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Heart or lung shot

Old 07-05-2010, 10:40 AM
  #11  
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You know, if you aim for the heart, youre still aiming at the lungs ,since the heart lies in between the lungs. Heart or lung shot-572_nbef01_003_1.jpg


The problem w/ aiming for the center of the lungs is, you will often hit high when the deer drops, as they often do, when the bow goes off. High hits are bad ,since they often leave much less, or even no blood on the ground.

what I do is divide the deer in 3 equal parts long ways,aim for the bottom of the middle section.
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Old 07-05-2010, 11:08 AM
  #12  
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Originally Posted by DeerandbearhoG
I always aim for the heart but not necessarily cause Im trying to hit it, I aim there cause I find deer often drop down at the sound of the shot , if they do, I still hit the lungs (which I prefer) if not, I still get the heart and lower lungs.
I agree with Derandbearhog. If I am in a position to take a heart shot I prefer it. I was trained to aim small and miss small. If the deer does jump the string he will lower causing the arrow to take out a lung in a worst case scenario as compared to aiming at the lungs have him lower and sending the arrowing through his loins or over his back.
I hunt from 25 - 30 ft so most of my close shots are angled hard downward in which the lung shot is the best option by aiming within 3 inches of the spine to take out the near lung high and the far lung low. At 15 -20 yds they don't have a chance to jump my arrow traveling over 320 fps especially coming down on them.
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Old 07-05-2010, 11:09 AM
  #13  
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There are a plethora of different angles to aim at depending on what you're trying to hit and how high you are off the ground. For a basic ground level idea on what I aim at, view the pic below:



It's my basic low lung shot. If I were aiming at the heart, I'd be slightly more towards the front and a hair lower. I like shown aiming reference, because after the hit it leaves a good blood trail. When you have an entrance wound lower in the chest, it fills with blood and pours out easier. If you get a hit above the 1/2 way mark, then your blood trails are not as obvious, with sometimes being non-existent.

Picture the chest being split into 3 parts. I aim a hair under the lower third mark... or the top of the bottom region.(bottom 1/3)

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Old 07-05-2010, 11:54 AM
  #14  
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Both will kill, but the lungs give you a bigger target
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Old 07-05-2010, 07:35 PM
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In law enforcement they say aim at center mass, because it's the biggest target. I follow the same logic and aim for the middle of the lungs.
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Old 07-06-2010, 02:39 AM
  #16  
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I used to have that same philosophy aiming for center mass with a bow. Just my opinion and for my particular issues on aiming. If your target shooting you have a dot or somekind of point of aim. I've shot too many times just at center mass and not quite hit as good as I thought I did. Take in consideration I don't normally hunt out of a tree stand so that's different.

I aim for the heart. My reason for doing so is I know I'm holding a perfect bead on the animal and not just trying to get it in there. Doing so the last 10 bow kills I've made have resulted in 3 heart hits and 7 just outside the heart. One was a bear out of a tree stand so I adjusted aim to hit the heart. It's vital for me to aim this way because I'm concentrating hard on my shot and form more than just putting up a quick lung shot. Nothing has went very far after being shot either compared to how I was shooting before. For me I have to aim at that one spot or it seems to go bad.
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Old 07-06-2010, 03:05 AM
  #17  
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the lungs because the heart is one of my favorite parts to eat!
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Old 07-06-2010, 03:26 AM
  #18  
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A heart w/ a broadhead hole through it, is perfectly edible to eat unless it died in dirty water. You should slice it before cooking anyway to clean the coagulated blood out.
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Old 07-06-2010, 06:18 AM
  #19  
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Originally Posted by robbcayman

In law enforcement they say aim at center mass, because it's the biggest target. I follow the same logic and aim for the middle of the lungs.
blackelk already touched on it, but having a large target isn't as nice as one would think.

Having several boxes of 3-D archery trophies, I can tell you now that I'd have much less of them if I didn't have a small aiming reference to aim at. Whether it be a crease on the target, a shadow line or another person's arrow, they all helped me where to aim at. The same goes for a deer. While often it's hard to pick a small aiming reference on a larger target like a live deer, practicing and concentrating at hitting a small spot will ensure more accurate hits, instead of just aiming at "center mass". During crunch time it's also better to have your mind focused on something to help ease the adrenaline, ie, buck fever!

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Old 07-06-2010, 07:57 AM
  #20  
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THANKS! I thank you all for some great input on my question and will hopefully make the best choice of shots in each different situation which presents itself. I know when the moment presents itself various factors will ultimately determin the choice one makes as regards the shot he or she takes. I appreciate your many insights shared. Good Hunting To All
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