Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters "Shifting" Vitals?

I've read articles by more than a couple gunwriters where they caution not to shoot at bedded big game animals because when they lay down their vitals "shift" and are easy to miss.

My gut tells me the vitals don't actually shift, only our usual aiming points do. What say you? Have you ever had trouble killing bedded animals?

No.

I would think no, unless you are a 'gut' shooter.

Or an azz shooter.

Never had an issue with shooting bedded critters.

+1

No, but I'm not big on doubtful shots and I've never hunted exotics.

On the other hand I remember Bob Hagel's stories (with pictures) about how easy it is to confuse an animal's position - in black timber an animal looking over its shoulder may look like an an animal facing the hunter. The early blur and wishful thinking has led to any number of mistaken shots and it's easy to believe some of those shooters were confused by the animal's position. I can well imagine a novice or somebody who had his guide do all the processing could make a mistake.

For some reason the hunting show stars on the Outdoor Network are not allowed to shoot bedded animals, but those that I have shot in such a position never got up.

no vitals dont shift but at that point with a deer size critter the hear is only a few inches off the ground few animals, camels being an exception, lay flat on their sternum so the vitals are now sitting at an angle to the ground and not quite in the normal position you think of when the deer is standing....the vitals havent shifted, the animals position has....

Just a Hunter,

No doubt the TV-show stars aren't allowed to shoot bedded animals because of the lack of "action." You can't film them falling!

One of the most successful and knowledgeable deer hunters I know has killed several deer bedded down. He mostly still-hunts in the hills and hollows of WV and uses a "well seasoned" Browning BLR in 308. I have no idea where he shoots the deer but nevertheless, has had no trouble taking deer or loosing sleep over shooting them while bedded down. For what it's worth, he is a true woodsman and the guy could sneak up on a mirror on dry leaves before his image appears. I have told my buds that if I walked up on a mature buck and could kill him while bedded, then I really did the ultimate or he really messed up.

Does your heart change position inside your chest when you lay down to sleep? Whoever said that the vitals move must have had his brain permanently move from his body.

The visual aiming point appears to change - simply because we're not used to shooting animals laying down - we don't have the crease behind the shoulder to aim at, or any other "standard" shot presentation. I've shot plenty of critters laying down - just know where the vitals are in relation to the critter's position.

More like shifting marksmanship!

Instead of shooting "across" the vitals, we tend to hit them "down through" the vitals while lying down. Similar to shooting from a treestand with a bow.