Texas Heart Shot

[CA48]

Shot this one in the head at 200 yards with a 140 A-max from a 6.5x47

 

[toddc]

Everyone on here saying they would never take that shot, I 100% believe you because I know most of you on here.
If you worked at a game processing place you would think you were lying though. Pretty sure the average hunter is convinced the whitetail deers heart is located squarely in its ***.

We shot hundreds a year for control and yes I have personally shot a few facing away. They die pretty dead with a 338 and since I gutless butcher them anyway its all good.
Not a normal attitude I know but when you have 300 of them on a wheat field at once its a little different.

 

[ATH]

I did once..by accident…the deer spun as the trigger broke and took a 325gr .458 FTX out of a smokeless ML in the tailbone. The bullet shattered three vertebrae and then angled out, never entering the body cavity. But the shock to the spine killed it on impact.

Another guy once borrowed my 300WM and took a true Texas heart shot at a 140 class whitetail on the run…I was not happy when I heard him shoot….it turned out okay, destroyed everything inside.

I'd NEVER take this shot voluntarily, regardless of the firearm, on a game animal. I passed the largest while tail I ever could have shot when presented with such an opportunity. Hunting vermin (coyotes included) with overkill cartridges I'd do it, but game animals deserve better. And I don't deliberately do things that ruin a bunch of perfectly edible meat.

I've seen a fair number of attempts at this by other people that went south, far more than turned out well. Gut shot and alive days later, trailing game with entrails hanging out of it, the works. Shameful.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Everyone on here saying they would never take that shot, I 100% believe you because I know most of you on here.
If you worked at a game processing place you would think you were lying though. Pretty sure the average hunter is convinced the whitetail deers heart is located squarely in its ***.

We shot hundreds a year for control and yes I have personally shot a few facing away. They die pretty dead with a 338 and since I gutless butcher them anyway its all good.
Not a normal attitude I know but when you have 300 of them on a wheat field at once its a little different.

HAHAHAHA!!! Yep...One of my buddies owns a processor. We used to go hangout every now and then for a few hours while he was cleaning deer being brought in. I agree completely! WAY too many deer I've seen come in poorly shot. I also used to score deer when I worked at the gun store, when we had our annual Big Buck contest... HUGE deer...$2,500 rig...High-Fence hunt $$$...Gut-shot...

 

[WildRose]

The one thing I don't get, is where the name "Texas Heart Shot" come from.

I am from Texas, and I don't know anyone that uses that Point of aim to make a shot given any other choice.

It is devastating to the animal but a very poor choice in shot placement for a hunter. On some non game animals it could be used for management if you don't intend to harvest the meat.

Everyone has a choice, and if this was the only chance of harvesting a true trophy I would probably
take the shot. I have passed up many shots in the past that would be marginal for no other reason except for the possibility of massive meat damage.

I don't consider this type of shot un ethical because of its ability to dispatch the game fast, I just prefer not to use it unless I have to. (Rarely do you "have" to make any shot).

Everyone has there preferred shot, so this is just another choice for the hunter to make In my opinion. It does require pin point accuracy in my opinion to prevent meat spoilage. So with that in mind most decide not to use it after the few times they try it.

No criticism intended, Just glad you got your animal.

J E CUSTOM

Same here. I've lived and hunted in this state since I was 7 years old and never heard the term used by anyone other than out of staters.

It's not a shot I like to take on game animals because of the mess it makes and potential for ruined meat if you can't get the animal cleaned out completely and hosed down with high pressure water to remove all of the gut contents as fast as possible.

Frequently though on big hogs it will be the only shot you have an opportunity to take so they are the exception.

I can't count the number of coyotes that have fallen to that shot for me over the years.

It's almost always a one shot very quick kill though unless you screw it up completely

 

[WildRose]

HAHAHAHA!!! Yep...One of my buddies owns a processor. We used to go hangout every now and then for a few hours while he was cleaning deer being brought in. I agree completely! WAY too many deer I've seen come in poorly shot. I also used to score deer when I worked at the gun store, when we had our annual Big Buck contest... HUGE deer...$2,500 rig...High-Fence hunt $$$...Gut-shot...

One of my part time jobs going to college was skinning deer for the local locker plant at a flat 25.00 each and the number of poorly shot deer brought in every weekend was nauseating. I also had a couple of excellent tracking dogs and would get frequent calls to come find a wounded deer for the local high fence places.

There are a lot of people hunting who just go flinging lead blindly it seems when a game animal is in the sights.

We should all have enough respect for the game we seek to wait for a good shot to present itself or not take the shot at all.

 

[Trentcamp]

We should all have enough respect for the game we seek to wait for a good shot to present itself or not take the shot at all.

Couldn't agree more. I've got an uncle who has taken this shot along with several other bad shots on game I can remember. His excuse has always been "that's the only shot I had". He's one of those guys that feels it's a competition and he has to get his to win.

 

[Predator 22]

I will not take that shot on a game animal. Coyote/fox yeah, no problem. But on game if I don't have a shot angle that starts in the rib cage and passes through the vitals, no way. The deer I killed this year is a perfect example. He was walking away from me uphill. I just waited for him to turn just a bit. My poa was high on the last rib. The exit point would of been the bottom 1/4 of the chest cavity just in front of the offside front shoulder. One was all he really needed but when he stumbled and turned almost perfectly broadside he got another for good measure.

 

[Garycrow]

The one thing I don't get, is where the name "Texas Heart Shot" come from.

I am from Texas, and I don't know anyone that uses that Point of aim to make a shot given any other choice.

Same here. I've lived and hunted in this state since I was 7 years old and never heard the term used by anyone other than out of staters.

I suspect it's naming is not intended to be complimentary to Texans. It was probably named that way by someone from Oklahoma.

Out of several hundred whitetails I've never used that shot. I won't rule it out completely, but thankfully have never had to resort to it. I would use it on something like a coyote any time.

 

[MudRunner2005]

One of my part time jobs going to college was skinning deer for the local locker plant at a flat 25.00 each and the number of poorly shot deer brought in every weekend was nauseating. I also had a couple of excellent tracking dogs and would get frequent calls to come find a wounded deer for the local high fence places.

There are a lot of people hunting who just go flinging lead blindly it seems when a game animal is in the sights.

We should all have enough respect for the game we seek to wait for a good shot to present itself or not take the shot at all.

Couldn't agree more. I respect every animal I take enough to give it the most clean and quickest end as physically possible. Just like if you hit one with your truck, you walk over there (non-residential area) and pop it in the head or neck with your sidearm. Or, if you're in a heavily populated area, pull out the skinning knife and cut the jugular. Then toss it in the truck and take it home and clean it and quarter it up and soak the meat overnight in some water and white distilled vinegar to take the blood and bruising out. Then, proceed with the grinder and final processing. You know it's fresh...Cause you killed it...Whether rifle, bow, or vehicle.

 

[TXAoudadKlr]

One of my part time jobs going to college was skinning deer for the local locker plant at a flat 25.00 each and the number of poorly shot deer brought in every weekend was nauseating. I also had a couple of excellent tracking dogs and would get frequent calls to come find a wounded deer for the local high fence places.

There are a lot of people hunting who just go flinging lead blindly it seems when a game animal is in the sights.

We should all have enough respect for the game we seek to wait for a good shot to present itself or not take the shot at all.

I see this more than I'd like. When I have to track for guys at camp, I ask "well where did you have the cross hairs? "I don't know is a common response". Of course as you can imagine is infuriating.

you know for as much $$$ is spent on hunting you'd think some could go and spend 10$ at the range and do some target practice. This is off track but honestly if you can't hit a 10" target at 100-200 yards with a modern rifle and optic's you need to rethink your hobby. Same guys that give me crap about all the ammo I burn at the range and $$$ tied up in my 3 rifles are the same guys I end up tracking for.

 

[EXPRESS]

Ah yes, the "Portuguese brain shot" as it is known in Mozambique.

 

[WildRose]

I see this more than I'd like. When I have to track for guys at camp, I ask "well where did you have the cross hairs? "I don't know is a common response". Of course as you can imagine is infuriating.

you know for as much $$$ is spent on hunting you'd think some could go and spend 10$ at the range and do some target practice. This is off track but honestly if you can't hit a 10" target at 100-200 yards with a modern rifle and optic's you need to rethink your hobby. Same guys that give me crap about all the ammo I burn at the range and $$$ tied up in my 3 rifles are the same guys I end up tracking for.

I'll tell ya, there's nothing that takes the pleasure out of hunting like doing it for a living. That skinning job I had (several actually) was definitely eye opening.

I actually feel for some of these guys because honestly, they don't know any better and never had anyone offer to try and help them learn anything new or to help them improve on their skills.

I actually got a compliment from the guys at our local processor this year. The same kid has been helping me unload deer and hogs there for years and he noted this year towards the end of the season that it always impressed him that the wife and I don't seem to ever waste a shot on game. I pointed out to him that, that was the result of over 40 years of always trying to hone my skills and teaching others to do the same.

 

[WildRose]

Ah yes, the "Portuguese brain shot" as it is known in Mozambique.

Ouch.