straight down shot on deer?

[RC]

When I shot more lbs I would do it knowing I would probably get out the bottom for blood. Now at 47 lbs ...no.RC

[elknutz]

I would try it but I can't jump that high and my hang time sucks.

[Hookeye]

Taken that shot twice.  Missed the spine once, got one lung. Couldn't admin a finisher due to deer position and lack of cover (she bedded uphill along the steep slope, right at eye level). Got up and walked over and bedded again for a couple of mins (right in a bush- no shot). Got up and walked off, fell over on Jeep trail- 75 yards away- no bloodtrail from last bed to drop-arrow blew through but hole plugged up-two blade head from a compound).

Took it again with stickbow, centered the spine.

It anchors them, but with no lungs hit ya gotta give em a second shot. That might offer more excitement than some would like.

On the "why"...........first one, stand along trail coming to me, sidecutting steep slope. Deer's head was in the way until she got under me.

Other one- late season, deer was injured (knee fused, lost a lot of weight) so I felt the Snuffer would be more kind than the yotes.......and he simply didn't come in from the right direction  

[Hookeye]

Oh yeah, on deer #1- from shot to expire, with one lung hit (arrow blew through top to bottom) was 18 mins.

[Hookeye]

As for the "oops" comments, there seem to be enough bad BT and lost deer threads that didn't come from such shots.

Deer move, so even the best shooter can have "bad luck". Less distance would offer less time of flight though (for the sake of no- or lesser argument- we'll say the shot is at an unalarmed deer).

My data set sucks, as it is only two points. My stickbow was trucking 200 FPS, 18% FOC 480gr arrows, from a 55# FF strung BW. It had the Snuffer's point sticking out of the other side of the vert quite a bit, dead center- of course it was so cool looking somebody at the processor's took it   :mad:  

The other was from a 73# compound running an overdraw, 2315's with NAP Spitifre 2 blades- they were new then).

If ya got the horsepower and can visualize the X and nail it at such a distance, I say go for it.

However, such a shot may require another- which could be a shocker for some folks, depending on prior hunting experience.

I'll take that shot with a 55# rig, but not my current set up which is at 48#.

[Robhood23]

It is by far the hardest easy shot there is. It is easy to say No I wouldn't take the shot until it is presented. It looks like such a chipshot that you can talk yourself into it. I have done it once with success but it was a heck of tough  blood trail. Didn't get complete penetration and felt very fortunate to find him. I have since passed on the shot until a better shot presented itself and so far every deer has presented a BETTER shot after passing the straight down shot!

[Hookeye]

In my instances, if the deer got past me, there was no shot to be had.

Will say i had a doe flip around on me at 19 yrs. The hit in the ham (flipped while arrow was in flight- no more shooting at spooked deer for me!). Found her (no BT) and snuck in. She moved off a bit, into a thicket, along slope, I spotted her at around 10 yards-she at eyeball level in that mess, bedded butt toward me. I aimed at a vert in her back and super slowly drew, and hit right on that spot.

That anchored her for a finisher that ended things suprisingly fast.


Not a straight down shot, but an aiming for the spine close, that nailed it.

Straight down shooting is awkward, should be practiced if one is going to take it. My compound shot had me all twisted up and I remember keeping tension in my wrist (using release) to keep some sort of followthrough- as my elbow couldn't go any more).

Chipmunks and squirrels can offer in season practice. And a chippy is about the size of the vert  

[Robhood23]

Keep in mind that the spine is only 2" wide and the actual spinal cord is between 1/2" to 3/4" wide. Just not a high percentage shot. You are better off going for the liver or diaphram and aiming back behind the shoulder blades a little ways! We also have to ask ourselves is every deer worth shooting? I might be in the minority here but I actually enjoy watching them more than eating them! Don't get me wrong b/c if they give me a high percentage shot I am gonna be eating them but if not I am just happy to have had the rush of "almost" getting a shot!

[Biggie Hoffman]

Nope....I've done it before but won't do it again.

[wapitimike1]

I'd say bad to worse seen it done this and other seasons with poor results.

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

Originally posted by Hookeye:
As for the "oops" comments, there seem to be enough bad BT and lost deer threads that didn't come from such shots.

Deer move, so even the best shooter can have "bad luck". Less distance would offer less time of flight though (for the sake of no- or lesser argument- we'll say the shot is at an unalarmed deer).
 

You're right, everyone can miss or have a deer move which results in a poor hit or lost deer but do we really need to increase the chance of this happening by taking low percentage shots?  

[Chris Surtees]

I've done it twice before...once deer was dead in under 10 yards and the other took me 8 hours to find...hit one lung and nothing else.

After those experiences, even though I recovered both deer, I will now wait for a more high percentage shot.

[Guru]

Originally posted by ishoot4thrills:
Here's the link below to the story and pics of a buck I killed on Oct. 4 of this year. He was 6 yards from the base of my tree to my right and I was 15 feet up. I hit him right where I was aiming just to the left of his spine. My two blade Magnus went all the way to his heart and was sticking out of his chest right behind his right front leg. He went 40 yards and stopped and then staggered and fell.

I never doubted taking the shot for a minute. Just try and stay away from the shoulder area towards the front part of the deer at that much of an angle.

The arrow penetrated all the way to the fletching but the arrow was very loose in the deer and backed out some after the deer went down. I easily pulled the arrow on through before I moved the deer.

   http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=094630  

"6 yards" isn't straight down man. I'd say it's a very common distance that a lot of deer are killed at. To me, there's a big difference between 6 yds. and straight down....

[Jack Denbow]

What Biggie said.
Jack

[ishoot4thrills]

Thanks Curt. I don't feel so bad now after reading all of the posts on this now. It was my first shot on a deer at that angle anyway and, after a couple more short steps, the deer wouldn't have offered any shot at all. After reading all of the negative responses on this, I will most likely pass on such a shot in the future.

[broketooth]

i havent been lucky enough to have deer that close to my stand.ive had them close ,but not that close.this is the first year in over 9 yrs hunting in a stand with a bow, i would have to sit and watch the deer around my stand, i just dont feel comfertable taking a shot like that ruddy

[K.S.TRAPPER]

I wouldn't consider are comments negative just a concern for the shot selection.

I don't consider the intentional spine shot to be a humane shot, It always requires a second or third shot to finish the animal and that isn't very humane for us as bow hunters.

It's are responsibility to take the highest percentage quickest killing humane shot that we can take on a given animal. Yes, Spine shots do happen because of animals abilities and speed to react to the sound of the shot and it will "Put them down" but why take the chance.

We owe the animals that we hunt more than that!!

Shoot strait everybody and good luck this season    

Tracy

[PA-Spot]

Never

[olddogrib]

I've killed several deer with that shot in my wheelie bow days, don't care for it now. Don, I have no doubt you can make that shot consistently(I've seen you shoot).  I don't have that much faith in my shooting without sights.  There was an interesting perspective in a blood trailing article in a recent Deer&Deer Hunting mag. Their conclusion was that they'd rather trail a gut shot deer than a single lung hit and felt the recovery percentage would be higher. The reason was that the gut shot deer would bed very quickly and usually die there if left alone long enough.  A deer with one good lung will likely try and leave the county and unfortunately will make it much of the time.

[Robert Honaker]

I have taken a few like that before I used a recurve. Awsome shot then, but wouldn't take it now.  I'm not as precise now.

I think too that the visual looking straight down is very deceiving and that may be why I hear so many are lost with this shot.

When looking down on a deer the lung /heart area is more towards the rear end of the dear than most would feel comfortable shooting...the proper placement just doesn't look right. Put it just in front of the last "bulge"(stomach) and your in there.

I would guess, and it's just a presumption, that alot of people aim for what they think is behind the shoulder when it's really between or a little forward of the shoulder.

But like I said I won't take it now ....I think.