I shot a doe that was facing almost directly away from me from an elevated stand. Shot beside the spine, in front of the hips and behind the ribs. The arrow stopped when the fletchings reached the hide. The doe walked about 25 – 30 yards and fell over dead. I held another arrow beside the doe and lined the two up. My broad head was somewhere right down in the heart and lungs when it stopped, and it had no exit wound. Entire length of arrow inside the chest cavity. I pulled the arrow back out in reverse and outlaw field dressed her because I’m pretty sure I hit some guts on the way through to the heart and lungs. I’d take that shot again, and I’d also take the shot to the chest and see how it worked out. I would be aiming at the vitals…

AMEN!!! Put a hole in them and they will bleed.

Gary I was gonna say that too.......from Joe Brook's book. Joe says a whitetail deer's vitals are the size gary mentions (used the same analogy). He states if he can get an arrow into those vitals.....he will shoot.

Now that may not fit into our/your/the next guy's perfect little dreamt up scenarios. But....it's real.

I happen to respect him for taking that stance.

That is the biggest problem I have with the Drury bros. If it ain't broadside or quartering away, they will crucify the hunter.

Like Germ said the kill zone is as big as a Basketball. With the equiptment and heads we use these days an aarow does a lot of damage.

It looked like you poured blood out of a mike jug when I shot my deer that way.

I wouldn't take the shot, because I just don't think Im good enough to make, plain and simple. The same way I won't shoot past 25 yds even if he is broadside, just me, Im not that great of a shot. I do fine 25 and in, Im deadly. Get em out past that and I won't try em. Never have shot a deer past 25 yds, I just don't feel comfortable. Heck I passed up a deer that probably went 135-140 2 years ago, droptine buck, he was 21" wide. He was broadside at 40 yds licking the face of a six pnt and never knew I was there. I just couldn't bring myself to trying him. At least I will admit to it though!!

I would have shot him...

That's the right way to look at it imo. there are a lot of shots I won't take either. It really depends on the situation and what is presented to me. If I were elevated, I would have not attempted a head on shot. Being on the ground and slightly below the deer made it an easier shot for me to take.

I don't think you can compare a broadside or quartering to shot to a straight on shot. It certainly isNOT a crap shoot between these shots. Broadside and quartering to have much more room for error and are more consistently lethal than straight on shots.

I say this because I don't think it is a good thing to put into the heads of new bowhunters, and most bowhunters in general,that straight on shots are the norm when it comes to shots to take.

I've shor two does that were both coming at me hand on. Both left tremendous blood ttrails and died then 50 yards. I believe that if you're confident in your ability take the shot. Like David said "If you stickem' they will bleed".

killer primate, have you ever lost an animal due to a marginal or bad shot choice? I mean no disrespect at ALL. Seriously, Im asking you because Im not sure if you have the same outlook on this as I do. You very well may be a much better shot at that distance than me, I don't know you. I have lost 5 deer in 20 yrs of bowhunting, and each one were marginal hits or bad shot choices. Sometimes they are the same. The last animal I lost I told myself then, that I will never take a bad shot again,forME a bad shot is a long one, or facing me, or straight down. All the deer I killed this year were good shots, some better than others, but none of them were bad choices. Respectfully I would like to know what you consider a bad shot? It really weighs heavily on me if I wound an animal and do not recover it, Im almost paranoid about it.