Better to "miss" (but still hit) high, or low?
 

I'm a newish hunter and use a 1960's rifled slug gun with an aperture sight (which limits my shots to about 60 yards). I'm deadeye for windage but have trouble estimating distance for elevation.

Assuming the shot could be as much as 4 inches low from the aiming point (an extreme case that hasn't happened often in practice), which of the following would seem better?

1.) Aim high (but still "on" the deer) and perhaps hit a bit higher than expected if the drop is less than expected, or,

2.) Aim right where I'd prefer to hit, and risk hitting low if the drop is more than expected.

I'd be interested in any thoughts on that, as well as any other ways to compensate for unknown distance/drop.

Thanks in advance!

Matthew

:popcorn:

I'll just grab some popcorn...

At 60 yards, you "should be" hitting where you are aiming.

Do you know this one - "Aim small, Miss small"

Aim for the middle of the chest. If you're 4 inches high or 4 inches low you still have a dead deer.

At 60 yards, the front bead of my aperture sight completely (but barely) covers a paper plate. I can reliably get a shot into it but not necessarily the center.

Grabs a coke and a smile and settles in with ya to watch the show :D

How long does a hunter last,
 

if he misses his shot completely or doesn't down a deer with a hitting shot. With groups of young hunters the pressure is on to make good shots. The countdown to a hunters future is closely watched by fellow hunters. How long one lasts with fellow hunters, may mean how long one last with his hunting buddies and how long one lasts in hunting, entirely.

You might want a slug scope with cross hairs from 50yds to 300yds...

leupold ultimate slam 3-9x

and a range finder?

At 60 yards your rifled slug gun should be right on, mine can hit a target fairly accurately out to 200 yards, i have a newer one with a scope. Maybe get a range finder, like was mentioned, or a new gun as yours might be worn out? Good luck & welcome to the board Midwestmatthew.

I hunt alone, so there's no pressure to deal with other than my own need to fill the freezer. I also don't have funds for any more equipment, so what I've got will have to do. It was good enough last year, as the only deer I ever shot at went down in his tracks. Obviously I wouldn't take a shot at all if I didn't think it was a humane one no matter what, but knowing how to handle the margin for error is important in any discipline and that's what I was hoping to get advice for here.