I have had many debates regarding where the most ideal area is located when taking a deer. There are some hunters out there that I've seen shoot deer in the most inhumane ways casing great suffering,pain and prolonged death by landing shots in the face the stomach, neck so and so forth. Some of these deer not dieing and suffering for months or years. I have seen deer with healed over holes in the legs and neck area, and even deer crippled due to poor shot placements.

I feel when I take a shot it should be percise, placeing it in the heart or lungs. Some say lugh shots are in humane. Any time I have shot a deer in the lungs they have never ran off more that 50-75 yards. About the same as shots placed in the heart or is some cases the deer never even knew what hit them.

In the same breath when taking a deer with a heart shot I find there is damage to the meat.

Please give me your input.

Thanks


KEEP HUNTING AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS ALIVE!

Lungs and heart is the best.

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I'm always thinking double lung first and then heart as a bonus. No double lung shot means no shot at all. I also practice to 40 yards but have never attempted one and probably never will. Have passed many 35 yard shots and have taken only one 30 yard shot.

I have heart shot a deer then hit it in the rump as it was running away and it ran 110 yards. I have shot a big doe through both lungs and it ran 125 yards. This yeaar I shot a doe through the head and it dead instantly, I'm am not saying shot them in the head, but in my experiences it kills them faster.

Yeah head shots will drop them, but a miss and the above post will come into play, about pain and suffering. The H/L region is the best place, they may run away, but they are going to be dead and quickly. One of the biggest mistakes, is hunter don't give them the time to drop when they hit them H/L. I have shot many animals in H/L regions and have yet to have them cover 75 yards. Last fall a buddy shot a buck in the lungs and immediately he ran over to the site, the buck had just went into some cover but due to being pushed he ended up making an extra 100 yards...had he waited he would have been down within 20 yards.

Due to the margin of error being higher, their are also degrees of Lung shots that will produce different results. Hit them low or mid lungs they will pile up quickly, but hit them higher up and the cavity will fill up with blood, often causing a little longer duration. However equally effective and in my opinion humane and ethical.

I don't agree with taking head shots.Sure,if the placement is exact it will drop them pretty quick but just a little bit off and there goes its bottom jaw resulting in a slow,painful death.Heart/lung area is the only ethical shot to take.It will put it down quickly and humanely.It may run 125yds,but a deer running full bore can cover that distance in a matter of seconds.

jred we have all seen the results of poor shooting ,that has nothing to do with where they were trying to shoot the animal . If people practised thier shooting more and knew where to shoot a game animal in the first place that would help more than anything else. They could also try tracking a deer that hasn't been shot just to learn about tracking also because you don't always have a blood trail to follow. I highly doubt very many people deliberatly shoot an animal just to cause it pain and suffering so I fail to see you point.