Heart Sizes

[Mort Hill]

Trees have the largest heart of all living things. I should know, I have shot several.

 

[IvW]

Trees have the largest heart of all living things. I should know, I have shot several.

Always aim on hair.....

 

[Idaholandho]

Just got back from Africa last week and it was my wife's first hunting trip ever. I have been hunting for 35 years and we have been target shooting together for most of our 30 year marriage.
Our 2nd day in Africa was her Impala day and she said to me, "I hope I can do this." She wasn't reluctant to shoot the animal, she was worried about shooting well.
I told her to relax and shoot like she has on paper for years and she did. btw - She also studied shot placement pictures and shot from sticks for a couple months prior.
She was comfortable shooting for the rest of the trip and had a great time. She is already talking about next year! My plan came together perfectly

 

[Jfet]

Congratulations to both of you.

 

[Dbrown4183]

Just got back from Africa last week and it was my wife's first hunting trip ever. I have been hunting for 35 years and we have been target shooting together for most of our 30 year marriage.
Our 2nd day in Africa was her Impala day and she said to me, "I hope I can do this." She wasn't reluctant to shoot the animal, she was worried about shooting well.
I told her to relax and shoot like she has on paper for years and she did. btw - She also studied shot placement pictures and shot from sticks for a couple months prior.
She was comfortable shooting for the rest of the trip and had a great time. She is already talking about next year! My plan came together perfectly

That is exactly the way I want it to go with my wife.

 

[norfolk shooter]

Now if you don't want bug the poor little vegans, shoot cans of soda or water bottles.They explode nicely and you can recycle them afterward.

Im sure you will then upset some other group of new age cockwombles

 

[Ridgewalker]

https://www.safaripress.com/the-perfect-shot-plains-game-targets.html

These help, but no animal is standing perfectly broad side IME. So as stated by others, look for the “inside” spot and not the surface spot. This seems like a perfect opportunity for some creative hunter to do a 3D video model of game animals showing the insides as the animal turns. Wish I had the skill. This seems like a good business opportunity.

Half way between the front legs (if not a perfect broad side) and 1/3-1/2 up from the bottom of the chest. This is my training that has worked well when I follow it. I don’t have near the experience of others here, but so far so good.

IMO, you shouldn’t use an American game target. Our game’s vitals are located further back in the body. Africa game vitals are almost all further forward except the cats. JMO

BEST OF LUCK! She will be fine if she gets plenty of practice off sticks.

 

[norfolk shooter]

Just got back from Africa last week and it was my wife's first hunting trip ever. I have been hunting for 35 years and we have been target shooting together for most of our 30 year marriage.
Our 2nd day in Africa was her Impala day and she said to me, "I hope I can do this." She wasn't reluctant to shoot the animal, she was worried about shooting well.
I told her to relax and shoot like she has on paper for years and she did. btw - She also studied shot placement pictures and shot from sticks for a couple months prior.
She was comfortable shooting for the rest of the trip and had a great time. She is already talking about next year! My plan came together perfectly

Thats what I like to see a couple that hunts together has a joyous life together

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

The problem with trying for the perfect hart shot is nicely shown in this illustration. If you aim for the hart and for some reason you shoot low, too far forward or too far back, you have a problem especially on african game.

Trust me, forget about the perfect hart shot and rather go for the high hart double lung shot. It is a killer and gives you the largest margin of error.

Place the one cross hair on the backside of the front leg and the horizontal cross hair in the middle of the body and it will be in the salt....

I agree totally with IvW. The high heart shot is deadly and final! In LAGARDES fine book Gunshot Injuries, his study of wartime wounds on soldiers pointed out that many heart shot soldiers survived after being shot through the heart. The one big factor was the heart filled with blood or had it just emptied. You can picture the beer can full versus empty with water and what the end results will be!

 

[crs]

Two PHs sold me on the same approach for shooting African game broadside in the field; both said and coached me to bring the sights up the front leg and touch off the shot when 1/3 way up. When at an angle, focus on the off side leg. This has worked like a charm for me for many years in Africa and else where.
Similarly, a very experienced hunter of elk told me to ignore the heart and go for the double lunch shot when possible - that has also worked well.

Actual field shot angles often dictate other shots and all those situations are better handled with a thorough knowledge of the innards (bones, organs and such) of the target animal. Such as:
1. Trophy bull elk running away at 100+ yards and showing only antlers and rump; Texas heart shot!
2. Cape buff facing away provides access to heart only with bullet placed behind rearmost rib; PH said to shoot between the front legs and it worked; in the back and out the front, poking a hole in the heart enroute!
3. Similar big beastie entering woods cover showing only a pelvis shot to bring it down; kerplunk, shaking the ground.

All part of the challenge of hunting big game.

On a recent Pronghorn hunt, my .308 and I whacked a buck at 236 range-finder yards with a shoulder shot that also took out the lungs; it had gone on to the great grassland in the sky by the time we walked over to it. When the guides were high-fiving the shot, my son said, "He always shoots them in the shoulder to break them down."

Funny, I did not know that he was keeping score.

 

[MSJ]

Does anyone know the approximate size of the heart/lung vital triangle on a cape buffalo-what are the dimensions on a broadside shot and frontal shot? Thanks.

 

[sgt_zim]

Or coors light

Or Bud Light, or Natty Light...that stuff should all be spilled on the ground anyway. Not fit for human consumption.

 

[tarbe]

I always feel better when things explode too! I can sit for hours and shoot rocks across canyons!

Or small fruit at PSC.

 

[Aussie_Hunter]

The vegans are gonna be going nuts over killing poor apples!

hahahaha