Quartering away shots on whitetails?

[Greyfox54]

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

[Doug in MN]

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

[George D. Stout]

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.

[Roy Steele]

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.

[BowHuntingFool]

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.

[joe skipp]

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...

[Gehrke145]

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.

[Deadbolt]

Originally 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.

[Brian Krebs]

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'.

[SteveMcD]

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.

[JOKER]

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

[Don Stokes]

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.

[Widowbender]

Shoot 'em in the crease and you'll be draggin' in short order...On quartering shots pay attention to the exit...

David

[Bonebuster]

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.

[Arrowhead80]

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.