Good Shot or Bad Shot on a whitetail? Graphic

[taco650]

I've made similar high lung shots on several whitetails and all were DRT but my load was a 30-06 with Hornady 150 grain SP at around 2700 fps. All were through and through so I'm guessing the higher velocity of my load made the difference. Glad you were able to recover the doe.

[Tom_in_AZ]

Ideal placement would have been 4” or so lower. That being said, perfect shots don’t always happen and it worked out in the end.


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[Tripplebeards]

I always take “archery” heat and lung shots with guns. That way you know it’s dead…even if it runs after the shot. That shot looks pretty high and forward to me. Adding a slow, non expanding projectile to the mix makes it even worse. If it were me, I’d be aiming ran inch and half behind the shoulder and lining up to have your shot exit into the offside leg. Up and down wise, center mass or about 1/3rd of the way up from the belly to make sure you connect with the heart/ lung area. I’m sure it would have dropped the deer with a 3,000 fps j word all day long as others have posted. With that kind of hydro shock from a close to 3000 fps fragile jacketed bullet, that will fragment in all directions, close counts. But with a slower, non expanding boolit or slow j word pistol bullet that pokes a small hole in and out with zero to little energy transfer makes for a poor shot placement choice. To me shooting a deer with a pistol is like shooting it with a FMJ or field point with the wrong shot placement or bullet choice. Better off aiming behind the shoulder for the lungs and pumper imo.

[Tripplebeards]

Well I can tell you I shot probably the same place you did with my 30-06 the other day. Actually two shots in the same hole and exited about an inch apart. When I first shot the deer ran like it wasn’t even hit. Made it about 35 to 40 yards and I shot it again and it pivoted and ran down the hill a good 50 yards before it piled. It had a blood trail a blind man could follow. I was shocked that deer didn’t at least tumble a few feet after the shot. It blew almost a fist size hole through the front shoulder plate with two hand loaded, full throttle, 180 grain core locks in the same spot. Looks like one tumbled. Blew the front of the lungs apart. Deer can be tough!


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[BandeauRouge]

TOO HIGH have had deer hit in that spot with Hornady GMX and regular rem 100 grain psp in 243 win run over half a mile.

And i can get bigger holes in the rib cage with my broad heads.

[rbuck351]

I shot a moose in that same spot with a 308win 150gr at about 75 yds. I thought I had missed from the reaction of the moose. It walked about 20/30 yds and stopped. The next shot was about 4" higher than the first and clipped the spine with an instant flop. Now I aim for the front shoulder right over the leg and about 1/3 the way from the bottom of the chest. Anything hit there doesn't go anywhere. Even 4 or 5 inches from the poa works well.

[Beaverhunter2]

I'm not certain there is actually a "gap" between the lungs and the ribcage/spine. Actually there shouldn't be for the breathing motion to work to properly inflate and deflate the lungs. I just saw and say that there's a narrow line where a shot completely through the deer's chest is a non-fatal hit (or can be). An inch higher and the spine is severed. An inch or so lower and both lungs are hit solidly (which is usually fatal pretty quickly). In that narrow band the lung damage is minimal and the spinal cord is undamaged- especially for an arrow.

[Electrod47]

"Every shot is a learning experience"

[trapper9260]

"Every shot is a learning experience"

You got it , it is . I have shot some in the heart and still went 100 yards before they dropped . You never know. From the time you squeeze the trigger and the bullet hit the animal is 2 different things , I had that happened to me a few times .