The shot i always try for is called the hillar its ths area in chest containing the major blood vessals and lungs but NOT the heart. the reason the heart is not included is that if not hit it keeps pumping which gives faster bleedout. aim to take out far side shoulder check .the most a deer hit here has gone on me was 50 yrds.track up front leg till third of way up chest and let drive.

For deer I always aim for a spot mid-way (north to south) and right behind the shoulder, to avoid wasting meat and achieve a good clean kill (if the deer is farther than about 75 yards). If the deer is closer, I'll do a neck shot. I almost always do a shoulder shot on a hog (not much of a neck to shoot at). I'm always conscience of the size of weapon I use on what size of an animal. I've got an uncle that uses a 7mm mag on whitetail deer in Texas (that rarely get much over 180 pounds field dressed). That's a bit over kill, to the point of throwing away a good chunk of blood-shot meat. My choice is a 270 or 25-06. There are lots of others that work fine.

In our area we have a very long hunting season and I can hunt almost any day, so there is no pressure to make a kill (like a weekend hunter with a short season), so I tend to pass up lots of bucks and pick my animal and my shot.

I always tell young hunters to relax when making a shot, but it's hard to teach someone how not to get "buck fever" when a big buck walks out. You've got to work that out yourself. So, until you work your way through that, shoot for the biggest area at the shoulder line.

As far as the Texas/California shot: I don't know where this comes from. My hunting friends and rancher friends have never heard of the term. It must be from up north or maybe California. I don't know anyone that advocates strictly a heart shot.

That said…………Everyone knows that you are supposed to holler at your deer to get him to running straight away from you, and then shoot him right under the tail! That way you don't have a hole to contend with in your deer-hide rug! I'll bet Bushy knows that one.


Cary

I shoot them in the nostral. Serves the same function. No hole in the hide...

Thats just too funny, you guys would make a good comedy team !!!

Go for the lungs, stay off the shoulder and quit arguing this gun over that gun.
They all kill !!!

Start paying attention to what your bullets are telling you.

If your deer runs with a well placed shot..... the bullet didn't drop its energy when and where it should have. Period !!!

If deer falls with crack of gun ( and stays down ) you got the right combo.

Oh good...Remington 170 grain Core-Lokt .30-30...

I have dropped more deer with a high lung shot than a shoulder/heart shot , not sure why but it seems to yank the earth out from underneath them.
Joe

Bushmaster wrote:

Oh good...Remington 170 grain Core-Lokt .30-30...

I've used lots of different combinations to hunt deer (my personal favorite is a 270 with a 130 grain core-lock), but it all boils down to the hunter. I've never had to trail a deer in my life, but my dear departed father, God rest his soul, would call me every time he shot one to track that sucker down. He used a 30-06, 25-06, 22-250, and lord knows what else, and he had deer get up and run, hither and yon, all over the countryside, after he knocked them down. Some of them left a trail of blood, some didn't. Heck it might have just been bad luck, I just don't know.

So, C221, I'd say that you are right in your assessment.

One other thing I forgot to mention is that I don't just hunt with a big hammer, I even hunted deer with a 222 or even a 22 hornet. You shoot accordingly.

Bushy, I don't know about the nose shot, unless your laying on your back, trying to get the bullet to go upward into the brain! You know how it is with those slow 30-30s.

I'm only kidding; I've killed lots of deer with a 30-30.

Cary

Well at least with that 170 grain from that "slow" .30-30 you have time to reach up and adjust the deers head while you are on your back so that bullet will enter the nostral... How'd you know I layed on my back?

Hey Bushy...Cary even has a pic of you on your back....just in front of the one where he is pokin' ya wiv da stick.

On a serious note...I have been using Winchester 150gn PPFN bullets in my Mod 94 "crank handle"...you have got me thinking about the 170gn now...might just have to check some out and see how they shoot for me, although my "94" is the older top eject...but I'm sure it can handle them ok.

Cheers, Vince

Vince...My 94 is 60 years old and it has no problems with Remington 170 grain Core-Lokts...(Also a top eject). It's holdin' that damned deer's head steady that gets ya...(I'm goin'ta ignore that last remark )

If you use those fancy new LEVERevolution's by Hornady, you might get a funnel effect and won't have to be so precise !!!

C21,

Are you insinuating that those bullets suck so much that they create a cone of depression?

Cary

gelandangan wrote:

1. Where is considered the right aiming area for a four legged animal if they have their buttock facing you square on? 2. Where to aim if they are squarely facing you with their head on the way? 3. Is it true that ultra slow caliber like the .300 whisper would kill better than a fast 308 win? If it is, could I load my 308 to be ultra slow as well? would it bother the accuracy? or would it be dangeorous (due to the large empty space in the cartridge shell)? 4. why does the sun rises from the East? Thank you in advance. Gelan.

1. Wait for a better shot. There is no desperation shooting in hunting. Putting one up the existing hole is never a good idea and makes for some ugly cleaning.
2. Center mass where the neck and chest come together.
3. Not true...bullet selection and speed will make the .308 more effective at any range.
4. Sun does not rise at all. Earth turns around it. Looking from the top of the earth we are turning counter clockwise this gives us the illusion that the sun is "coming up or rising" in the east.

HAHAHA..
I see my old potato is still a hot one ..
many water has passed under the bridge since I post this topic, but it still got me every time.

The first two questions are the hard one..
Now I usually waits till the animal move a bit and present a better angle before I shoot.

Since I post this, I acquire and play intensively with a 300 Whisper.
I would say that they kills as good as a 308 if you use them within their effective range.
I have no regret choosing this caliber.

I would argue for question 4 though..
how would you proof that it is the earth rotation that causes all those movements?
being an engineer I could understand the concept ,
but what if the world did rotate around the earth..
you would definitely still see things the same way..
AARRGGHH.. my head hurts.. I need more beer...

Where to aim is a darn good question.

I got to answer it quite a few times this weekend, when I shot all kinds of game incl. elk, deer, bear, sheep, coyote....at an archery 3-D shoot.

Great practice as each animal has the vital area hilighted in the foam, from each side and from the front. The 3-D course was a trail walk, with a variety of flat, uphill and downhill shots, with the animals positioned in life-like settings. Very very educating for inexperienced me.

I highly recommend it as a pre-gun-season warm-up.