Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Shoulders

K-I've long been an arm pit shooter, or more so a behind the shoulder shooter unless the angle gives me a point). Just the way I was trained I guess.

Quite often I/we catch a shoulder or both fronts. Now I could be wrong here but it seems to me that I see no diff tween when we hit the fronts or don't. At times the critter will hop around a bit and or ramble off. Or if we hit the front/fronts and the critter hits the turf it still does the chicken for a while(which certainly isn't the end of the world to me).

And when we hit the lungs it seems to me that the critter will either do a short dash, and or hit the turf and be down and out now. With no chicken dancing though, it's pure plain lights out!

Guess what I'm asking anyone who cares to chime in. How often when you hit the shoulders do you see the game go right down? And how often does the critter take a short hike on you?

My memory may not be the greatest but I just don't see the critters hit the turf right now when I hit the shoulder/shoulders as I do when I hit the lungs with speed.

Appreciate your comments and experiences.

Thx

Dober

I almost always go for shoulders. I've had 1 black bear run on me, and that was an behind the shoulder double lung shot. All shoulders have dropped.

The longest run I've had deer do were double lung shots. More drops with shoulder shots. That said, I don't have enough kills with behind the shoulder to compare. I've had double lungers drop also.

I think much has to do with the bullet also and obviously every critter is different. I never saw a downside with breaking running gear.

If you hit both shoulders lower than the mid-point, often you'll only fringe the vitals. A lot of it depends on where the animal's legs are positioned, and the animal itself, though.

I once shot a big mule deer through both shoulders about 1/3 of the way up the body at 300 yards with a .280 Remington and 150 Partition. The bullet exited, naturally, but the deer was a long way from dead. It collapsed at the shot and after pushing itself along by the hind legs for a few feet, actually stood up briefly, even though both shoulders were broken, then fell again. I had to finished it off with another shot. If it had been a bighorn ram near a cliff it could easily have gone over the side.

Pigs, however, have their heart and lungs a little further forward than deer, and a shot in the same place is always suddenly fatal.

If I want to put an animal down right now with a shoulder shot, I am about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up the body, where the spine is between the shoulderblades. How far up depends on he animal. Some animals have more or less of a shoulder hump, so require a little different hold.

Mountain goat comes to mind. I'm seen them hump shot and it ain't pretty.

I started aimimg for shoulders about 10 years ago on the advice of a hunter who I respected.

I have found more cases of the animal hitting the turf while aiming for shoulders than with slightly behind.

But... I have found no hard and fast rule. If I have found anything, it is that every situation and animal can be different.

The one thing I can say though is that ALL cases of the animal going right down without a twitch have been CNS shots. All shots on the shoulder where the animal goes right down theres always a "chicken dance" and leg kicks.

I think the go to shot to anchor any animal is high on the shoulders. 1/3 from the top. Take out both shoulders and break the spine. The animal may not be lights out dead and require a finishing shot, but it is not going anywhere.

All lung/heart shots dead run and drop. Usually under 50yds. Hit an antelope with a 257 last year in lungs with a BT. No exit wound and ran almost 100 yards.When I dressed out the lungs were soup and top of heart missing. Amazing how tough some animals are.

Shoulder shots, especially a bit forward and close to neck(CNS) , have resulted in a drop or a very short run. Wt buck in Montana this year shot in the forward shoulder/ neck area about 400 yds. He was standing about 50 yds from a property line and was chasing a doe. I chose a neck area shot to drop him. I shot and thought I missed because he wasn't in scope. Buddy who was spotting said it did a complete flip and landed on it's back stone dead.

I've shot them straight through the heart (couldn't find the heart when field dressing) and have had them run another 30-50 yds, but the last elk I shot was a "high on the shoulder" shot and it went DRT. I pulled the shot (I'll admit when I'm off) because my pack straps were in the way, but the bull went straight down faster than I've ever seen one go down before. It wasn't just because I was using my 338 either, a good shot from my 30-06 would have had the same effect, sorry to say (the shot was around 85 yards or so).

Personally, I am an equal opportunity shooter - behind shoulder or on the shoulder with a self induced cartridge threshold in play.

IMHO I would offer this by saying from the big game I have shot and witnessing other hunter kills, shoulder shots with a good constructed bullet dropped larger big game (elk, caribou, bear, moose) more consistently than shoulder shots on goat, sheep, antelope and deer.

Of course there is always the exception....

I am an armpit shooter. I aim to put the bullet in the lungs, but only just above the heart

I guess I do not see a lot of difference with shoulder(s) hit or just behind. I would hate to say more run off a short ways with one over the other. I will say though that even with a decent hit though just a tad back I have had to chase deer too far. A shoulder shot can deflect and miss vitals and then you have a three legged run off that can be very hard to catch up with.

I prefer three quarters to or away so I can run the bullet just above the heart and get both lungs too without touching shoulders, but you don't always get that.

If I cannot put the bullet close enough to the heart to rupture it I tend to keep it as high as a high shoulder shot and forward so I get the big vessels and it bleeds out almost as fast. When hit there, they often will do the sag/knees buckle and go down in place. That looks a lot different than the flop that come with the high shoulder hit. I only use a high shoulder when I have to be sure it goes down in place and stays there, I don't like losing the meat.

I am a shoulder shooter. I have never had a deer/antelope run anywhere when both shoulders were broken. If only one shoulder is broken I have had them run a short ways.

I have also had to shoot several deer behind the front the shoulder and they have all run off but one. This past season I shot a doe behind the front shoulder standing between two trees with a 130 grain BT from a 270 WSM. The doe hit the ground but did raise her head a couple times before giving it up.

Dink

High shoulders, aiming for spine, IMHO, leaves no upper vertical room for error. Just a statement.

As to running, in certain circumstances I can see having to drop an animal. Moose on edge of water, goat on cliff etc..

Other than that I see no need, but then again I've said before, I'm not averse to trailing an animal, its part of the complete hunt package for me. I actually enjoy the puzzle.

As for me, IF I shoot an animal somewhere other than the head, its typically that lower chest shot that you have used Mark. Its never let me down either.

The reason I always try to shoot shoulders is the deer leases here are not very big and if a deer gets off your lease your done. There is a very good chance the adjoining lease will not let you look for your deer.

Dink

On deer and elk I see about a 50/50 short dash or DRT when shot through both the shoulders or just behind the shoulder.

Straight double lunger for me and I do not have enough data for shoulder shot. I just don't do it.Very seldom have I had any animla go more than 50-60 yds with a double lunger.But have seen other hunters take shoulder shots where the animal runs of on three legs. Not pretty

I grew up being taught to shoot behind the shoulder, double lung shots were the norm, and so was the deer running. Some didn't go far, some did. It seemed to be chance at best as to if it was far or short.

I decieded to try shoulder shots this year and read JB's advice given in another thread concerning the aim 2/3rds up. I shot two whitetail this year hitting 2/3rds up and both drop in thier tracks. One kicked on the ground for a little bit, the other just dropped and bled out.

For deer I want to anchor I feel pretty good about a neck shot or JB's 2/3rds up shoulder shot.

Hi Mark, I go high in the shoulders if it's right and I'm near a river, bayou or something I don't want the animal getting into.

This usually gets the lower spine and there is no chicken dance to watch and I don't get to swim bayous to find deer.

If it lands too far back, you will mess up straps and loin.

Below is where I try to pop 'em. One thing for sure, it will tell you what your bullets are made of, especially on pigs.

To me it depends on the weapon and the angle.

Yellow is gun
Red is archery



Notice no red on this last one?

Swampy's..........

gawd that's funny..