Shoulder Shots and When to Use Them
 

So my wife has this new friend that is letting me hunt her property, it's 25 acres with another house, some woods, and a couple of farms boardering it. So I was planning on hunting it during the upcoming early muzzle loader season and after some scouting this past weekend I found a funnel with a lot of tracks leading from a bedding area in thick woods on the property next door on the way to the farm fields. But this choke point is at the back of the property on a finger that's about an acre in size and is sandwiched between these other two pieces of property that areposted "no tresspassing/no hunting". I know if I make a double lung shot they're going to run right back down the hill back to this bedding area on the property next door, I have no idea who owes it nor does my property owner and it's agressively posted with signs every 20 yards along the property line. If I break a shoulder I know they'll go down right there but I hate being that messy....plus it possable they'll be visable from my property owners house, and I'm worried about the poetntial emotional trauma that might cause......any advice?

RE: Shoulder Shots and When to Use Them
 

Shoulder shots can be risky as a drop on a spot shot. If you have a good bullet like barnes tSX, and hit him high thru both, he ain't going nowhere. Or copper solids thru a slug gun. A crappy bullet, and you might not get thru the first one, and he can hobble away on three. My favorite shot with a rifle is the quartering to me shot thru the shoulderto the heart. Devistating. I say take your chances, and aim for the heart. A good shot rarely does a buck go 30yards. Of course there are exceptions. I shot a doe several years ago thru the heart with a muzzleloader, and she made it 70 yards downhill. I have to think she rolled a bunch of it. But I was shocked to see her go that far.

RE: Shoulder Shots and When to Use Them
 

High shoulder may be the best shot. I would check with a local game warden and ask the state law about retrieving a shot deer across posted property lines. It may save a big problem later on.

RE: Shoulder Shots and When to Use Them
 

I'm with you on the Barnes expanders, that's what I use......I have some buds that use powerbelts, sure they're easy to load and the Barnes are a bitch with the sabot (at least in my Encore) but I've never lost a deer, or even had one hard to find,that's been hit by a Barnes. I'll check onretriveing across property lines, I would ask permission if I knew who owned it but it's virgin land and I would guess I would have to research it at thecounty land office.

RE: Shoulder Shots and When to Use Them
 

before i would hunt i would somehow find out who owns the posted land, if you can at least get a down deer that may save a lot of problems

RE: Shoulder Shots and When to Use Them
 

A high shoulder shot is nothing more than a spine shot, anchors them immediately. but if you hit to high the deer will run off never to be found, if you hit lower thats a good shot as well. I prefer neck shots if they are within a 100 yds, that anchors them immediately.

RE: Shoulder Shots and When to Use Them
 

Not sure where you are Spur, but here in Iowa you can not be considered trespassing in pursuit of downed game. BUT, you must leave your firearm outside the posted property.In fact, you are obligated to pursue the wounded game. I have heard of some that have had to get the Game Warden to force a landowner to let a hunter retrieve game, but that is rare. It is also illegal for any Anti to interfere in any way with your legal hunting, to include making noise, movement, etc. to intentionally scare the deer.

RE: Shoulder Shots and When to Use Them
 

When I was growing up my Dad told me to aim behind the shoulder and that's what I did and I lost a couple deer that way. I learned when I got a little older that aiming for the shoulder would 99% of the time drop them so I started doing that and never lost a deer. After I got out of the Marines I got a 7mm Rem Mag and started using Remington Ballistic Tips and was told not to shoot a deer in the shoulder with the bullets. I never asked why and didn't really think about it much, so I went back to aiming behind the shoulder and had to track but, it wasn't hard due to the blood trail. 2 years ago I decided that I was going to change bullets so that I wouldn't have to track so much and I bought some Core Lock rounds. I still had some Ballistic Tips left and I wanted to finish the box before changing, I shot a deer running and lead it a little to much and hit it in the shoulder and she fell like a ton of bricks and never moved after. When I got her to the skinning rack I understood why I shouldn't aim for the shoulder, it was a bloody mess but, it was savagable for meat and the loss was little. Last year I got a new 7mm SA UM and used Core Locks with it and I actually had to shoot a 60lbs doe twice before she went down. The first was a double lung shot and she acted like I never hit her, the second was a running shoulder shot that saved the day. This year I have decided that I am going to stick with the shoulder shots, I am getting a little old to be tracking my deer and all of the non-shooting members of my club too.

RE: Shoulder Shots and When to Use Them
 

I use the high shoulder shot all the time. Shot a doe Saturday, she went 40 yards and piled up 5 feet from the path I walked in on. I like those deer that cooperate like that. LOL

RE: Shoulder Shots and When to Use Them
 

Neck shot!