Getting too close / shots other than broadside

[Shawn Leonard]

Joe my point exactly. I have made that shot several times and maybe I am lucky but never lost an animal with that shot. I am not talking straight on as some seem to think, I have gotten an exit all but one time I believe and non went very far. I would not attempt this shot at anything over 10-12 yards and this post was talking closer than that. Too each their own, but I feel it is not that tough a shot at close range and for guys say "oh too much can go wrong" I say the same on a broadside shot at say 25 yards. If you are confident in the shot, I say take it, if not by all means pass. I myself will no doubt take the shot if all feels good at the moment of truth. Shawn

[Shawn Leonard]

By the way it better than trying to sneak it behind the shoulder and gut shooting an animal. Also a lot has to do with your ability to track and just be able to find deer in general. I hate to say it but I have made plenty of bad hits over the years for various reason, jumping the string, hitting an unseen branch, just flat out yank at the shot, I manage to find most of them because I read the animals body language after the hit, I than read the sign left, blood,hair gut and than determine my best course of action for recovering that animal. I am sorry but if we preach to much about only taking perfect shots than a lot of guys will never kill anything. Take shots you and only you are comfortable with and than use all your skills to recovery the animal. It really does not need to be as complicated as some seem to want to make it. Trad Archer, you kind of make my point at the end of your paragraph, it will not all come together if you never make up your mind to shoot. It takes experience and I have a bit and I know that if I waited when I was young for that perfect shot, It would of taken me years to kill m first deer with a bow. I am not advocating anything here but for one to decide what they are comfortable with and make up there own mind. I have no problem with him for not taking the shot but that was not his question. Shawn

[xtrema312]

The only quartering to shot I will take is the one where I think it is broadside and find out later it was not.  I have done that a couple times. Maybe it turned a little on the shot or was just such a slight angle I didn't realize it until I saw the hole alignment.  

I think a frontal shot to the base of the neck is a killing shot. Lower in the sternum or into the ribs could be a problem. Finding a blood trail with a frontal hit will be the trick unless it is a high angle shot, and doing that without hitting a deer too low, in the head or shoulder if it moves would be difficult with a trad bow.  I do know someone who did it, but he would say to this day he should never have done it. He lost his head on the biggest buck he ever saw.  It was very close and looking back at a doe during the rut so totally distracted, and the shot worked out. He was lucky and would say so.

I do see the point about the offset frontal shot.  That could work if you are a good shot and the animal is standing in the same spot when it hits.  For me, I will leave that shot to gun hunting although I never took that shot with a gun.  Deer just move to fast for me to try anything but an ideal shot angle with a bow.

[ChuckC]

The problem with espousing shots like this is that some of us are attempting to pass on information to folks with less experience and to pass on realistic expectations.  

Fact is you can shoot a deer in the kidney and get good blood and death, you can slide a sharp broadhead in from behind and sever a femoral artery, great blood, quick death, you can put one between its eyes and drop it on the spot, if you put it right behind its skull you will likely drop it, a liver hit will kill it and likely leave a good blood trail if you get two holes. SHooting straight down into the chest will maybe get you a heart and one lung, and you may even drop it with a spine shot.  Get a bit lucky and put an arrow thru its guts but sever the aorta and it will bleed out quickly, albeit not likely much trail.  Should we be practicing these shots ?  It opens the game up to even more dead deer possibilities !

Lots of ways CAN do it and HAVE been done it.  That doesn't mean I myself am gonna tell those that are asking that they are a good viable shot to take.

We sit here every day and zitch about some folks (oh, but not us) taking 60, 70, 80 yard shots, but hey, they do it and often kill stuff. Its right there on the video.   Should we be saying that's OK to the folks asking for guidance ?

Some of us (I am not claiming this status) are very experienced hunters, been doing it a long time, can do things others can't and pushing the envelope at that point is something you yourself can do. .  but don't tell the new folks that this is OK.  Once they have experience, both at shooting and at shooting at game, as well as with game animal physiology they can make other choices.

ChuckC

[LB_hntr]

I think something that has to be considered is will you feel good about yourself if you take the shot. i am not going to lie, i have taken shots that i wish i didnt. out of those 3 shots i only found 1 of them and im a pretty good and determined trailer. But after all 3 of those shots i remeber saying to myself "man, im an idiot, i know better, i should of waited or let it walk, stupid!!!!" Its been many years since those shots. I remeber them like it was yesterday. I will not take a "LOW MARGIN" shot ever again. If killing an animal was the most important reason for me to be in the woods I would not be carrying a traditional bow. I have passed countless opportuninties on animals becasue the angle was bad or they were right under me and every night i go to bed feeling good about the kind of hunter I am. Im my opinion that last statement is the most important descion maker. If you can know you will not be happy with yourself for taking a shot and it going bad, dont take the shot. Being in the woods is about experiences you have. I would like the least amount of bad experiences as possible even if it means letting a critter pass by.

I dont mean to offend or upset anyone that feels differently and most likely a person like that is a much better shot under pressure than i am. But for my capablities and peice of mind, i choose no low margin shots.

[pdk25]

Hard to argue with Shawn's logic.  It comes down to knowing your capabilities in all facets of the hunt.

[pdk25]

[Shawn Leonard]

It is fine for new folks, they should shoot enough to know wether they can make the shot or not ecspecially at very close range. Sorry but I know a lot of folks on here waiting to kill their first anything and if we preach only perfect shots, guess what they will be waiting a long time. I am not advocating taking crazy long shots or head on shots. We are talking about the shot that was asked about in the original question. I think he did the 100% right thing if he was not comfortable with it, but he obviously is wondering about it now. I am saying the next time that same shot presents itself he may feel differently and take that shot, which quite honestly is not all that risky at that close. You need to get experience and guess what, if you are that new at the game, than broadside shot at 20 yards may have a lot worst outcome, shoulder, guts whatever. Deer arenot that hard to kill, sorry look at their skeleton, only one real hard part and thatis the shoulder and leg bone at that joint. Do as you feel you need to do, I still sayif you keep waiting for that perfect shot, you may wait a very long time. i myself like to kill deer and have done so witha  ton of different shot angles, which not a whole lot out of the 150 plus deer I have killed were perfectly broadside. Shawn

[ChuckC]

Shaun, that's part of the game.  You can say the same thing about shooting at longer range, or thru thick brush or anything else.  Why not try it, you may never kill a deer if you don't just fling arrows.

Yup, just stick an arrow thru it, it will be fine.
ChuckC

[amicus]

Im with Shawn, if it feels right and your confident about your ability, take the shot. I like to practice those head on shots you just never now when you need to make it happen.