Dude, I dont know what you're trying to do here, or what you're getting at, but...NO! I will NEVER do that again. If it happens, it will be a pure accident, and a horrible yet very lucky miss on my part.

You obviously like the shot, and I'm glad it works for ya. But please don't tell me what shots I should or shouldn't write off in my form of hunting. I promise you, I will not use that shot again. I got by for over 20+ years without using a shoulder shot. I'm sure I'll do just fine till the day I die without using it again.

I won't do a neck shot either. I know some guys like it, but I was nervous as heck, and probably shouldn't have taken the shot. Fortunately I was successful with the neck shot that the ranch manager required on a doe last January. But I promise you that shot won't be taken again either. I'm not comfortable with either one, so I'm not gonna do it. The animals I hunt deserve the best of me, and not being confident in my shot placement doesn't qualify.

I've taken plenty of critters the old fashion way, and its worked for me. I don't need to change it. In my opinion, which I believe can be backed up with anatomical facts, I have a MUCH larger margin of error using my normal heart / lung shot. I'm not afraid to admit I'm not as good as most people on this forum with a handgun using open sights, so the bigger margin of error helps my confidence. The buck I shot a couple days ago was pretty close, so I tried the shoulder shot. I hit exactly where I was aiming. Had that shot been 50 yards, I would have done my normal shot placement just because I know my accuracy limitations. My groups start to open up past 25 or 30 yards without a steady rest. At 50 yards, free hand, I can still hit a paper plate, so that's my limit for free hand shooting.

Geez.... Never mind. I shouldn't have to explain myself. I have my reasons why I'll never take those shots again, and that's all I should have to say. And yeah, I'm probably venting a little here cause of still being disgusted with myself for not recovering the deer. But seriously, when I say I'm never gonna use a shot again, I really do mean "never". I don't use that word often, but when I do, I mean it.