Shoulder shots

[Dorran Larner]

Unlike some on here I do not intentionally shoot high shoulder, the backstraps are my second favorite cut and I want as much of that elk backstrap as possible. I always shoot shoulder broadside, aim for opposite shoulder quartered away, near shoulder quartered to. I know if I hit a shoulder and heart/lungs the recovery is quick and the center mass type shot allows for a larger margin of error if they move, you pull the shot or your range is off. I just bought a new gun and hadn't proved up the ballistics well enough (still shooting factory loads) and ended up with a high shoulder/spine shot on a late cow hunt, she dropped in her tracks but required an additional shot to finish her, I didn't care for that.

 

[thwatson2]

I never shoulder shoot, but I taught my kids to shoot through shoulders when they were young. It was easy target and the deer never went far if at all. They are now grown and shoot neck by choice. I don't debate people's choice of shot placement, it's like talking politics and religion.

 

[Pdog11]

I do shoulder shots since I hunt 55 acres with the land around it, that is leased to a hunting operation. Have had problems with the pay hunters tresspassing on the spot I hunt. Found two of their blinds this year on the land we hunt. I only hunt deer.

 

[Tikkamike]

Shoulder shots are my preference. I'm an elk hunter, I have killed 30-40 elk and the important of needing to anchor these incredible animals so that they don't end up in something nasty is high. It's hard to run with 2 legs and 2 holes in your chest (one in and one out) so everything gets shot in the shoulders.

 

[newmexkid]

All the years I hunted elk while living in Wyo. shots were shoulder to high shoulder. I wanted them down as soon as possible. Hunting public land any wounded elk that made it over a hill and then dropped was in danger of being claimed by another hunter if they got to the animal before you did.

 

[TBell]

First off just want to ask how many guys here try to shoot animals in the shoulder? Secondly I want to know why? Not trying to be a edited just would like to see the reasons behind this.

it is a double lung shoot at worst and top of heart at best. Either way animal is dead or unconscious within 40 sec.

 

[YZ-80]

My son and I primarily hunt with .243, .25-06 and the 6.5 YKW. We use Accubonds and Nosler Ballistic tips. Anyway, the high shoulder shot always comes close to significantly bruising or really messing up the best part of the backstrap if you ask me. My rifles are lasers at the range, but add some excitement in the field to the mix, some heart pounding, etc., and it's easy to pull something off by a few inches and really do some meat damage. So, I figure its best to aim for the boiler room for a bit more margin of error. As for the shoulders, well this may seem insensitive, but I don't care about messing them (on a whitetail) if I pull a shot forward a tad. I just hack them off and throw them to my Mississippi Leg hound and she knaws on them or buries them somewhere.

 

[Calhntr]

High shoulder shots are o.k. but do waste some meat, just high behind the shoulder for me is preferred, minimal waste, drops like someone pulled the earth out from under their feet, like last October's Wyoming Antelope(354yd.), and the many Blacktail (12-343yds.) I've taken here in Kalifornia

 

[lightacres]

Shot a axis through the shoulder yesterday but only because the firing lane was very narrow and was afraid it was fixing to walk out of sight. Normally it's a high neck shoot if I have plenty of time and a solid rest. I try to avoid wasting any meat if possible.

 

[emp1953]

First off just want to ask how many guys here try to shoot animals in the shoulder? Secondly I want to know why? Not trying to be a edited just would like to see the reasons behind this.

Since I like to do all my hunting before the shot, not after the shot, the just behind the shoulder shot gets that done for me.

 

[Richard Riddle]

Depends on animal, Barbary sheep and Oryx, and bear are notorious for "soaking up rounds" and traveling long distances, shoulder shots anchor them in place, deer and elk I tend to try to double lung them

 

[smokepoler]

Yep, this ^^^, depends on the animal but generally heart and lung shots. Have seen too many one legged deer running in the woods as a result of bum shoulder shots.

 

[flylo]

In bear hunting I use hard cast as you have to break him down. I shot the heart out of a bear & he still went 200 yards over a greek into the nastiest thicket around.

 

[BigJohnH]

Simple answer NO I don't! Heart shot or head shot only!