The "Shoulder Shot"
 

QUOTE=rab123;3727978]get some heavily constructed bullets and put a high shoulder shot on them.should drop em on the spot.is the no hunting public land next to his blind open for walking or mushroom hunting?if it is,let the cpo know you are going there to walk or photograph.just get there early to make sure he is in his blind.i beleive in live and let live,but i also beleive in payback.[/QUOTE]

seen this on the tread "pisses me off"

I have been hunting for close to 60yrs, and could never understand the "shoulder shot" many people are taught this, I have seen so many deer "shoulder shot" and then tracked all day and in many cases never recovered, I for one think it is about the worst shot a person can take, JMOP Doc

seen this on the tread "pisses me off"

I have been hunting for close to 60yrs, and could never understand the "shoulder shot" many people are taught this, I have seen so many deer "shoulder shot" and then tracked all day and in many cases never recovered, I for one think it is about the worst shot a person can take, JMOP Doc[/QUOTE]


Doc,

I would have to disagree to some extent. I always go for a traditional behind the shoulder shot, but my dad has mastered this shoulder shot IMO. He shot his past 5 deer this way and all of them dropped on the spot, including one that I witnessed on a hunt in Kansas. I am not completely comfortable doing it due to the possibility of an error on my part, but if done correctly it is extremely effective.

Doesn't tick me off. Its dead on. Espeically a quartering too shot. Only times I have had to track is when shot with a 30-30. I hate a 30-30.

If you had to track a high shoulder shot, you missed the right place.

I always try and slip it in right behind the shoulder. My grandpa swears by his neck shots. He's been shooting deer for 70 years now and every deer he's shot in my memory has been in the neck. He's used a .30-40 Krag, .30-06, .30-30, and .44 mag. His deer always drop, and he's said he's only ever lost one. So I guess that shot works well for him. I've never tried it, just because my chest shots work well for me. But he took my sister out this past year and told her where to aim. She shot two doe, both right in the neck. And both dropped where they stood.
-Jake

Some things are just too hard
 

to understand. Anyone who perfected the one shot; immediate knockdown, knows. It never mattered to them how many people didn't know.

You fellas, keep tracking, here.

A high shoulder shot is nothing more than a spine shot.

If ya never recovered them how do you know where they were hit ?

A high shoulder spine shot will take down nearly anything instantly. But hey its my opinion based on a bit of hunting myself.

All the deer that I have hit directly in the shoulder went down where they stood. A deer hit just behind the shoulder I have had to track for about 50 yards. The main problem I saw with the should is it's pretty much gone.

If your trying to save meat, Behind the SHOULDER, If you don't mind tearing up the Shoulders a little bit, Right on the SHOULDER, my uncle taught me this one and I had to disagree. However a few days later I tryed it on a big doe at 260 yrds. n she dropped on the spot with my .270

I agree, and a tough shot it is, but a hit in the spine (as others have said) will drop just about anything, but the topic was "SHOULDER SHOT" and anyone that would opt for a shoulder shot rather than Heart/lung hasn't spent a lot of time hunting, Doc

I always aim for the shoulder. Drops 'em!!!

I spend every available minute of the fall hunting, and have for over 30 years. Before we had more options, in the southern tier here 12 gauge slugs were the required weapon. I have heart shot a totally unknown # of deer. Even with the devastating 12 gauge slug, the deer would be guaranteed to run a good piece: even if dead on its feet, quite literally. The heart is very low in the cavity, and with small margin of error (similar to a brain shot) it is easy to miss forward or under. I also like to eat the heart. Why ruin it?
A high (actually just behind the shoulder) takes out the lungs, shocks the spine and instantly drops em, while still leaving margin of error. The same shot placement works darn nice on bears too.

I don't like to mess up meat and don't like to track deer. The last 8 deer I shot I had one head shot, two behind the shoulder shot and 5 neck shots. Both behind the shoulder shots were late in the afternoon with very poor light, they ran about 50 yards and the other six didn't run a step..

I also don't like to mess up meat, but use a 30-06 so its quite difficult.

I will do a neck shot (DIRECTLY) behind the head. generaly breaking their neck/spinal cord and instantly dropping them.

If its a large deer with a nice size neck, i will do a heart/lung shot as i do not eat heart. Which will also drop them where they stand, unless i use the 12gauge with a pumpkin ball aka Slug. that does not come apart, so therefore they probibly will run about 30-60 yards untill they bleed out.

Depending on where I am hunting at depends on what weapon i use.

I started the post and have enjoyed the response, and these are the same answers I have received over the years, different people/same answer, I really think the answer is that it is a relatively easy shot and if lucky the deer will drop quickly, but I have seen many deer hit in the shoulder and not even slow down, and any of you who have hunted for any length of time have seen the same, whereas a heart lung placement they are down on the spot or with in a few yards, I have always encouraged shot placement, and have dispatched most of my deer with one shot, and am disappointed if more than one is needed. I can't remember anyone in our group who have dispatched a deer with a single shot to the shoulder. if it is the only shot you got, Well., OK, I understand,, but if afforded a heart lung shot it is the shot to take, as to it being a hard shot, Heck, you got a "pie plate" target, not a hard shot at all. I cannot disagree the neck shot, that will tip them over in a hurry, but that is what I consider a tough shot, but again, if it is the only shot you got, well,, you know your ability, Good Luck Doc

Any deer I've shot in the neck has also dropped right there. But that shot isn't my first preference because of the margin of error being smaller than a body shot. Usually I make the neck shot in closer and if the neck and head are the only things I can draw a good bead on.

Good experienced hunters can take this shot many times (like your grandfather) but it's not a shot I'd recommend to just anyone.

I've always avoided the shoulder shot...just not comfortable with it (but I know it works for some). The shoulder shot also risks ruining more good meat, imo. Behind the shoulder is the best high-percentage spot of the deer. It's the biggest kill area and there are several vitals in that area (heart, lungs, liver) that will spell a fairly quick death if any one of them is hit or even nicked.

Well said, A little low "Behind the shoulder" Doc

I too shoot 'em right behind the shoulder but never had them fall on the spot.They never went to far and I always recovered the deer.
When you say "a high shoulder shot" exactly where are you aiming? Do you have a mininium caliber you recommend ?

I aim at the fron shoulder and I've killed about 20 to 25 deer and only two didn't drop in their tracks and those where with a a muzzleloader. I took the shoulder shot with a crossbow and the deer ran off with an arrow sticking in it. Other than that I use a 30-30 and it always gets the job done.

I use a 30-06 with 165 gr Nosler Partitions and if I put one through the boiler room and/or the shoulders they almost always drop in their tracks. The few that have ran, none have gone out of sight. I am personally going for shoulder shots now. I hunt a small parcel and can't afford to lose them off the land.

The spine runs right between the shoulder blades.Deer drop on the spot from a high shoulder shot through the shoulder blades because the spine is taken out.A lower shot through the shoulders is a double lung or heart shot but there's only ribs to go through,no heavy bone.On a broadside shot,there are no heavy bones that you have to go through to hit the vitals.The heavy shoulder bone runs very low,below the chest cavity and in front of the chest cavity.If you hit them on a broadside shot,you missed the vitals.

Very interesting, it is nice to see some shooters responding, To me the "High Shoulder" "Spine Shot" is nothing more than a "lucky miss"
I for one think Shot placement is an important part of hunting. Doc

And that to me is the problem with the "Shoulder Shot" the shoulder bone, all things considered the shoulder bone is a tough nut to crack
and that can result in a run-away deer, now, drop a couple inches and behind the shoulder, ya can almost count on venison, Doc

I hear ya!!! and if it works "Why fix it" were all different (and that is a good thing) You make some good points, I guess I have just been lucky the other way, like I said in a earlier post some of the guys I hunt with swear by it,, we get into some good (heated) discussions about it (and were still hunting together). I sometimes think we get so used to doing things our own way we can't change, but Hay!!! wouldn't the world be a dull place if we all agreed, Good Hunting to ya Doc

It's not the stuipidist place to shoot them.The stupidist place to shoot is to have your bullet or arrow hit the hit area you weren't aiming for in (or intending to hit) in the first place.A behind the shoulder aim has resulted in as many wounded animals hit and lost as any other vital or non vital organ shot a hunter has taken aim on.

I wouldn't worry so much about minimum caliber as long as you are shooting good bullets. minimum caliber being 243 or better.

If you want an animal to fall right where it's standing, aim 4" below the back line, in direct line with the front leg. (on a broadside deer) they will drop right where they are standing.

If you shoot high, you hit spine, if you shoot a little left, you hit lungs. if you shoot a little right, you still will probably hit lungs. Contrary to popular belief, the lungs are between the shoulders, not behind them. (if the deer has one leg forward, then yes the lungs may be a bit behind the shoulder)The shoulders protect the vitals. If you shoot low you will hit the heart.

As far as "meat" loss goes, I have scraped many a shoulder blade for the pittance amount of meat and it's not worth the time.

On public land, you best make your deer DRT, lest you have to arm wrestle someone for it.

This is 2010 the modern internet age. There's no reason for this amount of ignorance.

http://www.rubsnscrapes.com/Articles...nt_anatomy.php

There's a beginning to start from. Edumacion gott muh a dear. hehe

here is an image of a deer . where is everyone aiming ?
everything around the shoulder looks fatal

My Dad taught me "one in the shoulders...done deal", works every time, at least in my experiences. There's no meat in the shoulders anyway.

neck shot
 

wow, cant believe how many of you are just so nonchalant about wasting so much meat.i say hell na to a shoulder shot..whats wrong with a couple inches back ..behind the shoulder...get the double lunger..
personally i like the neck shot, especially when they are looking right at you.
to each there own i guess.