how does everybody feel about them? i have a certain stand location where the deer have been coming in head on towards me. i personally have always thought that it was a very marginal shot, but wouldnt be scared to try it. heard a few people talk in other threads that have shot deer head on with success. whats your opinion???
My opinion is that it is a poor shot to take, and you will lose more deer than you will find.
Not a shot with a trad bow.
Wouldn't take it myself.
I would only take that shot at less than 10 yards,I have done it before and it worked out but not much blood arrow stayed in him.
Too risky. Not a shot that I would take (did take). Had a nice 8-point walking towards me. About 20 yds. out, he decided to do an about-face and walk away. Oh well, made my day seeing him.
I know better, I tell folks not to, but I had a small buck stop facing me and I thought I had a sure thing on a four point from 10 yards from my 18 ft-to-the-platform stand earlier this month. I put the arrow center-chest exactly where I wanted it. Buried it 20" right between the shoulders angled down.
This was at 20 minutes before sunset. Intitial blood trail didn't start for 30 yards, but then I found the last 8" of the arrow (fletching end) and a good trail. Then I found another 14" of shaft and the trail got sparse. I found a bed with little blood smeared around. After that the deer left a drop every three feet. Then every 10 feet. At 9:30PM I called it a night, marked my last found drop (with the broken fletch portion of the arrow) and went home disgusted with myself.
Next day I picked up where I left off and, 60 yards from where I found the last drop I found 10 drops or so (after spiraling and crawling for hours) and a few drops in a line - but perpendicular to the prior direction so I didn't know which way it had headed. I searched in a grid pattern in both directions, spiraled, looked for kicked up leaves, followed any deer tracks where there was mud hoping to find blood. Nothing. I walked a 1/2 mile square grid; up and down the side of the hill. Nothing. By dark again on that following day I had not found deer or further blood. About 12 hours total of crawling and squinting.
I can only hope I did not sever the esophagus and doom that poor deer to a lingering death.
Never again for me. Look at a deer carcass or skeleton. What was a shot that may work well from the ground with a firearm is a horrible shot from an elevated position with a bow. This one will wrankle me for the rest of my life.
:banghead:
Not a good idea. Move that stand to the downwind side.
Charlie, I know this won't help but it could have gone the other way also, my buddy shot one head on but from the ground and had no trouble finding it, don't get so down on yourself. after all your only human, we all make mistakes.
No
I wouldn't!!And "wouldn't be scared to try it"...if you respect the animals you are hunting don't try things on them!
Imho, it all depends on your bow weight, and whether you are shooting from the ground or a gree, and your accuracy/distance of shot.
I've had 100% success on this angle, but I don't do it often. I shoot pretty heavy #, mid 60#s, and I shoot from the ground. At that ground level angle, if the arrow misses the juglar, it takes out the heart, lungs, liver, or diaphragm or all the above and leaves excellent blood trails and quick death. However, I absolutely would not take this shot from an elevated stand, using a light weight bow, or if the deer was watching me and could jump at the shot. Then it's too risky.
Nope.... It will kill a deer, but there is too much room for error.
I killed a nice buck 3 years ago with a near head on impact. However I shot at 20 yards on a mildly alert deer and literally the thing spun into the shot. When it hit, he was practically head on. The arrow entered between the collarbone and neck. I got carotid artery and lung... killed him within 40 yards. Again this is not intended to encourage you. :) Just a freak lucky draw. It could have ended just as easily unrecovered.
There are so many variables in this shot. Most of which are not good. For me this is not an ethical shot. What we do have is a chance to learn from others mistakes if we choose too. Upon listening we may shorten the learning curve to becoming better hunters. Most of the stories of these types of shots end in bad results. As tempting as it may be wait for a better shot.
Scott Teaschner
I do not take this kind of shot nor do I recommend anyone else take it bow or rifle. There is to many variables to consider between the animal and ourselves. Where I hunt the deer are super spooky even on opening day of bow season. I have had a deer that I watched in horror as my arrow left my bow turn and jump forward enough to cause the arrow to hit it in its rump.
BIG chance the deer will see the draw/shot and react before an arrow can get there. Doesn't help your odds at all of getting a clean kill...
Yeah, I don't think I'd try that. I've shot a couple with a .50 cal muzzleloader that way and dropped them in their tracks. I wouldn't do it with a bow, though. There's just not enough margin for error.
I pass, and if the deer are coming head on at you it is likely you will get busted drawing anyway. I hunt stands where the deer will come at me head on but I wait for them to turn before shooting.
What wooddamon1 said. Move your stand.
no way no way no way!
No. Not a bow shot.
I did it once years ago and got lucky, Never again.
doug77
The first evening of my season this year, I had a very nice mature eight point come in facing me. I was in a tree stand and had an arrow on the string and was in position for a shot on this beautiful buck. I thought he would keep on on the trail and offer a shot, he stopped and looked up straight at me. There was a stand off of staring and head bobbing for a couple of minutes, than he started to back out going backwards first and leaving the way he came. There was no way I was going to let an arrow go with the position he offered me. This buck was less than ten yards away.
If I had a 200" buck walking at me and stopped 10 yards away with his head behind a leaves and all I could see was his front on chest...I would wait for a better shot.
It isn't a high percentage shot period.There have been plenty of critters killed, some found some lost,from shots at this angle as well as broadside. Every shot is the sum of many variables.But this angle has a lower percentage of success.
QuoteOriginally posted by southernarcher:
It isn't a high percentage shot period.There have been plenty of critters killed, some found some lost,from shots at this angle as well as broadside. Every shot is the sum of many variables.But this angle has a lower percentage of success.
x2
I've killed 3 or 4 with that shot but that was years ago. Also, I had my arrow come out on the other end of the deer somewhere each time. I was shooting 80# recurves on at least two of them and 80# longbow on the others with 800-900 gr. arrows. I still shoot that weight but the target is so small and so many things can happen between release and impact that I just don't need a kill that bad any more.
QuoteOriginally posted by sunset hill:
Imho, it all depends on your bow weight, and whether you are shooting from the ground or a gree, and your accuracy/distance of shot.
I've had 100% success on this angle, but I don't do it often. I shoot pretty heavy #, mid 60#s, and I shoot from the ground. At that ground level angle, if the arrow misses the juglar, it takes out the heart, lungs, liver, or diaphragm or all the above and leaves excellent blood trails and quick death. However, I absolutely would not take this shot from an elevated stand, using a light weight bow, or if the deer was watching me and could jump at the shot. Then it's too risky.
What's 100% success? 1 for 1 or 15 for 15? Just curious.
You might get lucky but its a bad angle, low percentage shot. The animal deserve better. My 2 cents
Instead of thinking of a very marginal shot why not move the stand?
Mike
Yeah, bad idea. I would do like the others have said and move my stand. Not finding a deer is alot worse than not getting a shot.
God Bless,
Nathan
I don't need to kill anything bad enough to even think about that kind of shot.
Not good odds. I am portable so move stands every time I hunt- so perhaps move it.
With that said- easier yet is to put dead timber and branches in the trail to get the deer to walk the way you want. You can even use a large branch to scrape a new trail around the obstacle and the deer will use it. Very easily solved.
Dan in KS
Not a shot I would take.
I would not take it with any bow. Especially from a tree stand.
not a shot
I shot a deer head on with a deer slug once and it missed by 1" right, bounced off a bone and careened along the ribs and ended up with a very ugly scene as the deer required several hasty follow ups as he ran off on 3 legs. That convinced me never to try it with a trad bow.
I think it's a low percentage shot. You need a ton of KE to get through that area (just look at all the bones up there) and into the vitals. You are better off waiting for a broadside or slightly quartering away.
I passed up on a monster mulie up in Alberta at 10 yards. He came straight in on me and I was on the ground. I did not shoot and came home with out a mulie. Better empty then wounding one. No don't do it.
Not for me to take.
Considering the number of marginal shots already being made on broadside deer, by bad chance or by lack of skill, no.
Considering the other factors already mentioned- no.
Joshua
These questions always get me thinking. Some times these topics can really stir me up. I am so glad to see the majority say no bad shot. But does that mean some one will listen and not take the shot if the oppertunity should appear? I think this. There will be some people that will not be convienced and may take the shot. But what if they did a little more reasearch before hand? Instead of just asking a question and looking for oppinions or a answer. Now dont get me wrong asking questions is great and a valuable way to learn. But we can do more. How about this next deer you shoot dont gut it right away. Skin the whole deer first. Look closely at the front shoulder blades muscle and bone. Look at the brisket and the neck. Take off the front shoulder blades notice how things really narrow down. If you can get a look at how all the vital organs lay. Notice where the cavity ends and becomes muscle and bone and grizzle. I think are minds eye tricks us and what we think it is may not be what it is. I try and look at these things every time I shoot an animal just for a refresher. If you do these things you probably could answer the question yourself. I think you would also be more comfortable knowing exactly what your doing instead of just chanceing. I hope this can help.
Scott Teaschner
IMHO ......... one of the worst things about deer porn on TV is that they show LOTS of poor shot selection . When someone with limited experience watches a well known hunting hero taking low percentage shots they are very likely to do the same .
It makes me ill to hear a well known hero hunter comment "I had to take the shot " ................... well ...... NO YOU DIDNT !!!!! ............ there is always the option of letting the deer walk ,which is what a true sportsMAN would do .
QuoteOriginally posted by John Scifres:
I shot a deer head on with a deer slug once and it missed by 1" right, bounced off a bone and careened along the ribs and ended up with a very ugly scene as the deer required several hasty follow ups as he ran off on 3 legs. That convinced me never to try it with a trad bow.
I had a similar experience.
1st time dropped a buck in its tracks with a rifle.
2nd time I had to finish the deer because I jerked the trigger and had the same experience as above.
I Will never take that shot again with any type of weapon unless I am defending myself or trying to finish off something.
You should be able to do something to make them turn. Place a some brush or dead wood or some scent to make them move to increase your odds of a broadside shot.
Gilbert
I'm with the herd this time, against this shot. I would avoid not only with any bow, but also with a firearm.
Trust me NO do NOT take the frontal shot. After 20+ years at this I have succumbed to the temptation of the frontal shot a few(very few) times. It has NEVER worked! I am ashamed that I ever took it much less gave in and tried it again years later thinking things might be different. They weren't. I shoot 62# bows. I will NEVER EVER again take a frontal shot from the ground or from a tree. If it works it is just buzzard luck!!! JMO
Frontal shot on a deer hhmmm! Only if its standing upright at 10 yrds and you have a laser sight on the bow. Not wise at all for you or the animal.Move the stand 90 degrees left or right and save you the trouble and mental debate.JMHO
It's not a shot for me. Especially in the south-eastern woods where I hunt. I could see someone feeling differently out on open prairie but I'd still believe it's not for me.
na wait for the broadside/quartering away shot.. patience it will come.....
I had a nice doe come in head on at twenty yards, in my book No Shot, not even if I had a compound with me. You should of just enjoyed the show.
Shot a small buck facing me from a teestand when I was younger. He looked at me and pawed the ground. When he did I put an arrow over top his shoulder. He ran off and I heard him crash. There was not one drop of blood on the ground. The arrow went full length of his body and came out the opposite side back leg when I rolled him over. I won't take that shot again.
Rob
I had a huge 12 pt in Iowa at 4 yards head on looking at me in the stand. I passed on the shot. I probably would pass again and again.
But I'm always thinking about that one.
If I had that same shot with rifle, I would take it.
Not with trad gear. Did it once with a compound bow . Lesson learned the hard way.
I'm with Joe A. Wait it out. A head-on deer close enough for a shot is not a static situation. It's going to change position sooner or later and unless it happens too fast, it's going to change into an acceptable shot.
I shot a doe that was walking right at me once and she stopped just about 10 feet away and stared at me and then barked a couple of times and ran off but only a few feet and stopped broadside. As she turned to go I drew and when she stopped ... thwack. Sure, she could've kept going but didn't.