shot placement
 

Whn I rifle hunt I mainly neck shoot deer but I bow hunt a lot too. When you all talk about behind the shoulder where do you mean. I lost 2 deer this past week with behind the shoulder shots with my bow. I was studying deer anatomy and it looks like most the lung heart and arteries are directly under the shoulder. Like maybe just above the arm pit if that leg is forward, or rith smack in the shoulder, not the shoulder bone but the shoulder. It seems I may be shooting farther back than I should.

RE: shot placement
 

RE: shot placement
 

Z, this is where I would shoot this deer if I were on the ground level with him, if I wereelevated I would aim higher than marked. I have always shot just low of center of the body and it has served me well.

RE: shot placement
 

I hit my buck right there but he was more broadside, I figured it was a bit low to me. We gave him an hour and 40 yds from where he stood we found what looked like a quart of blood poured on the ground, we followed a blood trail for 400 or so yds and never found him. I think he layed right there and when we went to look for him we pushed him. Even after an hour he was still alive?

RE: shot placement
 

Here'a another pic that I have the camera elevated a little more. NoticeI am aiming a little higher considering the angle....



Hope this helps you out brother!!!!

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Man, I am sorry about your buck....Normally with that shot I don't have todo much tracking....Last year shot all three deer just about right there and the furthest one went maybe 50yds....Then again I remember hitting a doe several years ago with that shot quartering to me a little(1 lung solid) and she went a good 500+ yards, even though she wasn't quartering very hard at all I vowed to not take that shot anymore.....Thats the only time I have ever had to really track one a long ways in the last 12 years....Hang in there and keep practicing, may7be you can look into some different heads????? Just a suggestion..

RE: shot placement
 

Sorry to hear about your experiences, but it does happen sometimes. It sounds like you might have hit the one low in the brisket- that shot will cause a lot of bleeding and good blood trail at first, but will peter out after awhile. I hit a nice buck just like that about 5 years ago- never found him. If the arrow was low enough to miss the heart, it's going to hit mostly bone, gristle & some muscle. There's a good chance he'll survive a hit like that. Next time aim for the same spot, but just a little higher, especially if you're shooting from a treestand.

P.S. if you had hit him in the heart, he wouldn't be alive 2 minutes later, much less 1 hour.

RE: shot placement
 

i aim as close to the the shoulder and as far down as possible

RE: shot placement
 

I give you another bit of advice. Dont watch for too long through the scope. I shot a doe last year that was quartering more towards me than I thought. The scope will distort the angle, I swear I thought she was broadside. She went for awhile, liver shot is a slow death. I felt horrible, but it happens. Learned my lesson, now I'll double check if its a quartering towards shot.