Shot Placement...

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venisonassassin
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Shot Placement...

Unread postby venisonassassin » Wed Mar 24, 2010 9:47 am

I know there has been a lot of media print and talk over the years about good shot placement, broadside to quartering away. Do any of you guys ever gamble with less than perfect shots, quartering towards you or almost facing at you? If so what was the result?


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Re: Shot Placement...

Unread postby CatfishJack » Wed Mar 24, 2010 10:26 am

I have never taken a straight on shot in 30 years of bowhunting. Thats not because I have a problem with it, just that doesn't appear to be a good shot to me when I am offered it in the field. I have shot quartering towards me, but I much prefer broadside or slightly quartering away. I find that I am much pickier on my shots the longer I have been hunting.
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Re: Shot Placement...

Unread postby Goober » Wed Mar 24, 2010 2:05 pm

I have shot a few deer straight on. Always from the ground, always under 20 yards (all of them have been does, not that I wouldn't shoot a buck this way, just seems to be the does that offer this shot). In my mind it is about how confident you are in your shot placement. I am 100% confident at that range, clear shooting lane, un-disturbed deer, that I can make that shot an efficent kill. Make sure you practice it alot. Of the 3 that I did shoot like that, 1 went through the windpipe and 1 coratid artery and into the spine, dropped on the spot, dead within a minute. The other 2 went less that 60 yards (one of them actually ran into my ground blind on the way by!!!)
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Re: Shot Placement...

Unread postby Goober » Wed Mar 24, 2010 2:06 pm

to add, I would rather a straight on shot than a strong quartering too me shot. That shot scares me and I will not try it.
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James
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Re: Shot Placement...

Unread postby James » Wed Mar 24, 2010 3:34 pm

I can relate my personal experience on this and that of friends. In 2006 I took a quartering away but mostly top down shot at a gigantic buck. The arrow buried deep in him but after days of tracking and gridding off the area with 2 vacation days from work I admitted defeat and also admitted the last marginal shot I take no matter how big the buck. Since then I have waited for perfect broadside or slightly quartering away shots with ranges varying from 9 yards to 25 yards from elevations up to 20ft or so.

Since 2006 I have also had 2 friends take similar angled shots like I took and both resulted in lost bucks and heart ache.

Wounding deer is a part of bowhunting, I know how that sounds and some people will disagree with that statement, however it's how we deal with these losses, learn from them and change our approach in the future.
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PredatorTC
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Re: Shot Placement...

Unread postby PredatorTC » Thu Mar 25, 2010 12:17 am

James do you think theses were single lung hits? I too have lost a nice single lung hit deer. It was just too close to the tree. It bled very good and very likely died but we could not find any blood once he got into the thick swamp. It was a nice quartering away shot, but too dang close to the tree!
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Re: Shot Placement...

Unread postby martin peters » Thu Mar 25, 2010 8:55 am

In this stage of my deer hunting I will not take a marginal shot. To be honest, I too could tell of hunts that went bad in my earlier days. I actually felt sick to my stomach not being able to recover a buck. Its just not worth it and its not fair to the animal. Once I started to hunt mature animals that I have spent alot of hours researching (scouting) I'm not about to take a bad shot on the trophy I'm after. I have the mind set that I'll get him or learn why I didn't for the next hunt/season.
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Re: Shot Placement...

Unread postby lungbuster » Thu Mar 25, 2010 3:25 pm

I have only taken 2 quartering to shots on deer, 1 resulted in a 2 week tracking job to find the buck, the other required a follow up shot the next day over 12 hours after the initial hit.............I will not take quartering to shots anymore, it's just not a good deal on deer.....The odd thing is quartering away at the same angle almost always results in quick death, but reverse it to a quartering to shot and things go bad in a hurry.....I've never been able to figure that out. :?
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AC Rider
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Re: Shot Placement...

Unread postby AC Rider » Fri Mar 26, 2010 3:29 am

It's no mystery that broadside and quartering away shots are the ticket. I've long since stopped straight on shots as they are bad mojo. I am fairly comfortable with slightly quartering to shots as long as the shot is close and the deer is stopped. You can thread the needle on these shots but you have to know where to aim.
PredatorTC wrote:James do you think theses were single lung hits? I too have lost a nice single lung hit deer. It was just too close to the tree. It bled very good and very likely died but we could not find any blood once he got into the thick swamp. It was a nice quartering away shot, but too dang close to the tree!

I was with James when this shot was made. I've lost deer to the exact shot. I don't think most of these shots are one lung hits. In the case with James's buck, I think the shot was between the lungs and too far forward, but just next to the spine. But, we thought it was a good solid shot. As it turned out, I don't think it would have mattered if we would have waited anyway as it was probably just a "meat hit" (in my opinion).
I think with extreme down shots you have to pick one side or the other and get a sure one lung hit which ussually ensures a pass through out the bottom for good blood. You've then got to let them sit - like overnight - just as you would a liver or gut hit. There are always variables of course and my opinions may not hold water all of the time :D Just my two cents.
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PredatorTC
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Re: Shot Placement...

Unread postby PredatorTC » Fri Mar 26, 2010 4:10 am

This leads me to anther question AC.

How many of us would take the single lung shot?
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AC Rider
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Re: Shot Placement...

Unread postby AC Rider » Fri Mar 26, 2010 4:44 am

That's a tough one! I think many claim they wouldn't but if a 150 was standing below them you'd see arrows flying.
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Re: Shot Placement...

Unread postby Schultzy » Fri Mar 26, 2010 9:13 am

I've wounded one deer In 24 years of bow hunting whitetails and one bear In 20 years of bow hunting bear. There's reasons my success rates are decent, high percentage shots. Never have I or will I take a straight on shot on a non wounded animal. In most cases I won't take a slightly quartering to shot either no matter the size of buck. Only way Is If It's a very, very slight angle but most likely It won't happen. Chances are the animal could possibly give me a better shot and If not that's hunting and how It goes.

I've passed on a couple of 150 Inch bucks and another on a 400+ pound bear that were slightly quartered to. All 3 of these animals were 10 to 12 yards away. If I would've hit my spot perfect on them shots they'd be dead but It's not a chance I'm likely to ever take. My dad was preaching stuff like this to me long before I was able to hunt. I'll do the same with my daughter.
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Re: Shot Placement...

Unread postby venisonassassin » Fri Mar 26, 2010 10:11 am

I shot a doe a couple years ago from 18 feet up in the tree and the deer was about 10 feet away and facing straight away from me. I took that shot knowing that I could only get one lung. The arrow passed through out the bottom of the deer and she ran 60 yards or so with a good blood trail and was recovered. I'm a confident shooter, especially at short range , but I still would not recommend that shot because there is so very little room for error especially to either side.

Last year I shot a buck that was quartering towards me. Again, the deer was close, not more than 5 yards. I hit right where I aimed and the deer ran off 50 yards and stood there, for several minutes. I was standing there waiting for this thing to fall over, nope, it walked off! Knowing I didn't hit it as hard as I thought I backed out and came back the next morning to track. I ran out of blood at about 100 yards. I found the deer within 150 yards but it was no easy task. Even though I got the deer I may think twice before taking a shot like that again.

I've twice in my life taken straight on shots at a buck and both times I hit a twig that deflected my arrow for a clean miss. Maybe thats a sign not to try that again.
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Re: Shot Placement...

Unread postby matt1336 » Sat Mar 27, 2010 12:43 am

I've had good luck w/ quartering to shots. I put the arrow in the neck, just above the front of the shoulder so the arrow exits the opposite armpit. I was about 25' feet up and all the deer were 15-20 yards. The angle is such that I wouldn't take this shot any farther away. All three deer were dead within 50 yards- 2 does and a 200# (on the hoof) buck. The arrow stayed in the deer and was broken w/ the buck, but I got lung and heart- very deadly. I won't hesitate to take that shot again, but I'm very choosey about the circumstances and conditions to make it work. ie hieght of the stand and angle.


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