Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting You a lung or shoulder shooter?

Just curious as to most folk's preference, assuming a typical broadside shot with whatever centerfire rifle and load it is that you prefer.

Myself, I just automatically go right the the back edge of the shoulder. I suppose it's the way I was brought up, to aim for the middle of vitals for the most margin for placement error. If the angle calls for it, I'll certainly enter or exit on a shoulder and often do, but I very rarely try to hit both shoulders on a broadside presentation. I hunted with a guy with weekend that shot his doe at 25 yards, right in the onside shoulder and the 150gr Core-Lokt from his 30-06 was none too friendly to the groceries.

As most lung/heart shot animals typically do, my deer generally run a short distance, which I really don't mind, so long as they leave me something like this:



That was the shot impact site from Saturday evening and the hit was about two inches behind the shoulder at 160yds with a 200gr Ballistic Tip from my .338 Win Mag. My daughter Kate and I shot a buck that I thought needed to come out.



He was a 3.5 year old wearing a fairly runty forkhorn rack with browtines. Some would call him a "management buck", but we generally just say "he really needed killing". It was still a fun hunt and he's already in the freezer, so it turned out just fine. We also made a stalk on some does so that Kate could get a shot, only to get busted at the last second by a herd of hogs that snuck in to about 20 yards behind us. It was quite the commotion when they finally winded us.

Back to the original topic, what do you like in a broadside rifle shot on a deer and why?

If I have the opportunity to place the shot well, I generally will go for the lungs right behind the shoulder. Sometimes they run, but not far and generally leak plenty of blood. I agree its a good asafe shot, with lots of margin for error.

If I am hunting where I don't want an animal to run, like public land on opening day (lots of hunters) or near a property line I shoot for the shoulder, a little higher than I do for the lungs. its always a DRT, although a little meat is lost.

been a lung guy myself for a long time. In fact, as I think back on it, I have never done the shoulder thing. Always lung. A 40-80 yard track and there he lays. I have thought about the shoulder deal, but loss of meat and habit have prevented it so far. I am anxious to read the shoulder shooters thoughts.

Good point on the public land issue. Now that I think about it, I have shot for shoulders when it was raining. Blood is kind of hard to follow in a downpour.....

I've never shot for shoulders. I always go for the lungs. The times I've hit a shoulder or two was always an accident.

Shoulders. Bone fragments are like a grenade in the boiler room and the do not go far when the front end is out of commission. Very little meat loss and they very often drop at the shot. If not, it is a very short track and they leave just a good a blood trail as lung shot, in my experience. Have no trouble with either but when possible, I go for the shoulder. TM

Generally - lungs. If I need to anchor one for a specific reason (too close to a neighbor that won't allow recovery, etc.) then shoulders become an option. My "favorite" is quartering away to allow vitals and then the off side shoulder. Best of both worlds for me but obviously it's not always possible.

Nice cull JPro.

I try for lungs, but am the first to admit I get shook many times and hold the x on the front end

Ithey are in an open or semi open area, I'll go for the lungs to minimize meat loss. If they are standing close to brush, which is usually the case, I go for the shoulder to prevent having to crawl thru snake-infested thornbrush to find them.

Shoulder shooter if at all possible. Too many hunters in PA to have him walk. With hunter numbers dropping, I dont worry bout it as much anymore. But if I think theres others around, I want him anchored right there.

Yep, somewhere between the middle and the front; that's about all you can ask for sometimes!

I am typically a lung shooter, I will hold on the shoulders when I am close to the property line.

When I'm confident of the shot, I prefer head shots. Then heart/lungs.

The philosophy behind my approach is, for whatever circumstances, to shoot the most vital thing I'm confident I can hit while staying away from as much edible meat as possible.

Tom

I would agree but with one minor change property line canyon....

Rifle I shoot high shoulder / neck / head. I hate tracking at all
Bow I shoot lungs.

I make up for lost meat in volume of deer killed. I don't get much out of the front shoulders anyway. Usually kill around 10.

Yeah, I can see where your location makes a difference.

A normal hunter here can buy an over the counter buck tag for the western half of the state. For the eastern half, its drawing only and success varies from almost certain to only one tag per 10 years or more of trying to draw. I person can't have both tags in the same year. one buck, period. Some units allow draw of an antlerless/spike tag. The rate is generally a successful draw every 2nd to 5th year.

In other words, getting 2 deer the same year here is pretty unlikely. What is normal in other places seems wanton waste here.

Tom

Equal opportunity shooter. What ever looks the best at the moment.

I am a high shoulder shot guy. In the past i was a lung/heart shooter but then i saw the effects of a shoulder shot and have since always taken that shot when possible. I had a deer move over a ridge once on a lung shot and was claimed by another hunter. For me i like DRT.

High shoulder junction/base of neck....bout 6" from the top of the junction.

It'll be light out right there.

Yep, that's pretty much my approach as well.