Shot Placement on Whitetail

[Frostbite]

I've used this placement for many years.........what say you?

I call it the high lung shot.

It will put the deer down instantly and he will stay down and bleed out and die.

It penetrates the top of both lungs and with a round like the .270 it will put enough trauma on the spine to drop the deer in his tracks.

It has usually done that and worked for me.

Worth a try if you have a clear standing shot from the side.

 

[mitch4570]

Yes I have killed many deer with this shot.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Too high. I try to hit them a bit lower and just behind the front shoulders. Take out both lungs and maybe the heart without losing any meat from shoulder or front end of backstraps. No need for bang flop if animal is shot through the boiler room. Lots of blood for tracking and it's not going far ... as in usually thirty yards max.

 

[mitch4570]

True enough but I am on a cane. I don't mind tracking as long as its 3 feet ; straight down.

 

[wildwilderness]

I like a good bang flop

I like middle shoulder, may try a bit higher next time. We Never worry about meat loss. We harvest enough that most gets donated anyway.

 

[Frostbite]

Too high. I try to hit them a bit lower and just behind the front shoulders. Take out both lungs and maybe the heart without losing any meat from shoulder or front end of backstraps. No need for bang flop if animal is shot through the boiler room. Lots of blood for tracking and it's not going far ... as in usually thirty yards max.

True......but......

My hunting has usually been where thick brush and swamp are within a few yards of where the deer will be hit.

And they can go forty to fifty yards and in odd cases more with a heart shot.

Zero yards of tracking is best.

 

[MS 9x56]

I used to use this shot with a 50 caliber muzzle loader and as you say bang flop no tracking required. Have had differing results with rifle. Not sure why.

 

[Frostbite]

I used to use this shot with a 50 caliber muzzle loader and as you say bang flop no tracking required. Have had differing results with rifle. Not sure why.

Yes, there are a lot of variables when game animals are concerned.

 

[MacJenkins]

True......but......

My hunting has usually been where thick brush and swamp are within a few yards of where the deer will be hit.

And they can go forty to fifty yards and in odd cases more with a heart shot.

Zero yards of tracking is best.

This I 100% agree. Even with a double lung I have had many whitetail run 100 yards into nasty woods full of vines and thorns. I now do headshots if within 100 yards, and your shot if further. I’m blessed however to be able to shoot 5-15 whitetail a year so have had a lot of practice.

 

[Daisy]

High shoulder all the way.

 

[sgt_zim]

Since I started shooting high shoulder about 3 or 4 years ago, I've never had a deer take a single step - from 6.5x55 to 45-70, and a couple in between, shots always under 50 yards, frequently only 25 or 30

 

[Field28]

Depends on the caliber for me.
Shoulder shot works with most.
243, on the shoulder. 270, 25-06, 30-06 and 7mag, just behind the shoulder or dead on the shoulder. 22-250, in the ear!

 

[steve white]

Works great but must be inside chest cavity below spine, not through the spinal processes above the spine. We had a long, long post on "no man's land" (and the myth thereof)

 

[Fryeguy]

If it’s a large buck I will put it wherever I can get to vitals (woods/thick stuff). Otherwise I aim mid shoulder up. I will take the occasional head shot, as long as I have a good rest and steady, and no horns obviously.

I also love shooting deer with my ML. 300 grain Pittman aeromax going 2800fps will really do a good job, even with behind the shoulder shots!!

 

[SCHUNTER73]

I’ll do that on a doe to preserve meat. If it is a big buck, it’s ALWAYS the high shoulder shot to render the CNS inoperable.

 

[mdwest]

I typically go for the crease right behind the shoulder, about 1/2 way up the body… which results in maybe 50% bang flops.. and the other 50% making it anywhere from 10-50 yards, but never any further…

Unfortunately 50 yards can be a real PIA in the deep, thick woods of East TX… full of thorny vines and outrageous undergrowth… and I’m definitely not getting any younger..

I may go for a couple of inches higher next time and see if I get a different result…

 

[Daisy]

I typically go for the crease right behind the shoulder, about 1/2 way up the body… which results in maybe 50% bang flops.. and the other 50% making it anywhere from 10-50 yards, but never any further…

Unfortunately 50 yards can be a real PIA in the deep, thick woods of East TX… full of thorny vines and outrageous undergrowth… and I’m definitely not getting any younger..

I may go for a couple of inches higher next time and see if I get a different result…

Put it right in the middle of the shoulder blade. Bang flop.

 

[RR 314]

If presented, I love putting one right in the middle of the throat patch. Broadside—right at the base of the neck on the spine. High “shoulder” certainly drops them,

 

[404Pruitt]

Middle or high shoulder for me. No tracking required