Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
Articles
Latest reviews
Author list
Classifieds
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Hunting
Long Range Hunting & Shooting
High Shoulder Shot question
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="bearcat2" data-source="post: 1753851" data-attributes="member: 18832"><p>Shoulder shots on elk are a good shot if you are using a good quality bullet that won't grenade. I've seen several elk shoulder shot with ballistic tips (SSTs seem particularly bad for this) where the bullet blew up on the shoulder and did not penetrate to the vitals or the opposite shoulder. Even if it breaks the close shoulder but doesn't penetrate farther, an elk can travel fairly well on three legs. That being said if a shoulder shot is being taken I prefer a midshoulder hold to high shoulder. If the elk is broadside and you have a good bullet that holds together it will bust both shoulders and they MIGHT wheelbarrow down hill a bit, but they aren't going too far, even if you don't manage to hit the vitals on the way through, quartering on you will get that near shoulder and then hit the vitals behind it. There is a big bundle of nerves on the front point of the shoulder and I have never hit an elk there in a quartering on shot that didn't dump it like a ton of bricks. Needless to say anybody who takes a shoulder shot intentionally on a quartering away animal is an idiot.</p><p>Personally I always aim for vitals, (if a shoulder is in the way and I am comfortable with my bullet I don't worry about it, but I don't aim for the shoulder)unless there is some reason you need the animal to drop RIGHT THERE, in which case a head or spine would be preferable but a double shoulder shot will work fine.</p><p></p><p>I had a client shoot a mule deer a couple weeks ago with a high shoulder shot, dumped it right there. 300 Win Mag shooting 200 grain Partitions (I think 200 grain if I remember correctly, I know we discussed bullets and he was using Partitions). I thought it was dead and it was across the canyon beside a fourwheeler road, so we jumped on the fourwheeler and drove around to get it. For whatever reason he didn't bring his rifle. We got over there and the deer was paralyzed from the neck down but still alive and he had to finish it with my 44 mag. With the amount of blood on the ground and the size of the chunk of lead he was throwing I was amazed it was still alive, but it was. The spine was obviously hinged where he hit it and more often than not such severe spine damage will result in a quick death but not always.</p><p></p><p>He wasn't actually aiming for high shoulder, he said he was aiming for the boiler room, but that is where he hit. 250 yards was about his comfort zone and is a fairly long shot for a guy from New York.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="bearcat2, post: 1753851, member: 18832"] Shoulder shots on elk are a good shot if you are using a good quality bullet that won't grenade. I've seen several elk shoulder shot with ballistic tips (SSTs seem particularly bad for this) where the bullet blew up on the shoulder and did not penetrate to the vitals or the opposite shoulder. Even if it breaks the close shoulder but doesn't penetrate farther, an elk can travel fairly well on three legs. That being said if a shoulder shot is being taken I prefer a midshoulder hold to high shoulder. If the elk is broadside and you have a good bullet that holds together it will bust both shoulders and they MIGHT wheelbarrow down hill a bit, but they aren't going too far, even if you don't manage to hit the vitals on the way through, quartering on you will get that near shoulder and then hit the vitals behind it. There is a big bundle of nerves on the front point of the shoulder and I have never hit an elk there in a quartering on shot that didn't dump it like a ton of bricks. Needless to say anybody who takes a shoulder shot intentionally on a quartering away animal is an idiot. Personally I always aim for vitals, (if a shoulder is in the way and I am comfortable with my bullet I don't worry about it, but I don't aim for the shoulder)unless there is some reason you need the animal to drop RIGHT THERE, in which case a head or spine would be preferable but a double shoulder shot will work fine. I had a client shoot a mule deer a couple weeks ago with a high shoulder shot, dumped it right there. 300 Win Mag shooting 200 grain Partitions (I think 200 grain if I remember correctly, I know we discussed bullets and he was using Partitions). I thought it was dead and it was across the canyon beside a fourwheeler road, so we jumped on the fourwheeler and drove around to get it. For whatever reason he didn't bring his rifle. We got over there and the deer was paralyzed from the neck down but still alive and he had to finish it with my 44 mag. With the amount of blood on the ground and the size of the chunk of lead he was throwing I was amazed it was still alive, but it was. The spine was obviously hinged where he hit it and more often than not such severe spine damage will result in a quick death but not always. He wasn't actually aiming for high shoulder, he said he was aiming for the boiler room, but that is where he hit. 250 yards was about his comfort zone and is a fairly long shot for a guy from New York. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Hunting
Long Range Hunting & Shooting
High Shoulder Shot question
Top