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Shot placement

Shed Hunter

Shed Hunter

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I've never shot at a deer with a compound bow so I want to be fully prepared for that first shot. I know the anatomy of vital zones pretty well so I have an idea but I know deer duck sometimes.

Obviously you have to take in mind the angle from stand but do you try to compensate for the deer dropping? Some People have told me to aim about an inch and a half low.

Where do you aim in coordinance to the heart (ie an inch below, an inch above dead on etc.)

I got the idea to ask after seeing the shot placement DVD commercial on the persuit channel :)
 
In the middle of the heart or the viral zone on general?

I can see that being a good idea as it gives you room for mistake in every direction.
 
This actually is somewhat of a complex question. In general, I aim for the top of the lower third of the animal and in the crease at the leg and try to aim for the opposite leg�if the animal ducks the string, then I take out both lungs; if the animal doesn't then I take out both lungs and the heart. That being said shot angles and distance will play a role as well. A steep shot angle, 10 yards at 20 feet high, you arrow will impact about 2 inches high�the further out the target is, will shrink the difference in the point of impact�this is probably why people have told you to "hold low". For example, 20 up and 10 out = 2" high, 20 up and 30 out = 1/2"-1" high, 20 up 40 out = same-1/4" and so forth. Now keep in mind that the further out you go increases the time and probability that the animal may load their legs (jumping the string), so that has to be taken into account as well. I have seen instances where a deer has been spine shot from 40 yards away and the shooter aimed at the bottom of the animal. The absolute best thing I can tell you is to shoot from your hunting height and figure out how much of difference you have between your aiming point and your point of impact at different yardages, so you can make a mental change when the time comes and you have an animal in front of you.
 
TNDeerGuy said:
This actually is somewhat of a complex question. In general, I aim for the top of the lower third of the animal and in the crease at the leg and try to aim for the opposite leg�if the animal ducks the string, then I take out both lungs; if the animal doesn't then I take out both lungs and the heart. That being said shot angles and distance will play a role as well. A steep shot angle, 10 yards at 20 feet high, you arrow will impact about 2 inches high�the further out the target is, will shrink the difference in the point of impact�this is probably why people have told you to "hold low". For example, 20 up and 10 out = 2" high, 20 up and 30 out = 1/2"-1" high, 20 up 40 out = same-1/4" and so forth. Now keep in mind that the further out you go increases the time and probability that the animal may load their legs (jumping the string), so that has to be taken into account as well. I have seen instances where a deer has been spine shot from 40 yards away and the shooter aimed at the bottom of the animal. The absolute best thing I can tell you is to shoot from your hunting height and figure out how much of difference you have between your aiming point and your point of impact at different yardages, so you can make a mental change when the time comes and you have an animal in front of you.
Click to expand...

My bow is sighted in from my front deck which is about 16 ft high. I always group right at 2" low when I shoot from the ground at 20yrds(this is what I do most of the time as I hate running through the house to go get my arrows)
 
TNDeerGuy said:
This actually is somewhat of a complex question. In general, I aim for the top of the lower third of the animal and in the crease at the leg and try to aim for the opposite leg�if the animal ducks the string, then I take out both lungs; if the animal doesn't then I take out both lungs and the heart. That being said shot angles and distance will play a role as well. A steep shot angle, 10 yards at 20 feet high, you arrow will impact about 2 inches high�the further out the target is, will shrink the difference in the point of impact�this is probably why people have told you to "hold low". For example, 20 up and 10 out = 2" high, 20 up and 30 out = 1/2"-1" high, 20 up 40 out = same-1/4" and so forth. Now keep in mind that the further out you go increases the time and probability that the animal may load their legs (jumping the string), so that has to be taken into account as well. I have seen instances where a deer has been spine shot from 40 yards away and the shooter aimed at the bottom of the animal. The absolute best thing I can tell you is to shoot from your hunting height and figure out how much of difference you have between your aiming point and your point of impact at different yardages, so you can make a mental change when the time comes and you have an animal in front of you.
Click to expand...

What he said.
 
GREAT question.
And MOST DEFINITELY the RIGHT question for ANY archer at ANY level to ask.

But, as TnDeerGuy wrote:
This actually is somewhat of a complex question.

And I agree with his assessment.

I also suggest that as you spend time in the deer woods, you will begin to understand the body language of the deer you hunt. And exactly where you aim with a bow has a lot to do with how relaxed or alert a deer is prior to the arrow release.

For example, it is not unusual for a doe to be standing at fifteen or twenty yards stomping her foot. BUT...is she stomping her foot 1-while periodically looking back over her shoulder, or 2-is she flaring her nostrils while stomping and flinching and dropping her chest toward the ground, ears laid back, and eyes WIDE open?

While number 1 may mean there is a buck approaching her from the rear and she is agitated but NOT spooked, number two may mean she has got a good whiff of YOU, and is about to "explode" away.

While a shot at number two may be IFFY at best, the first shot might just mean to aim a little lower.

A good bet is to always figure out, for a BROADSIDE shot, with or without a slight quarter, where you need to aim to hit the heart. WITHOUT hitting the shoulder bones like the humerus, or scapula. This way, if the deer drops a little, you'll catch both lungs. If no drop, you will likely hit heart AND probably lungs.

But the easy shots are just that, EASY (or at least "easy ER").

It is the difficult angles that will cause you to have bad dreams. The shot angles that are NOT that common for practice, that are NOT familiar.
Steep angles, longer than usual, odd quarter too or away.
Tight shots, walking shots, RUNNING shots, or otherwise POOR shot selection shots. It is the PRESSURE shots that make you think, "well, I HAD a shot, I just did not take it because I was either un-familiar with the shot, or did not know exactly where to put my arrow to kill it effectively".

This is one aspect of archery we CAN all practice. And there are some GREAT videos that help teach it. It takes a little effort, but is WELL worth it when you aren't talking about the ONE shot you had, but did not make. Instead, you are standing over a dead deer SHOWING your buddies at camp where you put the arrow.

Study deer anatomy VERY WELL. Learn exactly where to put that arrow at ANY angle and ANY body language so that it affects a quick, clean, killing shot.

And MOST importantly, learn when to PASS on a shot that will most likely NOT work out for you, or the deer.
 
102 said:
GREAT question.
And MOST DEFINITELY the RIGHT question for ANY archer at ANY level to ask.

But, as TnDeerGuy wrote:
This actually is somewhat of a complex question.

And I agree with his assessment.

I also suggest that as you spend time in the deer woods, you will begin to understand the body language of the deer you hunt. And exactly where you aim with a bow has a lot to do with how relaxed or alert a deer is prior to the arrow release.

For example, it is not unusual for a doe to be standing at fifteen or twenty yards stomping her foot. BUT...is she stomping her foot 1-while periodically looking back over her shoulder, or 2-is she flaring her nostrils while stomping and flinching and dropping her chest toward the ground, ears laid back, and eyes WIDE open?

While number 1 may mean there is a buck approaching her from the rear and she is agitated but NOT spooked, number two may mean she has got a good whiff of YOU, and is about to "explode" away.

While a shot at number two may be IFFY at best, the first shot might just mean to aim a little lower.

A good bet is to always figure out, for a BROADSIDE shot, with or without a slight quarter, where you need to aim to hit the heart. WITHOUT hitting the shoulder bones like the humerus, or scapula. This way, if the deer drops a little, you'll catch both lungs. If no drop, you will likely hit heart AND probably lungs.

But the easy shots are just that, EASY (or at least "easy ER").

It is the difficult angles that will cause you to have bad dreams. The shot angles that are NOT that common for practice, that are NOT familiar.
Steep angles, longer than usual, odd quarter too or away.
Tight shots, walking shots, RUNNING shots, or otherwise POOR shot selection shots. It is the PRESSURE shots that make you think, "well, I HAD a shot, I just did not take it because I was either un-familiar with the shot, or did not know exactly where to put my arrow to kill it effectively".

This is one aspect of archery we CAN all practice. And there are some GREAT videos that help teach it. It takes a little effort, but is WELL worth it when you aren't talking about the ONE shot you had, but did not make. Instead, you are standing over a dead deer SHOWING your buddies at camp where you put the arrow.

Study deer anatomy VERY WELL. Learn exactly where to put that arrow at ANY angle and ANY body language so that it affects a quick, clean, killing shot.

And MOST importantly, learn when to PASS on a shot that will most likely NOT work out for you, or the deer.
Click to expand...

Nicely done 102! To add to the thought, I cannot tell you how many deer I have passed over the years, that have been well within my effective range, because something wasn't right (i.e. poor shot angles, body language, me shaking like a cheerleader's pom-pom's on a Friday night, etc...). I am a firm believer that many of our lost deer in the archery community is the result of us "forcing" shots, instead of being patient enough to wait for one or more of the variables to improve in our favor. In hindsight, of the three deer I have not recovered, two of them was the result of one or more variables not being in my favor and me making a poor choice trying to force a shot instead of being patient�the one was just of those freak, unexplainable things that happens in our sport, like the doe that gil (I think that was who it was) shot with the pass-thru Rage. If your not comfortable with a certain shot, and you are having to convince yourself that you can probably make it, then I would let down until you absolutely know you can make it�there is a difference between the two. Bowhunting is an Art, it takes practice, confidence and the ability to make proper decisions�all of which take time to learn through actual time spent applying what you have learned and adjusting to the variables in which you encounter and being open to modifying your actions while operating around those variables you are unfamiliar with.
 
Broadside I hold for the top of the heart in most situations. If the deer is too keyed up for me to feel this hold will work I usually dont shoot.

Best advice for aiming IMO is aim for the offside armpit. This will get the heart most times and almost always both lungs (unless it is a hard quarter to which I don't advise taking).
 

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