shot placement

[jayman448]

So i was wondering about shot placement on a head on deer. Is center chest a good option or would you have to wait for it to come broadside

[JW_Halverson]

It's a very low percentage shot because it is nearly impossible to get two lungs.  Q: Just how far can a one lung deer go? A: How far ya got?

Secondly, it is possible to get far enough off center to put an arrow into the shoulder without touching any lung and now the deer may suffer for many days as a cripple.  Throw in the fact that the deer's neck is blocking the entire shot if the head is down...or else it is out of the way and the deer is LOOKING AT YOU, it is a recipe for a deer trying to outrace the arrow, meaning you will have bad shot placement AT BEST! 

Others will tell you otherwise, but frankly, not an ethical shot. 

[PEARL DRUMS]

Save yourself a TON of sleepless nights and over-powering guilt, just wait for a broad side shot or let them walk away. 

[Lumberman]

Almost never a Need for a front shot, I have  before and not lost a deer front shot; I have searched and searched for a few front shot deer of others and not found them. center is bad news. Low and between those two shoulders woks wonderfully with a gushing bloodtrail to boot, I would not take the shot from a tree stand though and only close close

[bradsmith2010]

its hard enough to kill a deer with the "perfect shot angle"
as suggested wait for a broad side,,
deer are very good a moving before the arrow gets to them,, add that to the equation,,, and taking a highest percentage shot will give the highest recovery rate,,

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I have personally done it a few times when using a compound. When the arrow goes where it should the blood trail from this shot is ye best I have had making a 3' wide swath the 30 yards to where the deer fell. This has happened multiple time. But the last season using the compound before giving it up, I made this shot on a buck at less than 10 yards with a 2" wide head. The problem, my impact was 1" to the side of where it needed to go and caught 3 ribs going in. Stopping the arrow at about 6" of penetration with a single lung hit. This was with a 570gr arrow at 275 fps, and it still only penetrated that far. I lost that deer after about 12 hours of tracking and a HORRIBLE blood trail of about 3-5 drops every 20 feet. And the deer had to have traveled a mile minimum. I tracked it about 1/2 mile before the blood quite, and I found the skeleton a month later about 200 yards from where I hit him. After circling back.  If you make the shot perfect, which is the size of a baseball/softball, it works great. But can you guarantee you can make that shot? That horrible track job/ loss was from hitting just a couple inches off center and catching ribs on the way in. Even though I have done this shot in the past, I will not be taking that shot any more. And I DO NOT suggest this shot to anyone. Atleast for white tail that I have experience with, the target is just too small to guarantee a hit. It's either make it perfect and hit the heart with short track, or a LONG spotty track job, no in between.  Your choice.

Kyle

[bradsmith2010]

good advice Kyle,,,with a self bow,, deer can move quite a bit even at 10 yards,,

[Pappy]

Very low percentage shot for sure, broad side or a slight 1/4 away is what I wait for or they get a pass and chance to live another day.
 Pappy

[paoliguy]

I'd much rather take no shot at all than an unethical one. In my estimation a head on front shot falls into the unethical category.

[BowEd]

Yep ditto,it can be hard to do to let them go but it's the right thing to do.

[bradsmith2010]

unethical,,thats a term used alot,,
I think marginal,, or low rate of recovery,, or iffy,, or risky,,sometimes in the excitement of the moment we make a mistake,, and have no intention of being unethical ,, as you draw your bow the deer turns a bit toward you and its too late to stop the shot,,,
sometimes you take a shot that looks great, but the deer moves as the arrow is heading its way,,
then you are in the iffy area of the deer,, with all good intentions,,
thats when you really need to be patient with your tracking and keep positive,,
sometimes that shot hit an artery or liver or something and the outcome is postive,,or more positive than it looked,,
thats why you need to stack your odds taking the best closest shot you can, and that takes patience,,and some " shot control"
I think the more experienced you are , the easier it is to take your "Best Shot",,,, and pass on a maybe iffy one,,
even 20 yards is too far for me at a deer,, and I practiice out to 60,,, and have killed deer past 20,, but experience has taught me, the longer shot has a lower succes rate,,

[JW_Halverson]

But when you know a shot is "iffy" or just plain beyond your capability...and you take it anyway?

UNETHICAL.

When a shot is within your comfort zone, in your experienced range, and is something you can be reasonably expected to hit 98% or better?  But something happens to turn things against you.

Well, that is just unanticipated.

[Danzn Bar]

Agree Jdub.....
DBar

[osage outlaw]

I wouldn't take a head on shot with a gun.  Wait for a broadside or quartering away shot. 

[Lumberman]

I have had several deer, from little does to big bucks that I did not find due to hitting them a little too far back or on two big bucks hitting right in the shoulder blade. Not unethical shots, either plain missed or the deer moved some or whatever. I have had two front shots I've taken because they were about in my lap. Aimed LOW and between the shoulders, for the heart, and did not lose either. I don't hunt with a gun but wouldn't take that because I would t want to scoop out the compromised gut sack haha. I am sorry if that seems horrendously and unethical. I certainly do not mean to encourage a difficult or poor recovery shot. Just speaking from my experience and I highly respect your guys own takes on it