I was talkin with a buddy about shot placement and we started talking about the ideal arrow placement. My friend (compound shooter) said his favorite was a quartering away catching the first lung getting all the off side lung then burying into the offside leg. Mine is a perfect broadside shot with the broad-head (WW of course) catching the top third of the heart and severing all the veins that connect to the top of the heart (lots of blood). Both are obviously great shots. What is your perfect arrow placement? High lung? low lung? center heart? and which way do you like the deer at the time of the shot? broadside? quartering away?
I prefer completely broadside, but will take quartering away. I aim for low lung, feeling it provides the best margin of error, but I sure do like a good heart hit if I go slightly low!
Whether the angle is broadside or quartering away, I want my arrow to exit where the off side leg joins the body. (Assuming shots from a treestand)
Broadside, double-lung, NO heart.
A fully pumping heart leaves a GOOD bloodtrail and with double-lunger it ain't going too far anyhow.
Nothing like a fully bled-out deer at processing time, no "juice", better taste, and besides, the heart is tasty too!
Ben :campfire:
I have to go with a double lung broadside shot.
Broadside and center the lungs. Good blood trails.
best case for me would be to hit the very top of the heart and both lungs with a broadside shot. on some animals i like to smash though the shoulder others id prefer a clean pass through
generally for a broadside shot i will go "strait up the front leg, 1/3 of the way up the body"
I'll take this one step farther. The "perfect" shot to me would be quartering away just slightly (think like 20 degrees) and with my arrow being elevated about 10ft above it's mark at 15 yards.
The quartering away and elevation give you a longer cutting path through the animal. More bleeding and quicker lung-fill. PLUS it puts the exit a little lower for better 'drainage'.
15 yards makes sure the arrow is recovered from paradox.
I've never had this shot present itself...ever! It's purely hypothetical. In reality I aim for the crease in the far leg. 1/2 up if the deer is relaxed and close, 1/3 up if it's tense or over 20.
Now if we want to get really hypothetical I'd say the perfect shot would be a carotid severe the depth of one broadhead, as I believe this to be the MOST humane death, period. I'm nowhere NEAR good enough to even consider this shot though, even if it DID present itself.
Having seen animals on tv being shot with a bow and "not know it" makes me think the lung shot with a truly sharp head is right there beside though in terms of "humaneness".
I do wander how far a deer would make it with a 4"X1" slice through carotid artery...may have to look up in the trees for the blood trail too!
Quartering away multiplies the chance of a single lung proportionite to how much angle you add.
Broadside gives you the widest area for error. coupled with the best chance for a pass thru
Quartering away does give the most margin of error. I need all the help I can get. The spot I pick is the one that makes my arrow exit just behind the off side leg - if I were to actually hit the spot. It can lead to single lung hits which lead to long tracks like Biggie said but is more likely to hit the "boiler room" in general.
The best shot for me right now is to see one, then we will see what presents itself.
Slightly quartering away & hit top of heart from the ground. The heart shot will put elk down quick & humane in short order. Inside 100yds in most cases. A double lung hit elk will go 150-300yds before they pile up. The exception on an elk falling quicker with a lung shot is if it bugles just before an arrow takes out his lungs, he cannot pull air back in & he's toast.
ElkNut1
QuoteOriginally posted by BEN:
Broadside, double-lung, NO heart.
A fully pumping heart leaves a GOOD bloodtrail and with double-lunger it ain't going too far anyhow.
Nothing like a fully bled-out deer at processing time, no "juice", better taste, and besides, the heart is tasty too!
Ben :campfire:
Yep....AND, and simple double lung pass through causes less flight. Some times they don't even know they have been hit....but heart shot deer go bizerk.
So, broadside double lung is what I prefer.
Lung shot. Broadside or quartering away. No difference for me. No animal goes far without lungs.
The best place to hit game changes with each different view. Aim for where you want the arrow to EXIT the critter. Broadside, as has been said above, is the safest angle.
Lungs are what you aim for- an arrow shot animal only hit in the heart can and often does travel a long way with a blown up heart- typically a lot further than with punctured lungs.
whatever puts them down quickly,shot one thursday,top heart and double lung 30 yard recovery....
I do love that standing broadside shot. Short ample blood trails. Never thought about the concept of a fully functioning heart pumping blood.
Double lung, an animal can't run far if it can't take a breath. Heart shot deer can go a long way.