Trophy Deer Shot Placement

Shot Placement On A Trophy Deer

When deer hunting, your trophy deer shot placement must be put into a vital region of a deer to ensure a quick and humane kill. Once this is done, most deer will not live over 10 seconds.

Deer Vitals'

As whitetail deer hunters, we need to understand the anatomy of deer. Most hunters would like to have their shot placement in the heart; but is it the best place to target a trophy deer? I think not. Let me explain. Note the location of the heart in a whitetail deer. It is low, just behind the front leg, partially covered by the shoulder blade depending how the deer is standing, walking, or running. If this is where your shot placement is; and it is standing broadside only a few yards away, not moving, no brush in the way, and you have all the time you need and you are totally relaxed; I would say go ahead and take the shot. But what if that trophy deer of a lifetime is 50 yards or more away. What if you don't have a range finder with you or maybe you don't have time to range him? What if your aiming at this trophy deer freestyle; and have no rifle support? Your aiming at something the size of baseball or softball at best. You take the shot, what if your low by two or more inches, or low and a few inches back, well then your probably going for a long hike with not much of a blood trail. Think about this; what do you want that trophy deer to do as soon as you shoot at it? You want it to drop in it's tracks and die right there, right?

Gun Hunting

For rifle hunter's, I feel a better shot placement then the heart is the middle area of the front shoulder just an inch high of center. One shot; one kill. You can be off a several inches in any direction and you still have a dead trophy deer laying on the ground within seconds.

Anatomy of a Trophy Whitetail Deer

Why is this location, of the shot placement I just described, so great and effective. First off, you have the large scapula (shoulder blade) of the front shoulder. A bullet placed here will put a deer down on the ground, in it's tracts, even if a vital area isn't hit. Think of all these vitals that are only inches away from this shot placement: The heart, about 3 to 7 inches low and a little to the back. The neck, spine, esophagus, with major arteries just a few inches to a foot in front. The spine, 3 to 7 inches above and continuing to the back of this location. And lastly, you have the lungs and liver; the size of a basketball, about 3 to 12 inches covering an area towards the tail. What does this mean to you, the trophy deer hunter who has the largest whitetail buck of lifetime, right there in front of you. If your lucky, you will have one opportunity to get a shot off at him. Lets look at the shot placement's kill zone's approximate dimensions; the area is about a minimum of 14 inches in height by about 24 inches in length. Just a little bit bigger then the size of it's heart, isn't it?. My question then is, can you put a bullet in that box? Of course you can. You now are a successful trophy deer hunter.

Archery Hunting

The only exception to this shot placement is if your archery hunting; then a razor sharp broad head on a finely tuned arrow, released into the center of the lungs, may be your best shot placement on a trophy whitetail deer. Your target here is the size of a soccer ball or basketball. A relaxed confident shot under 30 yards and you should be fine unless you suffer form buck fever or bad luck. As you cans see from the photo, a shot 2 to 3 inches off in any direction and you will have a dead deer with somewhat easy tracking. Ideally, I would of liked this shot to be about 1 - 1 1/2 inches lower. Then I could of been off about 4 inches in any direction with the same results. This deer traveled about 35 yards as fast as it could run and the piled up dead within sight.

Practice - Practice - Practice

I can't say it enough. Practice often with the weapon you will be deer hunting with! You don't want the opportunity of lifetime standing in front of you and your stumbling around with your equipment or day-dreaming. Do not take deer your hunting abilities, or deer hunting equipment for granted. Stay sharp; mentally sharp! A great practice tip is to "Visualize" the shot in your mind. I do this often in preparation for a hunt. I do it often in the off-season to stay in tune with my passion of deer hunting. Here is one of the visual deer hunting scenario's that I practice.

In my mind I picture seeing a deer approach my hunting area. I test the wind and look over the positioning of my rifle or bow. I see myself giving a subtle grunt from my call. I get it's attention; now it starts to head my way. I Visualize looking ahead of the deer for the first opportunity for a shot as I see myself getting ready. I think of a plan B as I know deer are unpredictable and could change direction in a heartbeat. I tell myself to relax, breath easy and naturally. I now estimate the range or range it with my rangefinder. If bow-hunting I look at my site pins to confirm which pin I may use. I watch for clues of the deer's' behavior; is it still calm and relaxed or it nervous? What position are it's ears and tail? Do I need to do a subdued directional grunt to cause it approach on a different angle? How fast or slow is it coming? Are there other distractions around us or in the air? I check the wind again and plan for the first opportunity for a shot. I visualize drawing my bow or aiming my rifle; I pick a spot, confirm range, relax and fire the weapon with a fallow-through. I have just mentally harvested a nice buck or doe.

When To Shoot

Many whitetail deer hunters ask me; "When is the best time to take the shot at a deer?" I tell them: "The very first opportunity for a quick, clean kill." As a deer hunter, you have be prepared when the opportunity presents itself. You may not get a second chance for a shot. Whitetail deer are unpredictable; they can and will change direction of movement for no reason. It happens! At times a deer will present a shot without much room for error. Lets say a deer is approaching a shooting lane and if so will present about a 18 to 20 yard shot. It just happens to stop before the lane in a area, about 25 yards away, that has an opening of a couple square feet or so. For me, that's perfect - I take the shot. Because I have only a small opening, it probably means there is brush, branches, or trees, that may obstruct the deer's vision in my direction; perfect opportunity to lift and aim my weapon. Also, I practice this scenario in my mind and shoot at a much smaller target when I practice with my bow or rifle. With enough practice, any deer hunter should be comfortable with a shot like this. If not, don't shoot; wait for the deer to get into the shooting lane - but, be at full draw or have your rifle up as you take aim at the spot on the deer you will be shooting at when it does get into the lane. Once the deer gets into the shooting lane, you may have to do a subtle low voice grunt to get it to stop. As soon as you grunt, be ready to release the arrow or squeeze the trigger of your deer hunting rifle as you only will have a second or two at the most before the deer becomes nervous and bolts.

Articles: Click on these helpful links for more information about trophy deer hunting.

Archery Hunting,

Archery Arrows,

Deer Hunting Accessories,

Trophy Deer Field Care,

Trophy Deer Hunting Tips,