Elk shoulders, what your shooting through!

[nmbarta]

Granted I have a sample size of 1 for shots and kills on elk, and for that one I took a double lung shot that worked very well in terms of damage to the lungs and blood expelled from the exit wound...

I have to ask, why is the shoulder shot popular on elk? It seems like it has more negatives than positives, as your informative post illustrates:
Negatives:
- meat damage
- tough bones to destroy in order to immobilize
- tough structure to get through in order to get to and destroy vitals
Positives:
+ not going far if you do destroy a front leg
+ ?

Just to be clear, that is not where I was aiming, apparently i need to practice my quick off hand 100 shots with a 12lb rifle. I would have made a better shot at 700 than I did at 100.
I never shoot for bone, i lost a lot of meat and care more about that than antlers.
Just pointing out that you can get through there with the right combination.

 

[bigngreen]

Things happen too, I always try to shoot my game facing down wind cause if I do anything I tend to under dial and I hold back of the shoulder so if I'm of the bullet ends up in the front end not the guts or back end.

 

[highbrow]

An old meat cutter told me to shoot them in the front half.

 

[jrock]

Wanted to see what my arrow would do to a cow scapula. This was at 30 yards with a Cabelas brand broadhead. Where I'm holding the arrow is how far it went into the block. Just for fun.

 

[bigngreen]

Some of the guys I know who are dedicated bow only guys are really starting to go back to the heavy arrows and sacrificing some speed, I've seen an elk rib cause issues with an arrow and unfortunately I've watched more than one bull take one in the scapula and you get about 4-6 inches of penetration which isn't going to get it done!!

 

[jrock]

I hunted with a friend who hit a cow in the shoulder with a light arrow and 60 lb bow and had little to no penetration. It was dark and we never found it. #don'taimfortheshoulder
I should have saved the joint below the scapula for an arrow test but I'm sure it wouldn't have gone through. Scapula is one thing, dense bone, another.
How much thicker is the bull scapula?

 

[HARPERC]

For some reason I've seen a few antelope running around with arrows sticking out. Usually in a "bony" spot.

 

[memtb]

While I generally do not shoot "through" the shoulders, if the animal is in country where I want it down "now"....I'll not hesitate to shoot through the shoulders. "Both", of the shoulders ....without hesitation or concern! Shots can be from several yards, to 500+ yards.....the shoulders do not present a problem! Though, at 500+, maybe I can recover a bullet. It will look nice sitt'n on a shelf in the reloading room! memtb

 

[bigngreen]

I've seen a bull get a long ways with one shoulder broken, watched a bull take a round from a 375 H&H it was angling down and away and it broke the of side shoulder, he made it a long ways before we dispatched him!! Guy had me chuck his bullets in a lathe and make them open up better cause there was a pitiful hole all the way through that did not do much till it hit the of shoulder.

 

[Jluck]

I will never understand why people aim for the shoulder. With a huge vital area why intentionally ruin meat. What a disservice to the animal.

 

[carl1775]

"Shoot them where they live." (Period)

 

[greatwhitehntr]

I go for high shoulder on all animals I shot and have not had an issue. Not one. I should state that it is the back 3rd of the shoulder.
I only shoot berger's heavy for Cal. 215-230 in 300 wm, 300 rum and 300 PRC.
168 in 7mag 180-195 in 28nos
140 in 264 wm going to switch to the new 150's this year
Maybe I am lucky.
High- it is a clean miss or spine
Bad read or not enough dope and low drops into lung and Hart
Left to right is off lands center of shoulder neck or lung liver
All drop in there tracks.25 to 1400 yarda
I may have to re think this after this post.

 

[Buck3]

I will never understand why people aim for the shoulder. With a huge vital area why intentionally ruin meat. What a disservice to the animal.

Depending on the shot you are presented that might be the only ethical shot to reach the vitals.

Edit: I guess E T H I C A L is a 4 letter word here now.

 

[bigngreen]

I think a lot of guys just don't know how far back on an elk you can hit and crush them and they crowd the shoulders more than they really need. You can be 6 inches of the shoulder and be in the middle of the lungs, the shoulder really is right at the front of the chest and your hitting the very front of the lungs.