robert carter
Senior Member
I`m not posting this because I think I`m some sort of an expert but because I have shot at a few deer.Experience is the best teacher and I believe shooting deer and hitting them where you want to is something you learn from experience and often times bad experience.
I have developed a way that works for me and will share it with you...you may find it works.
Lots of people are great shots but struggle killing deer. Truth is a deer is seldom where you were "aiming" when the arrow gets there.You probably hit close to where you were looking and if you were shooting at a live deer like a 3d 90% of the time you will hit to high. I believe thats why a lot of the " I hit him right through the lungs" deer are lost because they are hit high. How many have shot over a deers back and felt good when you released the arrow?
I missed 9 deer in a row years ago by shooting over their back. I told myself I would shoot at the next one kneecap high and if I miss it`ll be low. I did that and when I recovered the deer it was shot through the heart.
I don`t try to make my bows super quiet. This is gonna surprise some of you. I want it to make a bit of noise. I shoot at the white hairs in the crease of a deers front leg...everytime if its broadside and not real close.Actually closer to the hair under the deer. If it don`t squat I`m gonna shoot to low.If my bow is a little loud every deer I shoot at will squat...not just some or most. That way I can shoot every deer the same and get the same results. It also gives you a "spot" to "aim" at and gives you a really good focus point.
I don`t think a deer will squat as bad past twenty yards but I don`t shoot long shots at deer so it don`t matter much to me.
I guess to sum it up ...I have read where lots of people have lost deer..I`ve lost them in the past but have done extremly well since I started shooting deer this way years ago.I would bet that most hit and unrecovered deer are lost for three reasons.
1. Shooter did`nt pick a spot and shot the whole deer....Aiming at the white hairs in the crease will give you a "spot" to pick.
2. Deer was hit high and even if it was still a lung hit the body cavity will fill with blood rather than blood on the ground for trailing resulting in a lost deer....Again aiming at the white hairs low in the crease will give you a mid lung hit on deer most of the time or a heart shot resulting in a super blood trail no matter what broadhead you use.
3. Hunter has very poor tracking skills.This is an "art" that is almost never "practiced. If you shoot enough deer and trail them being low to the ground you can almost "feel" where they went. Sounds crazy but I can`t explain it.Checking disturbed leaves and if you have a bearing you can tell where they went with practice with no blood.Most deer I can`t find I or someone else has hit ain`t dead and usually I can tell it purty quick.
Next time you drill a deer and you know hes down and your tracking him with lots of blood...try to trail him without the blood and read other sign for pratice. You got plenty of blood and you ain`t gonna lose him your just getting practice for when you have no blood on a high lung shot deer. It may just teach to trail at least till you pic up mouth blood on a high hit deer.
Hope some of ya`ll maybe pick up a tip here. My Buddy and a deers nightmare Chris and I were talking about this a couple years ago and I told him to try my deer shooting tip. He was worried about shooting low. I told him every deer he shoots under he would kill 15 . Ask him his track record since then...RC
I have developed a way that works for me and will share it with you...you may find it works.
Lots of people are great shots but struggle killing deer. Truth is a deer is seldom where you were "aiming" when the arrow gets there.You probably hit close to where you were looking and if you were shooting at a live deer like a 3d 90% of the time you will hit to high. I believe thats why a lot of the " I hit him right through the lungs" deer are lost because they are hit high. How many have shot over a deers back and felt good when you released the arrow?
I missed 9 deer in a row years ago by shooting over their back. I told myself I would shoot at the next one kneecap high and if I miss it`ll be low. I did that and when I recovered the deer it was shot through the heart.
I don`t try to make my bows super quiet. This is gonna surprise some of you. I want it to make a bit of noise. I shoot at the white hairs in the crease of a deers front leg...everytime if its broadside and not real close.Actually closer to the hair under the deer. If it don`t squat I`m gonna shoot to low.If my bow is a little loud every deer I shoot at will squat...not just some or most. That way I can shoot every deer the same and get the same results. It also gives you a "spot" to "aim" at and gives you a really good focus point.
I don`t think a deer will squat as bad past twenty yards but I don`t shoot long shots at deer so it don`t matter much to me.
I guess to sum it up ...I have read where lots of people have lost deer..I`ve lost them in the past but have done extremly well since I started shooting deer this way years ago.I would bet that most hit and unrecovered deer are lost for three reasons.
1. Shooter did`nt pick a spot and shot the whole deer....Aiming at the white hairs in the crease will give you a "spot" to pick.
2. Deer was hit high and even if it was still a lung hit the body cavity will fill with blood rather than blood on the ground for trailing resulting in a lost deer....Again aiming at the white hairs low in the crease will give you a mid lung hit on deer most of the time or a heart shot resulting in a super blood trail no matter what broadhead you use.
3. Hunter has very poor tracking skills.This is an "art" that is almost never "practiced. If you shoot enough deer and trail them being low to the ground you can almost "feel" where they went. Sounds crazy but I can`t explain it.Checking disturbed leaves and if you have a bearing you can tell where they went with practice with no blood.Most deer I can`t find I or someone else has hit ain`t dead and usually I can tell it purty quick.
Next time you drill a deer and you know hes down and your tracking him with lots of blood...try to trail him without the blood and read other sign for pratice. You got plenty of blood and you ain`t gonna lose him your just getting practice for when you have no blood on a high lung shot deer. It may just teach to trail at least till you pic up mouth blood on a high hit deer.
Hope some of ya`ll maybe pick up a tip here. My Buddy and a deers nightmare Chris and I were talking about this a couple years ago and I told him to try my deer shooting tip. He was worried about shooting low. I told him every deer he shoots under he would kill 15 . Ask him his track record since then...RC
Great... just about there..Now, all I need is a how to get a deer in front of my stand thread.
