoulders and that's where it hit" ...or ... "He was angled away pretty good but I slid it right behind the shoulder". .... or... "He was angled to me pretty good and I put it right into his shoulder"... or... "He was head on and I hit him right in the chest but it came out behind the shoulder"....or..."He was broadside so I put the pin right ON his shoulder but didn't get penetration. I hate these X,Y, Z broadheads". In 40 years of bowhunting I've heard them all too often. I didn't offer it up against anyone but more to guide the unknowing or newbee. Just trying to jog some minds. I've even heard these things from people who have killed their share of deer.