Whitetail POI...... What’s your intended Target?

[TrialbyFireFormed]

Been hunting 25 years,
Have seen a lot from hair pickers to those who unfortunately break the shot soon as they see brown.

I myself am a heart shooter.
Some hunters aim for lungs, shoulders, or neck.

What's your intended POI and why?
Ie: do you try to preserve as much meat as possible? Are you Rack hunting and don't care about meat damage ?

 

[matt_3479]

Honestly I take whatever ethical shot is possible. If possible I prefer lung shot behind shoulder. It it's a ****** area then I go for lung snd high shoulder to try and drop him and finish it quickly. I hate a heart shot! My favourite meat

 

[Archer357]

Evening, well that all depends on what shot opportunity I am presented with. My first priority is to get a fast humane kill. For me, I'm a meat hunter.

 

[TrialbyFireFormed]

Honestly I take whatever ethical shot is possible. If possible I prefer lung shot behind shoulder. It it's a ****** area then I go for lung snd high shoulder to try and drop him and finish it quickly. I hate a heart shot! My favourite meat

Target angle does determine shot placement that's very true.. I like how you said "whatever ethical shot is possible" .
Taking your target Ethically and efficiently is the name of the game.
Thx for your input

 

[sp6x6]

I grew up hunting them,probably like many.Shot alot with my bow,lung yes.Horn hunter mostly,hit them hard,mostly with the 340wby.Gave up them up about 17 years ago.

 

[TrialbyFireFormed]

Evening, well that all depends on what shot opportunity I am presented with. My first priority is to get a fast humane kill. For me, I'm a meat hunter.

Hi there,
Target angle does determine shot placement for sure. I was thinking of adding a couple scenarios to the thread but opted to keep it simple.
I'm glad to hear your first priority is a fast humane kill. I think it's crucial as does Matt_3479. I wish every hunter felt the same way but unfortunately some ppl don't.
Ppl say one thing and have a game plan, but when they're in the moment, things happen differently and within a matter of seconds bad shots are taken and animals are wounded and lost.

All we can hope for is that ppl learn from their mistakes, and aren't too embarrassed to admit their mistakes so they can learn from others.

Sorry for rambling on lol

Thx for your input

 

[Archer357]

I bow hunt as well as firearm. Bow hunting I've had a few sleepless nights due to bad shot. I have lost a few deer. Kills me inside. I think deer are a beautiful animal and taste dam good.

 

[ndking1126]

If the shoulder blade is a "v" tipped its side, I aim a little higher than the forward facing point and as far back as the top and bottom tips. This gives the largest margin of error in my shot. Miss a little high and the spine is broken. Miss a little low and the heart is hit. Miss a little forward and both shoulders are done. Miss a little back and the lungs or maybe diaphragm are hit.

As a kid, I was taught to take heart shots, but this makes more sense to me. It's a lower chance of a clean miss or even worse wounding with a leg shot.

 

[Deleted member 115360]

I aim a few inches behind the shoulder, and move that back as the angle increases. Inside 100y I will head and or neck shoot does at times. I have shot bucks in the neck and or head when that was the only opportunity. I'll slip a bullet in anywhere that is lethal, but I prefer about 2" behind the shoulder, and about 2/3 down from the spine..

 

[Deleted member 115360]

If the shoulder blade is a "v" tipped its side, I aim as high as the forward facing point (or even just a little higher) and as far back as the top and bottom tips. This gives the largest margin of error in my shot. Miss a little high and the spine is broken. Miss a little low and the heart is hit. Miss a little forward and both shoulders are done. Miss a little back and the lungs or maybe diaphragm are hit.

As a kid, I was taught to take heart shots, but this makes more sense to me. It's a lower chance of a clean miss or even worse wounding with a leg shot.

View attachment 246703

That's much higher than I shoot. There is a spot between your crosshairs and the spine called "no man's land", and every year thousands of deer survive gunshot wounds there. Much better to be low. The heart sits very low, but the lungs sit in the bottom 2/3.

 

[Savage 12BVSS]

If the shoulder blade is a "v" tipped its side, I aim a little higher than the forward facing point and as far back as the top and bottom tips. This gives the largest margin of error in my shot. Miss a little high and the spine is broken. Miss a little low and the heart is hit. Miss a little forward and both shoulders are done. Miss a little back and the lungs or maybe diaphragm are hit.

As a kid, I was taught to take heart shots, but this makes more sense to me. It's a lower chance of a clean miss or even worse wounding with a leg shot.

High shoulder is the shot for me unless angled, it results in an instant drop with little meat damage. Shock effect does it all, deer also don't go any distance on a broken shoulder or shoulders. Everybody has their own shot they use....I developed mine to avoid losing deer in standing water wet bogs. Very hard to track and find in thick evergreen regrowth or water covered swamp. This is why I like a good bonded bullet to break bone and punch thru, this helps keep the deer in sight and recoverable.

I will add early in my hunting days I had two deer run an incredible distance (one 75yds one 156yds) both with a good heart shot. That stopped the low behind front leg shot for me. This all has a lot to do with the areas that you hunt and how hard deer recovery can be.

 

[Peddler 76]

Boiler room. End of story.

 

[Muddyboots]

Ethical decision to shoot and shot placement is clearly everyone's intent, I hope! Its deer hunting so even the best intention can get sideways. Unseen twig, deer moves whether naturally or by outside influence, weapon slippage on target, or plain old buck fever can add drama to any shot.

But under normal all is good:
1- boiler room most cases, bleed them out, I like just above the heart which turns off all the operating switches to the brain fast. BP drops like stone, fast shock and done. This area is where heart lung intersection is deadly.
2- high shoulder (gun) if circumstances REQUIRE DRT such as property lines, water course, nasty swamp etc Meat gets buggered up a bit but no doubt you have hands on them after shot.

 

[ARCaveman]

I love big racks but meat is the primary reason I hunt. Therefore I usually shoot for lungs when possible where there's the biggest margin for error. Besides I love some fried heart and onions.