Shoulder shots

[AH64guy]

For me, it's another tool in the hunting kit that I'll use if I think the situation merits stopping the animal as soon as possible.

I learned early on about soft bullets and the tissue damage / meat loss, mainly due to my poor bullet placement. As time and experience came, I became better at getting the bullet into the critical areas, and had little concern for crossing property lines, generally being far enough away that it wasn't a factor.

My last rifle elk was a shoulder shot, with a follow up in the lungs - he was down in 40 yards with minimal waste. But, he was standing on the edge of a canyon that was going to be a cast iron b-atch to get him out of, or have him drop within a half mile of a hiking trail.

He was a bone-out pack for either location, so I went for the quicker stop. Had I seen him in another location, another day, I may have decided differently.

 

[Badgerclaw]

The Hammer is the only one of those I've seen still at 100% getting through an elk shoulder, Ive seen a higher percentage of Bergers get through than Barnes or Accubonds.

How many accubonds and barnes have you seen compared to bergers? In my area, all the kids are using bergers and the old timers are using the later... and there are more kids than old timers. So there is lots of "data" (word of mouth) on bergers. I'd be interested in the story of a barnes not penetrating

 

[Chase723]

I shoot them in the head/neck/chest area depending on 1) How good of a position I've built and how comfortable I am with the shot I'm going to take. 2) What is available to shoot at. 3) What margin of error I can have and still be certain of an ethical kill.

Preferentially, I'm in the camp of shooting them straight up the leg ~1/3-1/2 the way up the body or right in the center of the neck/body junction (I.e. base of the neck) if I can. Death is nearly instantaneous and they don't move or ever go far. I've had a couple deer that I shot through the lungs and they ran several hundred yards down into canyons. I'd rather lose 5lbs of meat then haul another one out.

 

[IHFarmer07]

Depending on the angle the deer is in and where it's facing. This year I shot my farthest shot on a whitetail with the 6.5PRC (450yrd) that was quartering towards me and had no other option but the shoulder shot to get the vitals, the big doe literally flipped end over end backwards and died, coolest thing I ever seen.....otherwise 0-100yrds, maybe 150yrds is a head/neck shot, 150 and beyond it's shoulder or behind the shoulder, where ever I get the vitals.

I judge where I shoot a whitetail like I'm going to shoot it with an arrow. Here in Missouri on our family farm, we put crops out and they destroy enough of them so if I shoot a deer in the shoulders, I'll just throw the shoulders away and go shoot another deer, plenty whitetails around!

All shoulders have anyway are a bunch of leaters and tendons that take for ever to trim around and everything so I'll get what I get and if that's not enough I'll shoot another deer, simple as that. Shoulder shots generally are a drt sort of deal and tend to make for easy tracking, if that.

 

[JD284win]

High shoulder shots will double lung and kill them before their nose hits the dirt. As for the comments of no penetration through shoulder bone. Maybe you should reconsider your caliber and bullets choice.

 

[Moseph Mcguire]

Long time reader first time poster, personally I believe that any where in the eye is still a good shot. Within 200 yards, I see no issue. Never ruin meat this way too.

 

[Plinker147]

Time and a reason for all shots placement. All things normal I aim for heart lung, not a big deal to have them run a little. I have shot plenty mid and high shoulder when I had a need to ground them where they stood. Just choose right tool for the job! I wouldn't use my 25-06 for high shoulder on a elk or a 600yard deer, but I would shoot both in heart lungs with that round. When I did shoulders shots on elk I use 300wm,8x338 WM and 338 rum all using heavy bullets. Right tools make the shoulder shots do-able

 

[jimirwin]

I've found it generally takes more than most realize to reliably reach the vitals through much bone.

Construction, shape, terminal velocity, sectional density, and sheer mass all play a role.

The question needs more specifics than a yes or no answer.

I helped a friend track a South Texas doe he had shot in the shoulder joint with a white box federal promo soft tip. Blew the joint up! But didn't penetrate to the vitals. She seemed to walk away unphased by this! I shot a small button buck almost 50 years ago with a 168gn SMK from my 30-06. Hit the neck and blew up, but didn't go thru. DRT, though!

 

[Moseph Mcguire]

Proofs in the pudding

 

[Moseph Mcguire]

T

 

[Moseph Mcguire]

With Thompson center 5mph DTR

 

[Wade Phipps]

The only time that I shoot a deer in the shoulder is when I am hunting next to something that I do not want to have to recover the animal from like a flooded swamp, next to very dense cover, or near a property line that I can not cross to recover the animal without lots of hassle getting permission. The intent is to break the shoulders and anchor the animal. It does waste too much meat if there is not a good reason for the shot. Otherwise, I double lung them or high neck shot. The longest track with a double lung was about 75-80 yards and the animal was moving when I shot it. Feeding animals typically go less than 30-40. I hunt with a .270 Win is woods using 150s. Longest shot I can take in the woods I hunt is about 100 yards. Other spots it is literally bow hunting distances.

 

[Irish Neil]

I was converted to the shoulder shot in Africa last year. Unless I can be confident of putting a bullet under the ear I now opt for the shoulder. At distance when the animal might be chartering slightly either towards or away from you you still have a killing shot.
The aim point is also very easily picked up. Just come straight up the leg.
I used to aim just behind the elbow to get a heart shot but if you miss the vital , with four good legs the quarry can travel some distance and if the shot has travelled diagonally it may exit through the stomach and the animal is not coughing blood or leaving a blood trail from the exit.

 

[Tom Wright]

First off just want to ask how many guys here try to shoot animals in the shoulder? Secondly I want to know why? Not trying to be a edited just would like to see the reasons behind this.

I think you question is way too open ended, especially if you include bears and African animals. The obvious answer is to aim for the vitals, but in bears a typical shot entry/exit often clogs with fat making following a blood trail hard at best. A lot of bear guides want you to do Aa broadside shot to take out BOTH shoulders. This will make it tough for the bear to go too far.

in African animals the placement of vials is different. Most guides I've used want a broadside in the middle third top to bottom and often tell you to bust thru both shoulders.

In smaller North American game most people advocate heart-lung shots. Some like the neck, but be slightly off and you can miss/tear off a jaw, etc.

For deer sized game I personally aim for just below the middle third, and slightly to the rear of the front leg. An old hunter once told me your shot placement is the most important issue in taking game, BUT where you aim should allow for slight movement, wind and miscalculation of distance. That's why I place mine where I do. In the last 13 months I taken 23 different animals on 3 continents—20 were one shot kills, 3 required a second shot just cause I just plain missed on the first.