I love a broadside shot right through the aorta. catches both lungs. What about you fellers?

Imagine a line along the back of the leg going straight up across the vitals. I try to aim just behind that, centered between the bottom and top of the chest.

Yes punch them through the pump its lights out.

This is not a deer, but

The shot applies to deer and similar animals. It's straight up the leg, 4" below the top of the back. It's the spine and they are instantly dead. I use this almost always unless I'm testing bullet performance.
It does not apply to most any of the large African animals. Their spines are funky shaped, so you'll miss. Plus most carry vital organs very low in their body.

That is a nice bushbuck. I come straight up the foreleg 1/3 of the way up from the belly line. They drop at the shot.

I prefer this shot, although on bull elk I have twice intentionally put the bullet through the center of the shoulder to try and break them from running off. Sometimes a lung shot bull can go a long long ways. But for this shot you have to have a very tough bullet that can break bone and keep on going. Partitions work, ML Black Belts and Power Belts DON'T.

See above ^^^ wvhittman shot placement.

This is my choice with jacketed handgun or rifle bullets.

If I'm using hard cast handgun ammo..........through the shoulder/spine.

Shoulder, heart, lungs....all have worked great for me

x2

Too many variables to just pick one placement. Shot angle, gun and bullet style, distance, rested or not. Whether standing still, walking, running, or lying down, looking at or looking away. I have not had many deer just stand still broadside waiting for me to plant a slug in the boiler room, but if that shot presents itself that is where it will usually go as I hate to waste venison.

I've always aimed for a heart shot behind the front legs, but I've always used jacketed bullets as well. With my hardcast handloads I think I'm moving my aiming point forward to break some bone and penetrate vitals as well.

Ditto on what s4s4u said.

Guys I absolutely agree that it depends on the position of the animal and such like. I was just referring to my favorite shot being the aorta as my favorite target but once again there are many variables.

What he said.

I shoot hard cast and soft point. If I'm using hard cast I also try to break a leg/shoulder when I can.

I'm a high shoulder shot kind of a guy.

I always take the first good shot I get because weird things happen and you may miss your opportunity. I once had a crow fly out of the top of a pine tree just as a good buck was about to step into the open for a twenty yard shot.

The buck took off and did not stop until he was out of bow range.

x2

A deer in the freezer is worth 2 in the bush.

Amen to that!

I usually go for the spot between the eye and the external auditory meatus (ear hole) if I don't want the head for a mount.

If not, then the heart.

Being a bow hunter I usually go for the "double lunger". Not much meat loss. I am fortunate to have a timber surrounded by corn and bean fields, so if they do a death run after the shot, I don't worry about other hunters stealing my deer.

I have shot many doe's in the head, but that is with shotgun slugs. At close range on a doe with my handgun I would take whichever presents itself of the two.

I prefer to take a quartering-away shot with aim at the opposite front shoulder. Usually works pretty well if I place it correctly.

+1
not a big head shoot fan. you only have to see a couple of animals dying a slow death with it's jaw/ face shot off before you state thinking there is a better way to take game. then maybe i've got too soft a heart.

Im usually a meat hunter and like clean hides so the looking at me throat shot is a favorite just under the head shuts them off and drop straight down. If im chasing the mount or need to save the cape behind the front shoulder bottom half the chest.

Where I hunt I normally get a broadside shot. I go for a double lung shot when possible so I do not waste a lot of meat.
They do not go far hit with a 480 Ruger, or a 35 Bullberry 180 grain bullet. The longest I have had one run was almost 100 yards hit with a 129 Hornady Spiral Point from a 6.5 X 30 JDJ Contender. I would have bet money it would have went down sooner than it did.

Bob

Neck shot or a 2x lung shot does it every trip of the boat for me!

Very seldom do I get a true broadside shot because of hunting in the mountains. There's always some kind of angle to deal with so I take the best shot they give me & make sure the vitals are lined up on the back side. Sometimes that's both lungs, sometimes it's the shoulder shot. I hate taking head shots but have done it a few times & held my breath.

Dick

WITH WHAT? WHAT WORKS WITH A RIFLE, OR EVEN IN HANDGUNS WITH RIFLE TYPE CARTRIDGES WILL OFTEN FAIL MISERABLY WITH REVOLVERS. WITH REVOLVERS IT IS SHOULDER SHOTS FIRST FOR ME.

I think the best general rule for a quick kill and anchoring game is to aim for the far shoulder with the lungs in between me and the shoulder. Try to avoid face on and face away shots. As 45MAN says, it depends on the gun. I like to use a big one!

Woods hunting sometimes presents a shot quickly and you cannot over think it. If the shot is close I usually aim about 1/3 to 1/2 way up. On a longer shot I usually go 1/2 to slightly higher. The older I get I find myself liking higher shoulder / spine shots. It usually puts them down DRT.

Being the hypocrite that I am I have successfully taken both face on and Texas heart shots although I do not recommend them unless you have enough gun to get full penetration. These shots can be messy and shooting too low can make for a long and possibly unsuccessful track. I have also killed quite a few meat does with well placed head shots but there is risk. You must have a solid rest and be able to hit the golf ball like wvhitman. As I said I do not recommend it.

Whit, I am familiar with that high shoulder shot; that is what I tried on my muzzleloader bull elk (see story on home page); it was the only shot I had available. However, as I relay it in my story, the big slug hit a bit too high. I have always thought that high shoulder shot has little margin for error compared to the more forgiving "boiler room" shot.

Soooo...other than the "need" to break the animal down as in the case of a "dangerous beast," I prefer the more forgiving chest shot. When I wanted to anchor my big bull elk
Rocky Mountain Elk

I intentionally put the .475 400 grain XTP bullet in the center of his shoulder and it busted him good and broke his shoulder plus wrecked both lungs so he couldn't go more than a few feet.


Not to mention that "no man's land" is waiting right there if you hit a bit above the shoulder.

Just wanted to get your opinion on why that is your preferred shot.

Gregg

I'm like 45MAN and Greeg, I prefer center of shoulder shot.

Quartering away off shoulder, quartering too point of shoulder.