Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Informal poll- do you shoot through the shoulders on deer?

T-loins get left for the vultures.

First let me say that I have never known an
animal to go down instantaneously and stay
down unless hit in brain or spine, and these two
present such small marks that it is unwise in
ordinary circumstances to try for them. Better
to try to break the power of locomotion, the
shoulders, and if we do not manage to totally
disrupt the bony formation our bullets will pass
through the thorax which contains the heart and
lungs.

So what shot placement is the best. Neck shots worked well in this study, but they can be problematic because the target area is very small and there is a risk of wounding associated with the target. Potential problems include a shot to the esophagus or mandible. Also, spine shots can be ruled out as a recommenced shot because few shots are consciously directed at the spine. In other words, most spine shots result from shots that miss their mark high and incidentally hit the spine.

Based on the data collected in this study we feel that the best shot placement for deer is the shot directed at the shoulder. Traveling an average of only 3 yards, deer shot in the shoulder traveled significantly less distance than deer shot in the heart, lungs, or abdomen. Also, with such a short distance of travel, deer shot squarely in the shoulder did not generally leave the hunter's sight. In this study, the broadside shoulder shot essentially gave results similar to what most hunters expect from a neck shot. Presumably the broadside shoulder shot works well because it strikes part of the heart and or lungs which itself is a mortal blow. However, a shot through the scapula damages the brachial plexus which the central nervous system thereby rendering the animal immobile. It knocks the animal out and it never regains consciousness. Also, the shoulder is a very large target offering room for error; a high shot hits the spine, a low shot the heart and a shot to the rear hits the lungs.

We don't get to shoot very many deer here. And I don't like to buy meat at the store. Maybe the meat means more to me than some, in fact I'm SURE it does, but since I started hunting 8 or 9 years ago, my goal has been to shoot vitals while staying out of the meat.