Ideal shot placement for deer

[Kachok]

Have not seen snow here in years, tracking blood in underbrush so thick you have to crawl through it is tough going I have done it for friends before. I practice with my rifles year round to keep shots where they are supposed to go and tracking to a minimum.

 

[rondog]

Very good points, R.W.Dale! I've never deer hunted, although I hope to soon. But my dad was an elk hunter, he and his buddies would always go from OK to CO every fall for their annual hunting trip. And I remember him telling me stories about how somebody made a perfect long-range shot, killed the animal right on the spot, and then realized the dead elk was on the OTHER side of a deep, rocky ravine and recovery was going to be brutal.

His group always preferred the easy recoveries.

 

[DM~]

I've seen double lung shot deer run only 50 yds, or even less, but i've seen a lot of them run over 100 yds, and quite a few go 150yds...

I've never seen one with a high shoulder shot go anyplace, but DOWN!

DM

 

[mk67026]

Hi all! I know this is an old thread, but it's a great subject and I wanted to introduce myself by (hopefully) contributing something.

I grew up zapping small game & varmints with a '63 Remington Nylon 66 with a Sears Ted Williams scope (it's identical to this one). It was the very first gun I ever shot, and my dad proudly handed her down to me (she still looks like new, in fact, she's aged far better than *I* have lol). Dad taught me to aim small and miss small; shooting at aspirins with a .22 will definitely help improve your aim! Ha!

Anyway, I finally was able to bag my very first deer this year, using my very first "real" rifle. It was literally a day out of the box- though I took it to a 100yard indoor range to carefully sight it in before I hit the field (God bless my dad, he got me a new Savage Axis 30-06 for Christmas... ).

I nailed this fine button buck in a front quartering shot at roughly 160yds, aiming for his right front shoulder. He ran only about 20 yards, and was dead in seconds.

The bullet (150gr Federal Vital Shok) had struck his right humerus roughly 1/3 of the way up from the bottom, shattering it and sending a mixture of bone and bullet shrapnel through his heart and lungs; they were pulverized and turned to red Jello. I don't think I could have ground up his thoracic cavity any better with a blender! I lost some brisket meat, the heart, and the right arm roast, but the rest of the animal was pretty intact. There was no exit wound, and the stomach/intestines were untouched.

I can't wait to repeat the performance on some feral hogs, coyotes, and lots more deer!

 

[frankenstein406]

seems like the deer keep coming angled at me so I've been shooting them in the brisket area. one I shoot dropped right there and pretty much took they front right leg off. Good thing to because it had a rear broken leg and 3 other bullets in it that must have healed up.

other one ran pretty much straight at me and stopped, shoot it in the brisket and ran 25 yards and dropped right there. they seem to die really quickly which makes me happy.

 

[kyhunter]

deleted

 

[Eb1]

Mostly all of my bang flops do not exit. All exited heart/lung shots were trackers. I try to hit high shoulder, straight on, or neck shots.

I will say that the .25-06 has never had a deer run.

The ole 30-30 is a toss up if you hit them in the heart/lung area. It also matters if the deer is alert. If calm, then your chances go up for a DRT with the boiler room shots. If they are on high alert, you better neck, high shoulder, or chest shoot them from my experience.

 

[kyhunter]

I shoot boiler room with a .30-06 but being its around 100 yards mostly i dont know how well it works closer/ farther. I shoot a 165 grain flat tipped soft point loaded down to around 2500 fps. I dont need the velocity or recoil for that short of a shot. they generally dont make it out of the view of my scope if anywhere at all.

I did shoot one high shoulder with a nosler 180 grain and it ripped the top of its spine out as well as pieces of its leg and heart upon exit. This round was scooting 2800 fps though.

 

[Texan Scott]

Just below and behind the ear. Brain stem. Spasmodic leap/ muscle rigidity. Flop, done.

 

[kyhunter]

^^^ thats how i treestand handgun hunt. Death from above. Also quite the challenge

 

[JShirley]

Akpert,

You're right, killing "innocent living things" is a difficult choice. I'm going to guess that you only eat fruit that has dropped off the tree? Of course, the entire world is filled with things that eat other living things without questions of guilt or innocence, because that's how the ecosystem works, but one can strive for true ahimsa. The Jains only applaud killing themselves, so maybe you can get philosophical tips from them. A link to get you started follows: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/qanda/main.htm

Peace,

John

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I like the diagram on page one of this thread posted by T.R. He's only about an hour North of me in Lancaster, so the deer we both hunt are a bit similar in size. I use, though, a patched .530 round ball, so I am not using what one might call a "high powered rifle". I too get deer that only go a short distance (under 50 yards and often less) when hit, and I have reached out to 100 yards without trouble.

I don't try for the heart. It's delicious so why blast it to bits?

If a hunter is a good shot and likes a spine hit from neck shot, or a brain hit from a head shot, I don't fault the other person for that. 30 years ago I could see well enough to do that with iron sights..., not now. That's not a judgement on others, just a personal preference.

LD

 

[Zeke/PA]

Trail Watching, or "Pot Huntin" as some in PA call it presents decent shots at a USUALLY un-disturbed animal.
With Butt on ground, back against tree and rifle braced on knees, a neck shot does the job VERY efficiently.
The animal is DEAD before it hits the turf except for an occasional reflex kick or two.
I killed a bunch of "Big Woods" whitetails with my '06 and lately a couple with a Marlin .35 Rem. with the neck shots.

 

[leadaddict]

Video on how to make a "proper" head shot. (Very graphic)

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/03/robert-farago/british-slo-mo-deer-headshot-video-nsfw/

I've personally never shot at the head of a deer, though I've been tempted a few times.