bullet placement?

[too_pointer]

Re: bullet placement?

I do not ever make a neck shot if the better shot is available. By far the majority of my shots is close behind the shoulder. I don't like destroying the shoulder meat, behind the shoulder saves alot of meat. AJ hit it on the head, unless you are a decent shot, keep it in the lung area.

too_

[Guest Xen]

Re: bullet placement?

i've had great luck with high shoulder shots - last 2 deer i've taken have dropped in their tracks, not even a step - both were high shoulder shots

[Guest shotist]

Re: bullet placement?

Although I have shot more deer in the brain with .22lr, .22mag and .223 than I care to count (deer control), the high shoulder shot plants them if you can execute the shot. The spot to aim for is viewing the animal's body as a 3-dimensional object and focusing on the spot where the shoulder paddles meet the spine, no matter the angle.

Here's a few good looks at the proper aiming point:

[johnf]

Re: bullet placement?

Thanks for the pics shotist, I probibly would have shot too far back on most of those shots.

[wtnhunt]

Re: bullet placement?

Great pics. Thanks for posting those. Would also agree that the high shoulder shot should be taken as opposed to the neck shot if at all possible.

[OJR]

Re: bullet placement?

Those will drop them in their tracks!

[Jeramie]

Re: bullet placement?

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Thanks for the pics shotist, I probibly would have shot too far back on most of those shots.

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Regardless, still punching a hole through the lungs is still very deadly. This would simply anchor them where they stand. The throat patch shot is the only neck shot ive taken with a rifle and its deadly. Ive taken severl of the other shoulder shots with loads of success.

[98chevy]

Re: bullet placement?

I have a bad tendency with my new .308 tactical rifle to shoot them in the head up to 150 yrds. i can shoot a golfball at 300 yards with no problem but i think a deer will would move its head to fast for a shot at that distance. Also with my 7mag i shoot them in the shoulder and the never run. i tried balltistic tips and the worked great but had to shoot them in the lungs the shoulder wouldnt alow the bullet to explode right i guess so im back to shooting a mushrooming bullet.

[Guest shotist]

Re: bullet placement?

The original question was: A shot that will incapacitate instantly.

The high shoulder shot allows for the largest margin for error in that regard. I don't personally like to use it, but I am not faced with having a deer running as far as 100 yards being an issue. Aparently, the original poster does.

When we do deer control (approx 500 deer a year), these are all very close shots (15-25 yards). Every deer is instantly dispatched with a hit to the center of the cranial cavity with their head in a bait station. Very impractical in normal hunting however as deer do have a tendency to move their head.

I do not condone the spinal shot in the neck unless it is a deer that is down already. To small of a target that most cannot truly visualize it's location and the margin for error is very small. My opinion of course.

[ousoonerfan22]

Re: bullet placement?

My son will be hunting some property that has a strip of timber with an agriculture field on one side and the neighbors food plots and feeder on the other side.So to avoid a conflict I'd rather see him drop the deer where he stands so it doesn't get on the neighbors property.

With a deer facing me and shooting him in the neck I've dropped one but also lost one. The deer I lost ran like he wasn't hurt with very little blood trail,there was hair blowed out on the frost covered grass but no good blood trail.

[AJ]

Re: bullet placement?

gpalma,

nice copy of the pics from Doug's.

[Guest shotist]

Re: bullet placement?

Copy, LOL? Plagerism is not among my credentials

These photos and the one's on Dougs are on my server. Right click on the photos and click on "properties". Easily done.

[Guest Xen]

Re: bullet placement?

a lot of people fall back on the aim small, miss small philosophy - practice with a rifle and you can consistently hit the bulls-eye. when you have a deer in your scope, you can visualize where you need to place your shot. this year was a perfect example of that for me...

i had a deer moving at approx 175-200 yards and know that my rifle is dead on at 200 - so without compensating for drop, i knew that i would be right on with my shot. i wanted him to drop where he was and not keep going over into a draw that is hard to access. i really focused on the deer and could see the muscle lines, the way his muscles moved as he walked, etc. I held for exactly what i wanted - a high shoulder shot. when i got to the deer after i shot, the bullet was exactly where i wanted it to be.

if the deer had kept running and gone into this draw, i know from experience that there are 10-25 foot draws that make it miserable to get a deer down. i guess i could have tried a head shot, but on a buck that isn't always something you want to do.

all that being said, i do know that i plan on trying to shoot a cow elk in the head in december - but that is because i want as much meat as possible

[Guest shotist]

Re: bullet placement?

Shoot the elk through the center of the lungs and you won't waste a mouthful :-) Of course, that would be much harder to drag up one of those gullies

I always felt it far less work to simply pack in 200# of charcoal and a big grill to eat the elk in place as opposed to packing them out, LOL.

[Ravin R10 man]

Re: bullet placement?

NO!! Id put it right behind the shoulders and high..takes those lungs out and he'll drop in his tracks..why waste the meat??

[AJ]

Re: bullet placement?

[ QUOTE ]

put it right behind the shoulders and high.

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That's geetting into the backstrap and tenderloin area. Why blow it out the other side when you can waste a little shoulder meat instead? I'd give up a burger or two for loin and tenderloin.

[Jeramie]

Re: bullet placement?

[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]

put it right behind the shoulders and high.

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That's geetting into the backstrap and tenderloin area. Why blow it out the other side when you can waste a little shoulder meat instead? I'd give up a burger or two for loin and tenderloin.

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I agree 100%. Also, you will pretty much only damage one shoulder with a shoulder shot, the entry shoulder. Ive taken out tons of shoulders and its by far my favorite anchor shot. Punch a hole through that large bone and its all over.

[Guest Xen]

Re: bullet placement?

well, i don't want to go through the lungs, because i absolutely love elk ribs. mmmm, ribs. slow roasted all day and then grilled with some honey-bbq sauce...mmmmmmm!

[johnf]

Re: bullet placement?

An elk is a big animal. I've never seen a double lung/rib shot that messed up more meat than the size of a tennis ball. In the whole scheme of things, that's not a lot of meat.

[Jeramie]

Re: bullet placement?

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An elk is a big animal. I've never seen a double lung/rib shot that messed up more meat than the size of a tennis ball. In the whole scheme of things, that's not a lot of meat.

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Most double lungs ive seen are far less then a tennis ball. I double lunged a buck during our ML'er Season. It made two holes the size of your thumb (dia). Very little meat damage. He didnt go far either.

[OUTSIDER]

Re: bullet placement?

Have never had a whitetail move when shot with my 150 grain bonded sirricos out of the 300 ultramag. They dont go anywhere, but you do sacrafice some meat.

[Ravin R10 man]

Re: bullet placement?

Well guys..I shoot all my deer in the lungs , on a broadside shot,.. they drop in their tracks..and that is with a .270!! The bullet rarely comes out the other side. I could care less about the measley rib meat. Im putting that deer down, and its staying down. Blow the lungs out, they cant move..period!.

[Guest shotist]

Re: bullet placement?

[ QUOTE ]

Well guys..I shoot all my deer in the lungs , on a broadside shot,.. they drop in their tracks..and that is with a .270!! The bullet rarely comes out the other side. I could care less about the measley rib meat. Im putting that deer down, and its staying down. Blow the lungs out, they cant move..period!.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmmm...lungs are tied into the central nervous system?

[Ravin R10 man]

Re: bullet placement?

[ QUOTE ]

Hmmm...lungs are tied into the central nervous system? {qoute]..BINGO!!!!!! SHOTIST!!!

Lil Blonde shot her buck last year with the same shot out of her 7mm-08..guess what.??? Buck dropped out of sight, never moved! Now, you MUST know your gun will hit where you aim, that way you dont waste any meat. The shock of a lung hit totally incopassitates the animal instantly. TRY IT... you will see.

[Guest shotist]

Re: bullet placement?

I have shot "100's" of deer over the years (40+ in March alone last year) and can state unequivocally that the lungs are NOT tied to the central nervous system.