Shooting Straight Down

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DropTyne
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Shooting Straight Down

Unread postby DropTyne » Fri Aug 27, 2010 4:44 am

I've never attempted this shot but have been interested in if other people have. You would aim low like you were bowfishing right? Is this shot ethical? Any success or failure stories?


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Schultzy
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Re: Shooting Straight Down

Unread postby Schultzy » Fri Aug 27, 2010 5:09 am

I've had opportunities but I've never attempted the shot and have no plans on ever doing It. I know a few people who have. Some hit their spot perfect beside the spine while others hit the spine and never recovered their deer. Definitely an Iffy shot In my book.
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Re: Shooting Straight Down

Unread postby Mountain Man » Fri Aug 27, 2010 5:10 am

I've had that shot opportunity several times but always passed. To me it's too risky. You could aim for the spine and if you hit the spinal cord that's good but if you don't then you likely only get one lung and that's not good. IMO it's better to let them move out a short distance and hope they turn just a bit so you have a better quartering away angle. That's what they have done for me and then I made nice clean kills.
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Re: Shooting Straight Down

Unread postby dirt nap giver » Fri Aug 27, 2010 5:50 am

I have taken it once. Severed the spine and had to step over the animal to get out off the tree. Now that I am wiser(not that anyone else isn't) in hunting locations, don't think I'd do it again. I let them get out there a bit now days.
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Brandon
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Re: Shooting Straight Down

Unread postby Brandon » Fri Aug 27, 2010 5:58 am

Schultzy wrote:Some hit their spot perfect beside the spine while others hit the spine and never recovered their deer. Definitely an Iffy shot In my book.


If you hit a deer in the spine that deer will drop, and you will definitely recover your deer.

Ive shoot deer broadside that either dropped when i shot, or i shot high and hit the spine and dropped them, as well as the straight down shot.

I dont see a problem with it, except you may only get 1 lung, and 1 lung deer DO LIVE.
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Schultzy
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Re: Shooting Straight Down

Unread postby Schultzy » Fri Aug 27, 2010 8:06 am

Brandon wrote:
Schultzy wrote:Some hit their spot perfect beside the spine while others hit the spine and never recovered their deer. Definitely an Iffy shot In my book.


If you hit a deer in the spine that deer will drop, and you will definitely recover your deer.

Oh no they won't. Hitting the spine Isn't what drops a deer In Its tracks. Hitting the spinal cord Is what does It. The spinal cord Is underneath the spine and If your lucky enough to get through the spine you then have yourself a deer down.
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Brandon
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Re: Shooting Straight Down

Unread postby Brandon » Fri Aug 27, 2010 8:13 am

If you shoot straight down, that means you are TOPS 25 feet from deer, so being lucky to penetrate the spine...spinal cord has nothing to do with it. That arrow will drop that deer UNLESS you hit to either side, then you may loose the deer... which is what i suspect may have happened to your buddies.

That being said, I do not take that shot... I did it once.

Thanks.
Last edited by Brandon on Fri Aug 27, 2010 8:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Shooting Straight Down

Unread postby dan » Fri Aug 27, 2010 8:30 am

I have personally hit a few deer in the spine and have missed breaking the small ( pencil diameter ) spinal cord. The cord is surrounded by bone and an arrow can stop when it hits solid bone or deflect relatively easy.
Shooting the spine on purpose is asking for problems in my opinion.

As far as straight down or sharp angle shots, I have attempted it a few times and had very poor results. About 50/50 on recoveries. I try not to take those shots anymore.
Those angled shots often mean only one lung gets hit too... One lung deer usually die, but it can take days and they often get away from the hunter only to suffer and die later.
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Re: Shooting Straight Down

Unread postby Brandon » Fri Aug 27, 2010 8:54 am

yes on 2nd thought you are both correct, I once cut my hand gutting a buck I shot with a slug, only to get a nasty cut from a completley healed over broadhead imbeded (sp?) in the spine. Buck was healthy.

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Re: Shooting Straight Down

Unread postby dan » Fri Aug 27, 2010 9:14 am

I wounded an 8 pointer once many, many, moons ago and tracked it for two days and finished it off.. Gotta write a story about that one of these days... Anywho, when I finally got him, I think he just got sick of being chased and decided it was time to take me on. For whatever reason, he had circled back and was watching his trail for me tracking when Chief a native american friend who was helping me track yelled "LOOK OUT"... I spun around with my 30/30 bolt action as the 3 legged buck ran straight at me (thats right with only 3 legs, I blew the 4th one off on the 1st shot ) at the time this was my biggest buck and he was only about 10 yards away closing fast. I shot at the bucks throat and dropped him at my feet...
We were amazed that there was no exit wound on the other side of the neck... This buck was given to a local family who needed it more than I did. I wanted to keep it. But I respected my Dad who asked me to give it to them.
They called me up and asked me to come over... Tom ( the man who was cutting up the deer ) handed me a bodkin type broadhead with my 30/30 bullet lodged dead center in the broadhead. He said the broadhead was grown into the bone of the spine.
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Re: Shooting Straight Down

Unread postby BowtechHunting » Sat Aug 28, 2010 10:45 am

Haha. At the end of the 08' season, I was down to the last few days of the season and I needed to get something in the freezer. I had a spike under me at dusk, feeding on acorns. Leaning over my platform, with my safety belt holding me out to my left, I was aiming straight down and took the shot. I missed! Not once but twice! The hardest shot I ever had to make! He trotted off after the second attempt. I now practice shooting straight down in the backyard.
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Re: Shooting Straight Down

Unread postby lungbuster » Sat Aug 28, 2010 3:18 pm

Risky shot that I have always passed on, and if you do take the shot, NO you do NOT aim low like bowfishing as long as you bend at the waist and keep correct form........The reason for aiming low in bowfishing is because of light refraction through the water, not because you are shooting below you. 8-)
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Re: Shooting Straight Down

Unread postby WiBowhuntress » Sat Aug 28, 2010 3:29 pm

I've practiced the shot at many 3d shoots. But would never take a straight down shot at a whitetail. Very risky shot, especially for a light poundage shooter like me. I more than likely wouldn't penetrate the spine. And if I did hit next to the spine and into the lung, I probably wouldn't pass through which leads to very little, or no blood to track.
Definately not shooting.
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