Preferred Shot Placement

Preferred Shot Placement

We all have different style and preferences when it comes to shot placements. The choice of a certain shot placement may be based on whether trophy hunting, hunting for meat or culling but also animal hunted, positioning of animal, caliber or ammunition used, scope mounted or not, distances, clearance and various other factors...

I know hunters who prefer to shoot on the shoulder in order to break bones, some to aim more for the vitals just behind the shoulder and some who like the neck to drop the animal in their track... All these shot placements get the job done. What is your particular style or preferences when shooting an animal broadside?

For most Plains Game, I am definitely a fan of Position #1 on your photos and diagrams. The exceptions would be the smaller antelope - Dik-Dik, Steenbuck, Duiker, etc. To me, this is the safest place for a shot on an animal that offers that sort of presentation. Of course, not every shot opportunity presents itself on an animal in the broadside position. The Oryx I took last year was quartering away at a slight angle. My shot probably ended up hitting him in Position #2 according to your photos. The spinal shots are very dramatic and you get an almost instantaneous result, but I prefer a shot to the vitals. My greatest fear while hunting in Africa is wounding and losing an animal and the spinal/brain shots, while highly effective, offer a lot less margin for error.

(My opinion would definitely change in regards to Dangerous Game.)

Thanks Jerome, very informative, you may use the best of calibers but you need to know your shot placement ideally to bring down a trophy with a kill shot, but with a charging lion or a buff the scenario is different , then its mere shooting to KILL.

Thanks

Monish

I will most often aim half way between spot #1 and #3 on your picture when an animal is broadside - that way I have the greatest margin of error. For critters in the thick stuff that I don't want to track, I try and get as close as I can and then go for spot #3 to break them down so they don't travel as far.

Originally Posted by BangFlop

I will most often aim half way between spot #1 and #3 on your picture when an animal is broadside - that way I have the greatest margin of error. For critters in the thick stuff that I don't want to track, I try and get as close as I can and then go for spot #3 to break them down so they don't travel as far.

Hi Bang Flop.

I tend to agree with you. I will just go a bit lower on African game. I tell my clients to shoot between 1 and 2 on a broadside shot like this.

My feeling is, shoot to kill the animal as quick as possable and not to save meat or taking risks going for the brain or spine.

I don't have any experience in Africa yet, but my views about shot placement for North American game have changed over the past year or two, mostly a result of changing bullets.

This is all based on a very limitted series, but I've always favored position number 1, behind the shoulder, for a broadside shot. The Nosler Partitions and Accubonds that I used for many years typcially made about a grapefruit-sized exit hole on medium-sized game. Any hit in the back, shoulder, or hindquarters would destroy a tremendous quantity of meat. Animals died pretty quick, but the butchering job was always a little messy.

I switched to a more solid bullet (Barnes TSX) and the difference is dramatic. I now prefer a through-shoulder shot (position number 2). Meat destruction is actually pretty limitted, even with a direct hit on bone. The explosive hamburger effect isn't there anymore, the critters don't go more than a few steps, and you don't have 200 or 400 yards of tracking ahead of you with a single or double lung shot.

Maybe I'll be singing a different tune after my Namibia hunt this fall. We'll see........

I imagine a volley ball between centered between the shoulders, then make my hold to hit the center of the ball. With a good, premium bullet just aim for the center of the ball from any angle.