Howdy all,

Been away for quite some time, but hunting season is upon us. My season officially opened last week, and I think I may make it into the woods tomorrow am.

Something I haven' t noticed though, are the links to the deer anatomy websites or our personal thoughts about placement.

I' ll let others post the sites, because I know some of you guys have multiple sites bookmarked.

But I will throw in a specific personal notes...

Every season, there comes a post which states that the shot was placed over the ribs and under the spine. Every season there are those of those that agree, and those of us who vehemently deny any such spot existing.

Having a background in anatomy and physiology, I have in the past always said that no spot exists. Last year I hit a buck high, and lost him with poor penetration. At the time I released the arrow, the shoulder was not in the " sight window" .

That miss caused me to not only re-examine everything at that moment, but everything about hunting from a stand.

This has lead to me realizing that there are scenarios that we sometimes don' t consider. For instance, we always say the best shot is broadside with the animal looking over its other shoulder. Most assume this allows for the least chance of detection and the best shot placement.

However, thinking back to the buck I arrowed last year (and unfortunately lost[:' (] ), the shoulders are quite unique on 4 legged creatures.

When we (primates in general) move our heads, our scapulas move very little, unless we rotate our trunk. However, deer must move their shoulder blades every time they bend their necks, due to physics. Hence, if a deer is standing at attention looking forward, the scapula is resting in the back position. That same deer now bends down to eat, and the shoulder blade rotates up and out to allow the neck to extend and lower. You can try this yourself by getting down on all fours and either raising or lowering your head---your shoulders will move, most likely in unison in opposition (unless your very, very limber).

Just something to think about next time somebody says the little area between the spine and ribs doesn' t exist. It doesn' t exist if the deer has its head up and is still---but if the deer' s head is down and leaning away, then there is an appreciable space between the shoulder, spine and vitals that will allow an arrow to penetrate---BUT, you can almost guarantee that upon releasing the shaft the deer will either drop his body or raise his head, and the " triad spot" (as I like to call it) will all but disappear.

I like to think that' s what I hit last year, but with the penetration coupled with the blood trail, I know I aimed for the triad (as he was feeding) and instead hit shoulder as the big buck lifted his head.

And my final note about placement: from that scenario last year, I' ll always remember that to hit too far forward is a lost deer, while a hit too far back is a long tracking job.

S&R

S&R

I posted this website awhile ago but it' s probably worth revisting since most states archery seasons have begun or start w/i the next 2 or so weeks. This site does a pretty decent job w/ the anatomy.


http://home.mn.rr.com/deerfever/Anatomy.html