where to aim ? when to shoot ?

[ChuckC]

This topic comes up every year around this time, and for a good reason.  Yeah, the more experienced folks know and have their reasons for what and how they do it, but we also have a lot of folks here that may not know, are newer, or have not yet killed any or many animals via archery.  This is a VERY important topic for them.

Terry has some very good threads tied in the upper reaches of the POW WOW section.  Please, if you have any questions at all, go there and research.  If you still have questions, ask them here.  Someone who is better at this computer stuff may post a link for you.

I know from experience teaching Hunters Ed and Bowhunters Ed classes in WI over the years that most new hunters are told to aim at a certain location and when asked to show us on a large deer cut out, they really are not in the best of spots.  On top of that, very few actually know where all the vitals truly are located.

No shame at all in asking and learning, and in fact NOT learning is a quick way to heartache.  There are a lot of ways to kill a critter but some ways are generally a bit more amenable to quick clean kills and good recoveries.
ChuckC

[joe ashton]

I've been bow hunting for 20+ years.  I will enjoy watching this thread develop.

[bear mike]

Good thread here its funny how many new hunters think the best way to kill an animal is to shoot them in the head. Anyone new to hunting and most importantly a bow and arrow PLEASE DO NOT try to hit a deer or any other big game animal in the head the results can be disaterous and very bad for the animal your trying to kill. I am no expert by no means with traditional gear in fact this is my first go at it this year but I have killed a many animals with wheel bows and firearms. I just mention this because I know of a few young hunters that are just getting started and was told by some so called experienced hunters to shoot for the head for a quick clean kill when a well placed shoot behind the front shoulder will kill humanely with little pain for the animal. Sorry for the long winded post just hate to see animals suffering from a botched shoot at there head.

Thanks Mike

[Wannabe1]

[MEsquivel]

Heres what I do:

I normally let the animal feel comfortable.
Im always ready, arrow knocked and fingers on string because a lot of times, the perfect opportunity happens right away.
To me the perfect shot is when the animal is at a confortable range, broadside or slight quartering away and the front leg thats facing me is a step forward.
I shot right behind the shoulder. I always shoot for lungs, but have made a few heart shots.

[Todd Cook]

On a broadside deer, I've had good luck aiming at the crease of the shoulder, very low. I'm actually aiming at the heart, but I expect to hit a bit higher, in the lungs. 99 percent of the time a deer will move a little as the arrow flies toward them.

Deer are very quick to duck. Even a quiet bow usually makes em get started moving. If you shoot low and forward, anticipating them to move, you'll kill most of them. I've not shot over anything since I started doing this.

If you think about it, how often do you shoot under a deer? It's not easy to do unless you just totally blow the shot. But over the back is a whole other story. Lots of misses or bad hits up there.

This is a tip RC posted a few years back, and it works. He has killed a few of em you know.....

[damascusdave]

I mostly hunt mule deer...they are nowhere near as tightly coiled as a whitetail...looking forward to hunting moose this fall...no need to worry about them jumping string at the shot and a very big kill zone...still from what I have seen one wants to place an arrow low in the zone...those big chest cavities can hold a lot of blood on a higher shot and a dying moose can cover a lot of ground

DDave

[damascusdave]

Originally posted by Todd Cook:
On a broadside deer, I've had good luck aiming at the crease of the shoulder, very low. I'm actually aiming at the heart, but I expect to hit a bit higher, in the lungs. 99 percent of the time a deer will move a little as the arrow flies toward them.

Deer are very quick to duck. Even a quiet bow usually makes em get started moving. If you shoot low and forward, anticipating them to move, you'll kill most of them. I've not shot over anything since I started doing this.

If you think about it, how often do you shoot under a deer? It's not easy to do unless you just totally blow the shot. But over the back is a whole other story. Lots of misses or bad hits up there.

This is a tip RC posted a few years back, and it works. He has killed a few of em you know.....

And a miss low, as long as it does not hit leg bone, is going to be non fatal and the animal will recover quickly...that is also a good reason to fudge things a bit further back from the scapula

DDave

[KSdan]

I aim up the leg at/above the "elbow" as the leg is standing or BACK. Anatomically when the leg comes BACK- the scapula moves UP which opens the chest cavity even more.  That little triangle of muscle above the elbow is the sweet spot.

Dan in KS

[Gil Verwey]

I try my best to wait for a quartering away shot. I aim at the top of the bottom third, straight up from the leg. If everything is perfect the near leg is forward. By aiming at the top of the bottom third it gives some margin of error if the game jumps the string.

I think the most important thing to do is wait for the quartering away shot. It gives the best percentage for collecting the game in my opinion and margin of error to get the broadhead into the boiler room. You have a good chance of a exit hole low and in front the deer leaving a great blood trail and missing the off shoulder. On broadside shots I have hit the off shoulder and the arrow did not exit the deer leaving a poor blood trail with internal hemorrhaging.

I take broadside shots but try my best to wait for quartering away shots. I would rather not shoot than loose one.

[DaveT1963]

I prefer a slightly quartering away shot and I always shoot for hitting an imaginery spot on the far front leg about 1/4 up body.

[Stump73]

Yall are right. Thats where i was raised thaught to shoot. And its not a good shot if they are facing you with a bow, there is to much in the way.

[Bjorn]

Where to shoot is somewhat dependent on what you are hunting. A typical deer/elk shot isn't what you want on a hog and vice versa. Have a look at pics that are available here and other places on the net, all animals are not the same.
When to shoot is a relaxed animal that is feeding, looking over members of the opposite sex,  etc and not on guard or watchful. That coupled with the range and body position that fills you with confidence. "See and follow"  the vitals as the animal moves.

[SteveB]

Originally posted by KSdan:
I aim up the leg at/above the "elbow" as the leg is standing or BACK. Anatomically when the leg comes BACK- the scapula moves UP which opens the chest cavity even more.  That little triangle of muscle above the elbow is the sweet spot.

Dan in KS

That's a great explanation of a great shot.
Using the term "shoulder" as a reference leads to massive confusion as "shoulder" is broadly defined - it is not an exact spot. Straight up the leg is, and it's nothing but ribs and lungs.