Hit Where It Counts

Tip : My preferred aiming points on deer depend on whether I'm hunting with a bow or a gun. With a bow, it's an easy call. I shoot for the chest area behind the shoulder. Straight down shots into the spine worry me. Today's powerful bows and strong broadheads can make this shot into the spine or through the three inches or so of loin muscle. But when I can, I avoid bone, including shoulder bones, with bows.

With rifles it's a very different deal. I actually aim for bone to maximize expanding bullet performance, produce more shock and get a quicker kill. Square on the shoulder is hard to beat. If I'm in a rock-solid stand, particularly with a shooting rail, and the deer presents the right shot, I'll go for the neck.

I don't like head shots because a slight miss is a major wound on a deer I am unlikely to recover. Spine shots mess up the best meat and rear-end shots can go wrong too easily.