Where do you shoot a deer to drop him in his tracks

DYI hunting said:

Ok, help me out. Is this the "bowling ball" area in green? I just don't see anything up there but spine and shoulder blades.

I have always went for the neck shot or double lung.

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If people would look closely at this diaphragm they will see that the heart is located in a position where it is protected.

In order to shoot a deer standing broadside one will sacrifice both shoulders if I was processing the animal.
I don't care for the bloodshot bone fragmented meat.

germag said:

That's the "high shoulder" shot. It breaks both shoulder blades, immobilizing the deer and bone fragment will usually take out the lungs (or the bullet may get the tops of the lungs..in addition, it will shock the spine and usually knock the deer unconscious and may rupture the main artery to the brain, and or the main artery to the vital organs. You're relying on kinetic shock more than the bullet itself penetrating vital organs. The bullet itself immobilizes the deer by breaking both front shoulders...and may or may not break the spine or penetrate the lungs. Shock and fragmenting bone do a lot of the work with this shot. It's a very dependable shot and usually drops the deer in it's tracks....I've had a couple of deer that were not rendered unconscious (or at least didn't appear to be) and tried to run but were unable to do more than push themselves a few feet with their rear legs and expired very quickly.

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What he said.

Here's my experience shooting them with a 120 gr. .25-06.

I use a fast expanding bullet (Winchester PEP). If I hit my spot I hit slightly above the shoulder joint. The bullet will hit the near side ribs, and knocks out about a 1 to 2 inch circle of bone that turns to little tiny bone shards, and shreds the lungs. If the bullet itself (which has expanded) doesn't actually hit the backbone, the energy from the bullet will impact the backbone/spinal column, plus the energy travels up the shattered ribs. You can see the bruising around the backbone/rib joint. If there is an exit wound, it is usually just the core, resulting in a .25 caliber exit wound.

About half the time there is no exit wound, meaning a 120 lb. animal has fully absorbed approx. 2000-2500 ft. lbs. energy. Meat loss is minimal because the big muscles of the shoulder are not involved, except possibly on the exit side, due the angle of shooting from a ladder. Even then, because there is not a massive exit wound the meat loss is minimal and usually is trimmed away..

There is massive bleeding into the lungs. Even if the lungs were not shredded, the animal couldn't go any distance because it's lungs are full of blood.

Of the very few deer that I've used a second shot on, most were in the condition germag described where they were down, and pushing with their back legs, and I put a mercy round into them. Even though the shoulders are not usually directly involved, apparently the shock to the spinal cord paralyzes them.

Does - head shot

Bucks - through the aortic arch

I use a 165 gr .308 near 2550 fps - punched a neat .308" dia hole thru the near shoulder blade and did not litter the meat with bone fragments. My 300 gr .452" SST sabot did the same from my MZ at ~1800 fps.

I do not like high velocity / high fragmentation bullets for meat hunting.

Velocity is the single most overrated issue for hunting guns - give me a heavy slow bullet any day.

LEON MANLEY said:

If people would look closely at this diaphragm they will see that the heart is located in a position where it is protected.

In order to shoot a deer standing broadside one will sacrifice both shoulders if I was processing the animal.
I don't care for the bloodshot bone fragmented meat.

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I give the shoulders away if there are bones fragments in them too. Most of the time I cut up the exit side shoulder and feed it to the dogs. It's not fit for human consumption after a 150 grain powerpoint blasted through there and sprayed bone fragments everywhere. The entry side shoulder is normally edible.

I usually shoot them in the woods behind my house..........

Head shot, spine, boiler room, or if hes facin you, even inbetween the legs under the neck...

High shoulder shot.

Yes - that photo shows the "bowling ball" shot placement perfectly.

Pundits and opinions aside - most folks do not want to have to "look" for a deer and if the trade off is a bit of wasted meat, I consider it a great deal.

Head shots are not - nor have they ever been - incredibly ethical.

For those of you who can consistently and effectively pull them off - my hat is off to you.

I am a consistent MOA shooter off of the bench with .308 and 7mm-08 but am not willing to head shoot a deer in the wild. Call if personal preference - and a hard learned lesson.

I shot a doe in the head, broadside at 20 yards, with a .243 about 10 years ago. The bullet entered just below and forward of the ear - exactly where I was aiming - and literally centered on the brain. She went down - immediately - but struggled for moments (60 seconds perhaps?) but long enough for me to feel badly about it - so bad that I shot her again to make sure she was expired.

I started using the bowling ball theory about 5 years ago and have taken perhaps 12 - 15 deer in the ensuing years. I have not missed a single deer and only one has taken a single cognitive step. A few stumbled slightly but none were able to effectively place their feet for an attempted escape - except the one mentioned below.

The one that took a step was shot too high (bullet struck above the spine, shot was taken at dusk at 227 yards but it was clearly my fault) and knocked the deer out cold. I walked up to him - he woke up and took off like he was unhurt... we found him an hour later (with a dog) standing up in a dense briar bed, fully conscious but he could not run... we dispatched him with a shotgun... while a dog barked at him and we viewed him with a lamp.

In almost every one of the animals taken in the last 5 years - the deer hit the ground - and literally did not move a muscle... they were expired the moment the round struck them.

Here is the even better part...(at least with a broadside deer) - miss to the high side and it will generally be a clean miss or will break the spine. Miss low and you will break his shoulders. Miss forward and you will likely get a neck shot. Miss rearward and you will strike the spine or the lungs. In most of these cases, the deer will be dispatched immediately or will be an easy find.

My 227 yard deer was a clear exception - but there are exceptions to every rule and again, that was my fault... poor shot with little or no excuse why. I had enough light, a good rest, high end glass, a .308 rifle, an unobstructed view and the deer was standing still. No excuses... just poor placement.

A bowling ball is the size of a pie plate... if you can not hit a pie plate, you need to quit hunting or you are shooting at too great of a distance.

Too many deer are shot at and missed... and too many are wounded and lost.

We owe it to ourselves and the animals (in my opinion) to make the most lethal and instant kill shot in our power.

No fights or debates picked here - these are just the thoughts of a hunter who wishes to do the best I can personally.

Mud Minnow said:

I've got a .308 Winchester, It doesn't matter where I hit 'em... they fall!

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X2!! Ive hunted with all the magnum calibers and destroyed lots of deer. But I have come to my senses and that 308 Win is OH SO SWEET!! Im a lifer for it!

^^^X3 .308 gets it done period.

Tuck it low and right behind the front leg. ..it destroys the heart. they may run a little but i enjoy a good tracking job every now and then

I'm getting old...........

so for many years now if I get the chance I shoot deer in the neck.

If I have a prefered spot it is the base of the neck where the neck and chest meet. Stay to the neck side of the union and aim right for the center of the neck at it's largest area. They will not they a step.

s&r