I like the double shoulder knuckle shot. I have shot quite a few critters in the "armpit" and double lung, but they always go farther than I'd like, sometimes surprisingly far.
Granted, most of the deer I have shot are with shotguns or handguns, so speed and projectile is a definite part of the equation.
I have had several animals hit through the running gear, with minimal soft tissue wounds, not go a step with large frontal area/minimal destruction bullets, despite being very much alive. Paralyzed, for the most part.
When hunting out of state, the use of different rifles and bullets haven't really changed my views on "ideal". I want two broken front shoulders and a nice blood trail, although a frangible bullet in the lung area can give hammer-like kills that are pretty cool.
