Straight down shot at a PY-yes or no?

[TSHOOTER]

No I wouldn't.  I have before but not again.

[indianalongbowshooter]

I passed on a 160 class buck last week was directly under my stand for 20 min., then he just walked off, not worth losing him would rather let him go and take a chance at him later, maybe...

[K.S.TRAPPER]

Be there done that never again  :(   Not saying it wont work but you did the right thing Dan.

Tracy

[Shawn Leonard]

The decision is yours, no one else was there. If you know you can kill him, than shoot you must of known ya would not kill him. I go on my first instinct. If my mind says shoot I do. I had a 140"+ ten point at 35 yards yesterday a huge buck where I hunt and I chose not to shoot. Head down feeding in an open field and very relaxed. I keep kicking myself because right after I said no don't shoot I said I can make this shot. I went with my first feeling though. Shawn

[pooahl]

I lost a buck doing that a few years back, just the way everyone here has described with a one-lung hit and several hours of futile searching. Seemed reasonable at the time, but I've thought about it a few times since, and I can't see taking that shot again. And I haven't since.

[Gordon martiniuk]

No! not a very  good chance with any Bow NO!  

[jonsimoneau]

I had the same situation early this season on a big buck that I have seen during july.  He stood directly under my stand, and I declined the shot.  Sure I really wanted him, but I don't regret not taking the shot.  If you don't get a complete passtrhough on that shot, it's going to be extremely difficult to find that deer IF you even kill it.  You made the right choice.

[heydeerman]

There is alot of goodies to hit from that angle. I have killed 3 or 4 deer straight down. Never lost one.

You have the spine which is actually a good shot if you hit it. Might not kill em but they aint going nowhere. Make sure you have a couple more arrows.

Arteries running down the back. Hit one of them they wont go far. You will proly watch em go down.

Then you have all the vitals. Chances are if you go thru the back and hit the vitals you got a dead deer.

IMO just as good as a broadside shot. Just not the ideal shot.

[Biggie Hoffman]

NO

[Fallguy]

You can"t guarantee a 1 lung hit. I know of a shot like this that skated around the rib cage. It cut the hide for 12"-14" the deer did not survive. It was found a month later dead from what look like sever infection.

[trapperDave]

thats a shot I WONT take regardless of the deer.

[Sharpster]

No, never, on any deer.  

Spine is too small of a target and it's nearly impossible to hit both lungs from this angle. Could possibly hit the heart but again, that's a pretty small target too.

While a double lung hit deer can't make it too far, a deer hit in just one lung can go a looongg way! If you don't get a pass through, (and you probably won't) you're in for a very tough tracking job and there's a good chance of never recovering an animal that will most certainly not survive.

For me, the risk just outweighs the chance of success. JMO

Ron

[Big Dave]

NO

[RRock]

A quick humane kill is what we should be looking for. A spine shot deer is NOT that.

[amar911]

I once shot a deer that had walked directly below my stand. The arrow went between his right shoulder blade and his spine and came out low in his chest, as he was walking away from me a couple of yards from my tree stand. Although I searched for the next two days, I never found the deer, but I was sure he eventually died.

A month later during gun season, a young fellow killed a deer with a rifle that look just like the deer I had shot, including an unusual set of antlers. The deer was killed less than a half mile from where I shot the one from my stand. On further examination it was observed that the dead deer had a been shot exactly where mine had been hit and carried the marks of entry and exit wounds from a three blade broadhead like the Thunderhead I had been shooting. Obviously, it was the same deer that I thought I had killed and did not. That shows you how tough those animals are and how uncertain a straight down shot can be even when the deer is hit exactly like you tried to hit it. I probably won't try that shot again.

Allan

[John Nail]

Well done. Pope and Young should have NOTHING to do with it.

[Mike Gerardi]

No!

[DAGATOR]

My answer is NO!
I took two shots straight down on deer while hunting Blackbeard Island this month. I tried to put my arrow between the shoulder blades both times. I hit where I was aiming, but I only got three inches deep. I pull about a 60lb. bow. Was heart breaking to see each deer bound away with a full lenght arrow sticking straight up in the air! One arrow simply fell out (broadhead too) after 70 yards. I will never take that shot again.
Clay

[wtpops]

I could not say if i would or not i have never had a shot opertunity like that. I will say that i will take any shot that i feel confertable will get into the vitals. If i know in my heart and mind that it will make a quick and clean kill i will take it.

[KSdan]

Note the consensus!  NO.  Thanks everyone for input. . . I have never shot straight down and I guess I won't.

Also, not trying to tell guys what to do, but- noticed some say they wait until the moment, then decide.  I am not sure that is best.  Like other ethical issues, it would seem best to decide before hand.  Emotions/passion has a funny (and fearful) way of leading folks wrong.

My 2C and thanks again

Dan