front on chest shots (deer)

[karrow]

how does everybody feel about them? i have a certain stand location where the deer have been coming in head on towards me. i personally have always thought that it was a very marginal shot, but wouldnt be scared to try it. heard a few people talk in other threads that have shot deer head on with success. whats your opinion???

[rastaman]

My opinion is that it is a poor shot to take, and you will lose more deer than you will find.

[Bjorn]

Not a shot with a trad bow.

[mwosborn]

Wouldn't take it myself.

[longbowben]

I would only take that shot at less than 10 yards,I have done it before and it worked out but not much blood arrow stayed in him.

[Bowtie]

Too risky.  Not a shot that I would take (did take).  Had a nice 8-point walking towards me. About 20 yds. out, he decided to do an about-face and walk away.  Oh well, made my day seeing him.

[Stumpkiller]

I know better, I tell folks not to, but I had a small buck stop facing me and I thought I had a sure thing on a four point from 10 yards from my 18 ft-to-the-platform stand earlier this month.  I put the arrow center-chest exactly where I wanted it.  Buried it 20" right between the shoulders angled down.  

This was at 20 minutes before sunset.  Intitial blood trail didn't start for 30 yards, but then I found the last 8" of the arrow (fletching end) and a good trail.  Then I found another 14" of shaft and the trail got sparse.  I found a bed with little blood smeared around.  After that the deer left a drop every three feet.  Then every 10 feet.  At 9:30PM I called it a night, marked my last found drop (with the broken fletch portion of the arrow) and went home disgusted with myself.

Next day I picked up where I left off and, 60 yards from where I found the last drop I found 10 drops or so (after spiraling and crawling for hours) and a few drops in a line - but perpendicular to the prior direction so I didn't know which way it had headed.  I searched in a grid pattern in both directions, spiraled, looked for kicked up leaves, followed any deer tracks where there was mud hoping to find blood.  Nothing.  I walked a 1/2 mile square grid; up and down the side of the hill.  Nothing.  By dark again on that following day I had not found deer or further blood.  About 12 hours total of crawling and squinting.

I can only hope I did not sever the esophagus and doom that poor deer to a lingering death.  

Never again for me.  Look at a deer carcass or skeleton.  What was a shot that may work well from the ground with a firearm is a horrible shot from an elevated position with a bow.  This one will wrankle me for the rest of my life.  

 

[wooddamon1]

Not a good idea. Move that stand to the downwind side.

[njloco]

Charlie, I know this won't help but it could have gone the other way also, my buddy shot one head on but from the ground and had no trouble finding it, don't get so down on yourself. after all your only human, we all make mistakes.

[Pat B.]

No

[David Yukon]

I wouldn't!!And "wouldn't be scared to try it"...if you respect the animals you are hunting don't try things on them!

[Nate Steen .]

Imho,  it all depends on your bow weight, and whether you are shooting from the ground or a gree, and your accuracy/distance of shot.  

I've had 100% success on this angle, but I don't do it often.  I shoot pretty heavy #, mid 60#s, and I shoot from the ground.  At that ground level angle, if the arrow misses the juglar, it takes out the heart, lungs, liver, or diaphragm or all the above and leaves excellent blood trails and quick death.  However,  I absolutely would not take this shot from an elevated stand, using a light weight bow, or if the deer was watching me and could jump at the shot.  Then it's too risky.

[Montanawidower]

Nope.... It will kill a deer, but there is too much room for error.  
I killed a nice buck 3 years ago with a near head on impact.  However I shot at 20 yards on a mildly alert deer and literally the thing spun into the shot.  When it hit, he was practically head on.  The arrow entered between the collarbone and neck.  I got carotid artery and lung... killed him within 40 yards.  Again this is not intended to encourage you.     Just a freak lucky draw.  It could have ended just as easily unrecovered.

[Scott Teaschner]

There are so many variables in this shot. Most of which are not good. For me this is not an ethical shot. What we do have is a chance to learn from others mistakes if we choose too. Upon listening we may shorten the learning curve to becoming better hunters. Most of the stories of these types of shots end in bad results. As tempting as it may be wait for a better shot.
Scott Teaschner

[JamesKerr]

I do not take this kind of shot nor do I recommend anyone else take it bow or rifle. There is to many variables to consider between the animal and ourselves. Where I hunt the deer are super spooky even on opening day of bow season. I have had a deer that I watched in horror as my arrow left my bow turn and jump forward enough to cause the arrow to hit it in its rump.

[Hawkeye]

BIG chance the deer will see the draw/shot and react before an arrow can get there.  Doesn't help your odds at all of getting a clean kill...

[Looper]

Yeah, I don't think I'd try that. I've shot a couple with a .50 cal muzzleloader that way and dropped them in their tracks. I wouldn't do it with a bow, though. There's just not enough margin for error.

[LV2HUNT]

I pass, and if the deer are coming head on at you it is likely you will get busted drawing anyway. I hunt stands where the deer will come at me head on but I wait for them to turn before shooting.

[magnus]

What wooddamon1 said. Move your stand.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

no way no way no way!