I have heard alot of people say that quartering away shots are best for whitetails. I have to disagree with that one. Maybe it's just me, but I would rather have a broadside shot any day. I will take quartering away shots but only when the animal is close. I think one problem that people have with quartering away shots is that they shoot to far FORWARD. I shot a doe last season that was quartering away pretty hard, but she was VERY close and I was hidden in a low treestand. I shot her right behind the last rib, and the arrow came out right behind the foreleg on the opposite side. I had the doe in the back of my truck, and somebody remarked about how lucky I got because the shot was so bad. He was looking at the entrance hole. I flipped the deer over and showed him the exit and he said "good shot"! Still I don't really like quartering away shots. What about you guys?
I've sure taken a lot of critters with a quartering away shots. I also won't hesitate to take one if I think the situation might not get any better.. If it looks like I'll get a broadside shot I might wait.. Killed a few where the angle was severe and I hit them right in front of the ham and had the broadhead wind up in the heart area.. They don't go very far..
If they offer it I'll take it...what ever I'm confident in is what i will take.
I move my 3D targets around all the time and shoot them from every angle and height from the most quartering away to the most sever quartering towards and make sure I'm proficient from all angles/heights.
Just depends I guess on the deer's body language. Keep it close and I think you'll be fine. On an elk it's a different matter. Broadside only!
Brett
I don't like them Jon, so I agree with you. You are more likely to only take out one lung than two, so you can be in for a long tracking job. Also, you can lodge in heavier bone and gristle on the exit, and possibly not get an exit cut.
Lots of guys like that shot, but you better be accurate and know the critter's vitals and exactly where they are, compared to your angle.
If it doesn't feel right, I won't take the shot; even if it may be the only shot that I will get.
Desperation is never a good reason.
Very slight quartering away shots are ok - but I'm like Jon and George and like broadside better.
Hard quartering away shots are tough - you don't have much margin for error left to right on those...
Kinda like George said, I don't mind passing on a shot thats not high percentage for me - and hard quartering is not.
Broadside :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I like broadside, but I sure like a quartering away as well......as long as it's not too much....
Well I gotta go for the quartering away. First off the deer is really past you, and is less apt to catch you coming to draw.(Less apt to jump the string)
Second, I have had troubles with hitting shoulders over the years, and the quartering away, gets you further away from the heavy bone on the entrance side of things (Two holes are nice, but one will work).
Third I do not like a hard quartering away where a straight line to the off side knee gets you close to the ham. If the entrance is in the short rib area, you will get both lungs, no problem.
Yes, Broadside is best but I made one of the best text book shots ever on a hard quartering away shot on a 6 point buck at about 10yds. Went in right in the crease between his ham and last rib, ( waist) and came out right in front of his right shoulder. He went 20yds and was done ! Found 6 inches of arrow and the broadhead laying right where I shot him. Still remember looking at the rest of the arrow inside his rib cage while field dressing him and thinking WOW ! The reason I took that shot was it was 10yds and I knew I could put that arrow right where I was aiming. Confidence is king.
At the same time I will also admit my STUPID mistakes of several slightly quartering to me shots that I took and lost the animal. Just got opening day jitters and did not wait for the best shot. The older I get and the more I hunt I realize that it is better to remain calm and just let them mill around till the perfect shot comes up. The next time a deer comes in that you are not going to shoot just imagine you would and then count how many better shots you would have got from the time you first imagined you would have shot. I bet my hat that a better shot presented itself than when you would have first taken a shot. The exception to that is a buck walking / cruising for does. Bucks seem to always have a purpose to life and are on a mission. Most times you gotta make a sound to get them to stop or you will not even get a still shot.
My son and I were hunting last year during the rut and 3 deer came running in, a buck chasing two does. He wanted to shoot several times but I held him back till he got a chip shot at 10 yds. Before he shot it was a circus with deer flying by our trees round and round. I told him that they would give us a better shot if he just waited. I know it is hard to wait, but take my advise and don't be stupid like I have and lost deer in the past. It is a sickening feeling and nothing worse in my book. I hate to lose one !!!Yes I will take a quartering away if it is close and I am totally confident I can make it. I will NEVER take another quartering to me shot. Not worth it. JMHO
nocams :banghead:
I like a SLIGHTLY quartering away shot as the kill zone is a hair bigger and it keeps you away from heavy bone when shooting from a tree stand.
BUT they have to be close for me to take them!
I'm lowering my poundage ,but think I will get more draw from the lower poundage when a deer is close to me and I'm shooting steeper angles.
I just like close slam dunk shots under 18 yards and farther than 6 yards :)
I shot a buck a few year ago standing 11 yards away almost straight away, I shot him high in the soft spot between the last ribs and the hip. It came out between the front leggs in the front. I watched him go down in 20 yards with a 53# recurve.
If I feel confident in the shot I will take it , if not they walk. I'm picky on shot selection, that's why it takes me longer to feel tags than most people, but on the upside I get to hunt longer :)
Jack
When in close quarters and moving into a shot while afoot, taking a steep quartering away shot on a whitetail is one of my all time favorites. From that angle, you are in the deer's blind spot and the deer will be far less likely to detect your movement. This is one of the better time tested techniques for hunting whitetail afoot with a stickbow. The Grizzly was invented by Elburg for this very shot as it was his favorite technique for ground hunting whitetail with his flatbow.
No question that broadside exposes a maximum percentage of heart and lungs when afoot, but from this angle you are within the deer's range of vision and it becomes far more difficult to move into the shot when afoot at close quarters without the deer detecting your movement. Once the deer detects your movement, even a broadside chip shot can become a miss as the deer can drop its entire body height, wheel around, and leap off for parts unknown before a stickbow arrow can cover 15 yards. When on the ground at close quarters, I normally reserve broadside for when I'm completely stationary in an ambush position, and then I'm very picky at choosing the right moment to execute the shot. I normally wait for the deer to multi-task such as when browsing or tending a doe while taking a step with only three legs planted. Any of these techniques can be highly productive if employed correctly to best take advantage of the deer's weaknesses as long as you can properly execute an efficient well aimed shot. Remember that when you execute such shot presentations, you must aim for the proper exit.
Best
Oh yeah, one more argument about quartering away and quartering too....... Some have said, "heck what is the difference, arrow path is the same just reversed ?"
Big diff to me is quartering too you have to encounter possibly that shoulder blade on entrance. Could stop penetration cold or deflect the arrow outside the ribcage along the deer's side making for a nasty wound. With a quartering away at the most all you have is ribs. Also if you hit a little too far back as the arrow drives deeper it is heading toward the vitals, NOT away from them like a quartering too shot. Those just get worse if you shot too far back on an animal. JMHO
nocams :readit:
Here is the entrance.
(http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo359/luckyjack123/Hilltop4-04-10.jpg)
Here is the exit.
(http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo359/luckyjack123/Hilltop4-0411.jpg)
I must like quartering shots as I look thru photos I see I have many quartering shots including this Halloween buck :) He came in on the move and I shot him from a high tree stand at 14 yards slightly quartering away beteewn the last 2 ribs and exited near the arm pit on the coming out side. I know is is no monster compared to some of you guys deer but that is what we have here in WV. I watched in go down in the grapevines in the picture :)
(http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo359/luckyjack123/Halloween8-2.jpg)
I tend to wait for a slightly quartering away unless the animal's view (of me) is obstructed in some way when it's broadside. A lot of my broadheads end up in the offside leg when they don't go through it. In short, I'll take either one. Tend to pass on the extreme quartering away though.
I will add.....
I don't think there's such a thing as "being proficient" with a quartering toward angle.....
That is a shot that should never be considered unless you have to get another arrow into an already wounded critter...then all bets are off...
I know can and has been done....but it's just asking for trouble!
I agree Curt quartering toward angle is not an option.
Many of the quartering away shots tend to hit the off side leg which is a bad thing as 2 holes are not acheived sometimes making tracking diffucult .
Penetration is the answer on these shots!
I prefer a quartering away shot over the broadside. but will take both anyday as for the quartering toward i do not take those shots I get nervous about penetration
I have taken a lot of animals quartering away , I keep it simple by aiming at the off side shoulder . Slight quartering away you get both lungs , severe quarteruing away you get liver and one lung , either way a short tracking job.
That said when I took my bow safety test in the 60's they said frontal shots were fine , I don't agree . Just my expierience . Fred
I have no problem on a quarteing away shot, I would not take the shot at a severe angle. I really try to allow the deer's body language to let me know when to let the arrow go. I am very picky about when I shoot at game. I like high percentage situations that feel right.
DD
Jack, those first photos were shot from above right through the chest, not quartering. 8^).
I made a few of those years back when I perched in trees and they were very effective.
Nowadays I don't hunt from trees, so I prefer that broadside. Besides that a deer's eye has a 300 degree periphery. No guarantees that they won't notice movement just because they are quartering by.
If you don't shoot you don't kill.If you can track and if you get inside the rib cage its your deer.I've seen this with a 100 kills.
But I like broad side shots but quartering away for the sample fact that the deer has past you and the shot is less detectable.
I like a broadside shot but a slightly quartering away is not bad either, kinda gives you a chance to draw your bow and slightly out of the deers vision.
As a ground hunter, 90% of my shots are at deer SLIGHTLY quartering away. We all agree broadside is the best shot BUT, the slightly quartering shot with the arrow entering behind the last rib takes out everything as it passes through.
Taking a shot at a whitetail with too much of an angle will almost always result in a poorly hit animal. The arrow will either enter too far forward or too far back. A "sharp" quartering angle reduces the size of your kill zone. Like being 20' up a tree and shooting down at a deer 7 yds away compared to having the animal 20 yds out.
I will never pass on an animal slightly quartering away...again...coming from a ground pounder...
I must be the odd one, I like running the arrow through in front of the hip all the way forward to the offside shoulder.
QuoteOriginally posted by George D. Stout:
Lots of guys like that shot, but you better be accurate and know the critter's vitals and exactly where they are, compared to your angle.
Doesnt matter what position the deer is in you should do that...dont get lazy on "chip" shots thats how deer are wounded or lost.
a quartering away shot on the right side of the deer should hit liver; then go forward to hit lung.
On the left side is the 'stomach' where an arrow can have a tougher time getting through.
This is why elk hunters don't like quartering away shots on elk. I actually have killed an elk and taken the 'stomach' out and shot at it; and not had my arrow go through it. Hit the right side quartering away on an elk; and you will hit liver and might; might- even get one or both lungs.
Just about guarantees a long tracking job.
Used to be archers defended 'Texas heart shots'.
I prefer a broadside shot too! But nothing wrong with quartering away. I learned waiting for a "perfect" shot can many times lead to an empty freezer.
In the book, "Timeless Bowhunting" (if I remember right?) there is a section on "depth of kill". And I believe this is important, although it talks about percentage / number of arrows in the kill zone at different distances. Also have to know and visualize where the arrow is going to come out.
My favorite shot would have to be aiming at the offside shoulder on a slight quartering away shot. I don't like hard quartering away shots and I have to be careful not to get a little to far back on a broadside shot (I tend to want to shy away from the sholder to much).
Also, most of my hunting has been from treestands. When shooting from a treestand the arrow is going through the animal from Hi to low. If you look at the vitals on a deer they are large at the back and taper low at the front behind the leg where the heart is. On a quarting away shot this gives you a high to low target. Therefore, if you are shooting from a treestand you can do alot more lung/heart damage on a slight quarting away shot than on a broadside shot. Steve
I prefer broadside from a tree stand, but on the ground I'll take quartering either way, as long as the deer hasn't seen me and is distracted. On the ground from the front you can shoot under the shoulder blade, but it's not as easy from above. I've had bad experiences with quartering hard away from a tree, due to spine interference. If you hit one of those spinal processes it can deflect the arrow away from the boiler room.
Shoot 'em in the crease and you'll be draggin' in short order...On quartering shots pay attention to the exit...
David
We all know what works.
Too much of anything is not a good thing.
I HAVE taken quartering shots, but I have never seen an animal that was too broadside.
I'd rather jab one in the next to last rib on entry and pin the opposite shoulder than shoot one broadside,they kinda have a hard time running with holes in their lungs and only 3 legs working!i will take a broadside shot if offered but prefer a slight quarter away but never quarter towards because the gut plugs the lower exit hole and makes tracking nearly impossible.