Front on shot with crossbow

[Popcorn]

Ive killed several deer head on with a bow and crossbow, straight wide open pocket to the heart!! Never had one make it over 50 yards. Now these have all been from the ground straight on, pierced hearts. Much different angle from a stand than on the ground. Flame away

I killed a buck in a heavy fog one morning he was walking down hill straight at me and stopped at about 6 yards, I was kneeling in a cedar bush which put me at his height and a great angle for a high neck entry and a solid heart shot. I never doubted the shot and would do it again in those circumstances. If you know your anatomy and can visualize same then knowing shot placement from many angles is possible within ranges your are competent at. I killed a doe at Harrsville many years ago with a Texas heart shot. I was on the ground with a bow in a cedar thicket and she winded me, it was hot and she went nuts looking for me, blowing, stomping, turning like a mad woman. When she stopped that was the shot and I was ready to go.
If you are going to hunt on the ground you need to be well practiced in anatomy of your game and in the use of your weapon but if you are prepared there are ethical shots.
I don't shoot crossbow but if my bow didn't shoot thru I would be looking at the device then the user.

 

[kaizen leader]

Have shot them going all directions with my xbow, between the center of chest and the shoulder 1/4ing to me is a pass through, same as a 1/4ing away into the last rib and out somewhere other side, all shots less than 30y. I wont shoot dead center with any bolt or arrow, any gun I will. That center rib bone structure is wide and pretty dense, off to the side are like side shot ribs. Any time you shoot an animal there is always a chance for something to happen.

I am pissed at myself.

I killed a buck in a heavy fog one morning he was walking down hill straight at me and stopped at about 6 yards, I was kneeling in a cedar bush which put me at his height and a great angle for a high neck entry and a solid heart shot. I never doubted the shot and would do it again in those circumstances. If you know your anatomy and can visualize same then knowing shot placement from many angles is possible within ranges your are competent at. I killed a doe at Harrsville many years ago with a Texas heart shot. I was on the ground with a bow in a cedar thicket and she winded me, it was hot and she went nuts looking for me, blowing, stomping, turning like a mad woman. When she stopped that was the shot and I was ready to go.
If you are going to hunt on the ground you need to be well practiced in anatomy of your game and in the use of your weapon but if you are prepared there are ethical shots.
I don't shoot crossbow but if my bow didn't shoot thru I would be looking at the device then the user.

i was 40 yards and trust within 3" but still variables like did he duck? Maybe. Etc. I'll wait for a broad side. Good advise though. Thx.

 

[WTNBowHunter]

I don't crossbow hunt. But, for me, shooting a deer in the chest with a bow is a shot I'm going to take majority of the time. 30 yds and in, dead center of the chest.

 

[David Sapp]

Killed a cow elk from a ground position, 20 yards and facing me. She died within a few seconds and less than 30 yard run. QAD Exodus and a 60# compound. Graveyard dead if you get the anatomy right and place your shot.

 

[Wambaw]

Ive killed several deer head on with a bow and crossbow, straight wide open pocket to the heart!! Never had one make it over 50 yards. Now these have all been from the ground straight on, pierced hearts. Much different angle from a stand than on the ground. Flame away

I agree. I've killed some big bucks with a bow facing me and sent one down into the vitals. All were within 20 yards and I was in a tree stand. I'd do it again tomorrow.

 

[hammer33]

Back in the 90's when I was just a beginner, I was hunting a swamp in Florida.
Was walking a track in thick palmettos when I heard something sneaking up on me.
This swamp was full of hogs and a few bears so I was a bit anxious.

A 4 point poked through the palmettos at about 7 steps and stood looking at me at full draw. Let him have it dead center of the chest. 70lb Matthews with 100gr muzzys. Arrow knocked him half way round. He took off spraying blood like it came out of a paint sprayer. After about 100 yds I thought "any step I will find him", Another 100yds and I thought "how is this deer not dead!" The last 100 yards the blood trail got weaker and I thought "he is out of blood and must be dead right here". Another 40 yards and the blood trail petered out. Finally figured out the 4 points track and followed it into a big pond. The tracks went out into the water until it got too deep and I had to give up. Im sure that shot killed the buck based on the volume of blood and the spray pattern, but how it was able to go that far, pumping that much blood is a mystery to me.

Knowing more about anatomy, I think I hit some arteries but missed the lungs, which is why he ran so far. Deflating both lungs with a broadside shot he would have been dead inside 100 yds. But relying on him running out of hydraulic fluid allowed him to run a long ways before blood pressure got low enough for him to pass out.

Im not a fan of the front on shot from that experience.

 

[Ski]

Knowing more about anatomy, I think I hit some arteries but missed the lungs, which is why he ran so far. Deflating both lungs with a broadside shot he would have been dead inside 100 yds.

Correct. The anatomy matters. When you understand it then you realize why it's a bad shot option. It's supremely difficult to hit one lung and near impossible to hit both lungs or heart.

When on the ground looking full frontal with a deer there's a thick sternum plate completely shielding his heart. His arrowhead shaped rib cage comes almost to a point directly above that plate, save for a tennis ball size hole for the esophagus. The esophagus extends through that hole straight back to his stomach, and lungs rest to each side of it with spine above it. It's hard to imagine how an arrow could possible sever both lungs or get anywhere near the heart.

A few degree angle either direction could allow you to slip an arrow in front of a shoulder and get heart & lungs. Still not a shot I'd be comfortable trying but much more viable than a true frontal. The full frontal from the ground gives very, very little chance to hit anything vital except maybe liver & guts. More likely what happens is the arrow hits just slightly off center and slides down the outside of ribs between shoulder & cage, cutting a tremendous amount of muscle that bleeds like a heart shot but isn't immediately fatal, if at all.

 

[knightrider]

Correct. The anatomy matters. When you understand it then you realize why it's a bad shot option. It's supremely difficult to hit one lung and near impossible to hit both lungs or heart.

When on the ground looking full frontal with a deer there's a thick sternum plate completely shielding his heart. His arrowhead shaped rib cage comes almost to a point directly above that plate, save for a tennis ball size hole for the esophagus. The esophagus extends through that hole straight back to his stomach, and lungs rest to each side of it with spine above it. It's hard to imagine how an arrow could possible sever both lungs or get anywhere near the heart.

A few degree angle either direction could allow you to slip an arrow in front of a shoulder and get heart & lungs. Still not a shot I'd be comfortable trying but much more viable than a true frontal. The full frontal from the ground gives very, very little chance to hit anything vital except maybe liver & guts. More likely what happens is the arrow hits just slightly off center and slides down the outside of ribs between shoulder & cage, cutting a tremendous amount of muscle that bleeds like a heart shot but isn't immediately fatal, if at all.

Not really, every deer ive shot full frontal has been heart shot and dead within 50 yards. People must be aiming to high

 

[WTNBowHunter]

Not really, every deer ive shot full frontal has been heart shot and dead within 50 yards. People must be aiming to high

agree. i think some folks are overthinking this. the sternum is made up of cartilaginous fibers, not the same as solid bone (cancellous interior and cortical exterior). you can cut through it with the force of a sharp knife. there are multiple branches of arterial structures supplying blood from the heart to vital organs. even a high neck shot, unless off-center, will hit the deer in the trachea.
it sounds like we are expecting deer to fall over dead within feet after hitting them with an arrow/broadhead and that rarely happens anytime you shoot a deer with a arrow/broadhead. only time i've experienced this is an errant shot that hit the spine. extremely high probability of the deer dying on a frontal shot because of the anatomy that is location directly behind that sternum.

 

[swampbadger]

I'm 1 for 2 on frontal shots. first doe i shot went in low cut heart and exited. she dropped in 20 yards.

second one was a buck. he had his head lowered arrow went between his shoulder blades and angled toward his guts. he ran forever. no blood no arrow. I most likely gave that buck a horrible slow death that no creature should have to endure. lesson learned on my end.

i have a love hate relationship with archery. I killed two this bow season but it's always a bit messier than i'd like.

 

[WTNBowHunter]

second one was a buck. he had his head lowered arrow went between his shoulder blades and angled toward his guts. he ran forever. no blood no arrow. I most likely gave that buck a horrible slow death that no creature should have to endure. lesson learned on my end.

good point. i have been referring to a "head up" posture. i'm hunting from lock-ons/saddle and i've not shot a deer in the chest with his/her head down. head up, facing me is the posture when i've shot deer in the chest.

 

[.243 Deer]

I crossbow hunt on occasion and I'll never take a frontal shot with anything but a gun. It's a lot like a head shot. Hit em right and they won't go far but hit a few inches either way and you'll never find them.

 

[Lt.Dan]

i have a love hate relationship with archery. I killed two this bow season but it's always a bit messier than i'd like.

I have that same love/ hate relationship these days. I've lost a few due to not quite the perfect shot. And these were broadside or quartering away standing still shots. One went high into no man's land, one went into the liver (he took a step at the moment I pulled the trigger on the crossbow), and 2 doe that I have no idea what happened. Both were pass through ground level shots and bled hardly at all. Then the love part; the deer I have had go down never ran more than 20 to 50 yards. I didn't bow hunt this year because it felt like a "hate" year.

 

[killingtime 41]

I've killed several with a gun facing me in the chest. But never tried it with a bow. Mostly because I don't trust my abilities

 

[Woodsman10]

I can't believe people are still on here advocating this shot. Yea if you hit the heart the deer will die. But odds are not the best. Why not wait for the best odds for you to be successful? There is absolutely no shame in letting a deer or turkey get away.

Y'all do yall. I'll continue to do what I do. Maybe yall are a lot better of a shot/marksman than I.

 

[deerhunter10]

Why not wait for the best odds for you to be successful? There is absolutely no shame in letting a deer or turkey get away.

This. But a lot of people now days don't think that way anymore. Welcome to social media days of hunting. Same for head shots on deer then there pictures of deer walking around with their jaws gone and all that mess. Same with a 50 plus yard shot on a turkey At the end of the day it's respect and a lot of people have lost their respect for the animals.

With all that said bow hunting is hard and bad shots are going to happen but I have no idea why people are advocating for this shot either.

Also a reason why there's a post about a dog or drone almost everyday of hunting season.

 

[BigCityBubba]

I had a friend take a head on shot once with a cross bow. The bolt missed the chest and ran down the side of the deers body. We tracked it for about 400 yds. It wasn't very hard to track but it was unreal. He was dragging his guts. At one point we found a gut pile which was really confusing. We weren't sure if someone found him and gutted him and dragged him off. We kept going and tracked him through tall grass. There were strands of guts in the tops of the grass. Eventually, we found him. My friend has never taken a head on shot since and says he never will again.

 

[Lt.Dan]

I took a quartering to shot once. It was a good shot. My aim point was for the arrow to come out just behind the opposite shoulder. It didn't. It glance of an opposite side rib and went past the diaphragm and into the guts. Nasty mess. I'll never take that shot bow or gun again. I don't like gut shot deer. Only broadside or quartering away for me.

 

[FLTENNHUNTER1]

I've bow hunted for decades. I will only take these shots ranked by number:

1-Broadside
2-Quartering away
3-Quartering to me - only if 20 yards or less.

I can confidently shoot out to 30 yards at deer.

I can shoot confidently at paper out to 40 yards. Tennis ball sized groups of 5 arrows. I Robin Hood at 30 on paper.

Add in adrenaline, wind, inaccurate distance estimation and shot angles and my accuracy drops dramatically.

Took me years to learn my limitations to become an ethical bow hunter.

Patience is the key. WAIT FOR THE SHOT.

Edit to add:

What really helped me out to determine my accuracy limitations was wearing a head mounted GoPro camera while hunting. It pointed out my weaknesses almost immediately:

1- Form. Extremely important to bend at the waist when shooting from a tree stand. I frequently was lowering or raising my arms to make the shot instead of squaring up to the deer in my normal shooting posture then bending at the waist.

2- I didn't realize how much the bow actually moves until reviewing my kills on video. All of us move when shooting bows and it is more of a "feel" and "rhythm" when you decide to hit the release vs. having a solid rest while using a rifle or crossbow.

3- Shooting uphill vs. downhill vs. level affects the arrow point of impact. If you don't practice shooting from your tree stand or other elevated position (I shoot from my deck that overlooks a hill) you should. Gravity affects arrow trajectory differently up vs. down vs. level.

4- There is no such thing as a quiet bow. Manufactures like to say their bows are whisper quiet. This is BS. None of them are. We are chasing animals with what, 6 to 8 inch ears? What we think is quiet to them sounds like an aluminum baseball bat hitting a homerun. The large percentage of deer I captured on film moved during the shot. From 20 yards or less point of impact was negligible when they moved. 30 or 40 yards out the POI was significant.

 

[DMD]

I've shot at least two head in with rifle. Heart shot. Both went less than twenty yards. I've never shot one with a bow head on. I might in the perfect situation, but that situation probably will never occur.