There is very little meat on the shoulder of an average white tail...don't sweat the small stuff.
I worry more about getting their carcus in the back of the truck with as little tracking as possible.
I always aim for the off side shoulder or through both shoulders on a broadside shot. Deer can and do run a long ways when lung shot. Perhaps 50% or more deer run when shot through the lungs, and deer running dead in thick cover makes for a lot of wasted time...often not recovering the deer if the buck is pumped up from chasing a doe in the rut.
It always has amazed me at how many people think that lung shots(staying away from shoulders) is the best shot to take.
I have lost two really good bucks that were lung shot at distances between 200-325 yards. My theory is to shoot the running gear out from underneath them so that you have something to eat...not how much you have to eat.
