Bowhunters / Shoulder Shots

[Bowhunter57]

There are so many things that can go wrong with archery gear. I've been guilty of "less than ideal" shot placement. Nerves, tree limbs, jerk trigger. . . Blame it on whatever you want. Sometimes even the best miss their mark. (And I am definitely not saying I am the best. I am human and have screwed up more than once.)

Agreed!!! Been there and done that, on several occasions.

The doe that I shot last fall, where I let myself get hyped up and made a "greenhorn" shot. I thought just the shaft of the arrow slapped her in the back and all I did was spook her out of the area for a while. As it turned out, 2 weeks later she showed up near that area and I was able to get a killing shot at 22 yards. When I rolled her over to check the exit wound, is when I seen the gash in her back from 2 weeks earlier. I just plain ole got lucky on seeing her that soon and during the same month.

 

[Milo]

You have to know what your equipment can do. It’s all broadhead and energy. My son hit one between 6 and 5 lines and crushed it but he had a broadhead to do it..most don’t have a clue if the energy it takes to beat a deer shoulder.

 

[Bowhunter57]

The pink line being the leg bone, creates a "V" or what's called the Vital "V".
The yellow area is typically where I'll aim for a heart/lung shot. That shot placement varies with the shot angle.
In the photos above, on the doe that I shot, the placement is much higher, but the exit is much lower and this shot angle was nearly perfect broadside and at 22 yards, from a tree stand at 18 feet.
Column 7, Row C for the entrance and Row F for the exit.

 

[xbowguy]

That’s because an arrow through that spot does not require a tracking dog to find.

I did get to track one that was shot in that location. The hunter had heart problems and did not want to track the deer because he was so worked up. I believe Stevie Wonder could have followed the blood trail.

 

[Fletch]

Bottom line is: As Clint Eastwood once said: "A MAN HAS TO KNOW HIS LIMITATIONS"... To many guys take shots at distances they never practice... I practice at 30 yds and under... Have only one pin on the bow... Using both the compound and the crossbow at times, I only shoot the crossbow up to 30 yds... I don't need to practice further distances cause all my stands are in the thickest part of the woods I can find... I also don't believe in shooting at the heart.... CENTER MASS, BOILER ROOM ONLY.. Have I ever said that before??? LOL Some guys when asked, don't even know where they hit...

 

[brock ratcliff]

Don't Tell Me to Shoot Behind the Shoulder! | Field & Stream

F&S's hunting editor makes the case for bowhunters to use heavy arrows and to aim just in front of a deer's shoulder crease—at the "Vital V."

www.fieldandstream.com

 

[giles]

Once again. Know your and your equipments limitations. I would never take that shot with an expandable out of a crossbow. Heavy arrow with a fixed blade is not the same as my expandable lightweight projectile. Imma keep shooting 3-4" behind the shoulder. Haven't lost a deer since I got away from the shoulder. But if I had the traditional setup you do...I'd be heart shooting then. Or at least aiming there and letting the deer decide where it hit

 

[brock ratcliff]

There is no reason you couldn’t use a well made, heavy head from a crossbow and blow completely through deer at most any angle. Crossbows generate a huge amount of energy. Arrows with light heads lose it.

 

[giles]

There is no reason you couldn’t use a well made, heavy head from a crossbow and blow completely through deer at most any angle. Crossbows generate a huge amount of energy. Arrows with light heads lose it.

I agree and tried to dabble in it last year. It seems the arrow technology hasn't caught on. Coming off the rail at 400+ with a high FOC has caused me problems with flight. My guess is because of spine. I would love to have one set up to launch 600 grains at 350 feet per second. Dig it out of the ground, shine up the edge and reuse it. It just hasn't caught one. I still haven't been able to find a damn head that'll fly right and hold together. All one time use.

 

[brock ratcliff]

You need to bring it to the house once things warm up. If you want to do it, it’s doable.

 

[Jamie]

no doubt that sacrificing a little speed for extra weight (which equates to greater momentum) is just as desirable with a carbon bolt as it is with a wooden arrow. the object of this game is two holes in the target, preferably with none of the projectile staying with the target.

 

[Bowhunter57]

@giles
I have a Ravin R10 that shoots a 400 gr. bolt with a 100 gr. broadhead at 400 fps. It's a "hot rod" and I understand that. However, it seems to me that the crossbow itself would last longer, be quieter shooting and have more penetration if I could build a "heavy arrow" setup, like I have for my compound bow.

So, I called Ravin and spoke with one of their technicians about it. I described what I had accomplished with my heavy arrow build for my Elite Ritual 30 compound, so he would understand that I have some knowledge of what I've done and accomplished with it. I asked if it was possible to use Ravin products to attain the same end result. He said it certainly is doable with the 500 series of bolts they offer. Again, I asked would it hurt anything if I added weight tubes to the inside of the bolt and a heavier brass insert. He said he didn't see a problem with that as far as warranty work....meaning it won't void the warranty. He said, "You're going to lose a lot of speed and you'll have to adjust the FPS speed dial on the scope so it will compensate for the trajectory." I told him that I expect that and totally understand how all that works.

We talked for quite a while, but he wasn't hesitant at all about the adjustments and/or alterations I was considering....as long as I stayed with the proprietary Ravin parts/equipment. He said the same thing could be said for any other brand of crossbow. Which only makes sense.

 

[giles]

Ravin has the technology. The newest one they have you have to use their arrows and maybe even the broadhead. I went affordable when I went looking. It isn't practical or affordable for me to buy their stuff to tear it down. I might as well just spend the money and get their equipment. I'm just not that kind of guy that spends that kind of money on deer. $300 shelf combo deal kills them too.

 

[SNIPERBBB]

Just another consideration on this map... For the unrecovered deer, you're trusting where the hunter said he hit the deer if you dont have video/pictures of the impact site.

 

[Boarhead]

Saw this guy's response but it was for any weapon with same graphic.

 

[Hedgelj]

 

[brock ratcliff]

E

 

[Creamer]

View attachment 171429 Interesting Brock - you're exactly right of course and that reminds me a operational problem they had in WWII - they looked at where to armor bombers that made it back to England all shot up... the problem was those that got hit in the critical areas didn't make it back to get where the armor really needed to be recorded.

If anything, those returning planes showed them where they COULD get hit and survive.

Yea, this chart is from a dog tracker. It's been kicked around online a lot. There are non-kill dots on there that make no sense and vice versa. Like Brock said, the "watch em fall" shots aren't represented on here because they didn't need a dog for those. And the dots on there from unrecovered deer...how exactly in the hell do they know exactly where they were hit if they don't find the deer?