Shot Placement Poll

[Stein]

Double lung every time at every range.


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[Bill W]

What I've seen with the .300 Mag is you'll get a lot of bloodshot meat with a 100 yard shot.

[kball4]

Heart/lung although I am disapointmented when I dont get any vension heart to eat.

[theleo]

Heart/lung for me. Personally I'd completely rule out double shoulder with that round at that range. There's very few powder and bullet combos I can thinks of that wouldn't turn both front quarters in to anything but a blood shot mess. Depending on the load I'd possibly resort to a head shot to avoid meat damage.

[OutHouse]

.300 Winchester Mag on deer? Talk about overkill. Just kidding, just kidding, to each his own. I vote lungs or upper heart area every time. I agree with comments on losing meat shooting anywhere else.

[kselkhunter]

So at 100 votes, it's 88% heart/lung and 7% double shoulder with the rest sprinkled over the other 3 categories.

In retrospect, I should have left caliber off (don't even own a 300WM).  Mainly wanted to lock that variable down to avoid caliber discussions.  Also, I imagine if I posted this on the bear thread or a longer range elk shot with larger caliber....I'd get a higher percentage of shoulder shot votes....but didn't want to skew things. 

Thanks for the responses thus far. 

[Curly]

I shoot deer for the meat.  I would never purposely shoot for a double shoulder shot.  First choice would be lungs.

[DOUBLELUNG]

I didn't vote but will comment.  Under the right conditions I really like a brain shot, especially in dense cover or when it is snowing or raining, knowing exactly where it will drop can be a huge bonus.  I've had enough heart/lung shot deer, pronghorn and elk run out of sight without leaving good blood that I really appreciate DRT.  Beyond 200, moving animals, high winds, alert animal/need for a fast shot, heart/lung every time.  I'm not a very experienced bear killer, but my intent has been to break one or both shoulders, preferably through the heart or lungs too.  However, last bear I shot was just over 100 yards, broadside and saw me at the same time I saw it - I expected it to run any second, so dropped to a knee and instinct put it behind the shoulders through the heart/lung area.  Bear whirled and ran back the way it came into extremely dense NE WA reprod; I had hair, blood, bone and muscle on the off side, high confidence in a dead bear, and lost it.  I know I killed it because another hunter found her three days later by the scavenger activity.  It replays over and over in my mind, and I sure wish I had busted her shoulders and spine.

[Bill W]

heart/lung area for me and I angle the shot so it doesn't catch the off shoulder.

[theleo]

So at 100 votes, it's 88% heart/lung and 7% double shoulder with the rest sprinkled over the other 3 categories.

In retrospect, I should have left caliber off (don't even own a 300WM).  Mainly wanted to lock that variable down to avoid caliber discussions.  Also, I imagine if I posted this on the bear thread or a longer range elk shot with larger caliber....I'd get a higher percentage of shoulder shot votes....but didn't want to skew things. 

Thanks for the responses thus far.

About the only time you'll get the cartridge debate on deer at 100 yards is if you're talking about using a .223.

[meatwhack]

My vote is heart lungs at pretty much any range as I think it's the safest clean ethical kill. If you can eat hole one that's obviously quick and clean but it's a very small target and doesn't leave much margin for error. I've shot deer in the neck and had them fold like a taco but I've also been with guys who have neck shot deer that we ended up having to track a long ways. I've also seen several deer that have been spinal tapped which drop in their tracks but almost always require a follow up kill shot as simply severing the spine isn't lethal at least not very quickly.

[browney5er]

heart/lung area for me and I angle the shot so it doesn't catch the off shoulder.

How do you angle your shot, a little left to right English perhaps?

[dmoua]

Heart/lungs; although I have shot a few deer in the neck with great results.

[kselkhunter]

Well thanks for all the votes the past few days folks.  I was curious what the stats would look like.

I've had many shots on deer at close range in my life.  My 7mmRM is what I carry these days, and it's been overkill on the short shots but I like the longer range abilities it brings..  I've had some shots the past few years where I've debated on a head or neck or spine above front shoulder shot at <50 yards to save the explosive lungs/organs shots I normally do.  But never have convinced myself to stray from the heart/lung shot mantra that my dad beat into my brain 4 decades ago.  I'm good at gutless deboning now at least.  And switched off the fragmenting bullets (ie Berger VLD) to Accubonds....but even those 168g at 3000fps muzzle velocity can create a mess into the vitals at 50 yards.   

One of these years I may consider an alternate shot location on a close range shot.  But thanks for the votes.  Gives me a better picture of what folks use. 

[Jpmiller]

Everytime I have ever thought of aiming for one of the smaller target zones I think about how stupid and crappy I would feel if I wounded a deer and never recovered an animal because I was trying to get fancy.

I do hate hitting the heart though. That's my favorite part to eat but it's better than eating store bought beef