Wondering if any PH's have any thoughts on shot placement on plains game. I have become a fan of the shoulder/spinal shot on deer and elk in the US. Any reason this shot would not be advisable on medium sized African plains game? I will be hunting Kudu, Gemsbok, Zebra and Springbok.

I am curious to hear what shots PH's prefer their clients to take?

It's always a mistake to generalise about Africa, and to some extent, one must take whatever shot is presented at the time, and of course the shooting abilities of individual clients must be considered, but at the risk of generalising, I prefer the client to take the engine room shot if at all possible. Simply because it's a larger target area.

When I first saw your title, I thought I might have to point out that you can't shoot PHs because we're a protected species....

Shoot 'em in their whiskey supply...

Hmmm, thinking of some of the clients I have had, I feel a "shot placement" article in African Hunter magazine comming on...Where to shoot your client so as to avoid the law suit

Like Shakari rightly said, the engine room is the bigest target.
If the shot goes higher as intended, which often happens, you can keep quiet and pretend you went for the spine.
For obvious reasons I like to take the shoulder/spinal shot myself and can understand why a client would want to do the same.
I have seen so many Impala and Gemsbok running away with shots just missing the spine, that I would not recommend it.

" Great men are known for their reaction before and after a kill "

Buy a copy of The Perfect Shot by Kevin Robertson; either the book or dvd or both.

Your wallet is done, but I'm canceling lunch after that recommendation.

I use Pierre's shoulder for a rest so its wherever he points the damn thing!!

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
I use Pierre's shoulder for a rest ...

Is that the definition of a "shoulder shot"??

- mike

Do Afican animals have a "front shoulder" like so many American animals have ??

Freestate Heart shot

Deer and elk are different in that, for most situations, some sort of broadside presentation is offered the hunter. Not all the time but most of the time, if you wait long enough.

With African game the broadside shot is not always such an option. So as a hunter you must be prepared shot placement-wise to execute shots from a varity of angles. The shoulder shot from a broadside presentation however, is your best option.

Knowing where you want to shoot the animal is the easy part-plus you'll have the PH right next to you to coach you where to place the shot. Getting the bullet to strike the right spot is the hard part. So make sure you make an equal investment in that component of the execution. Practice, practice, practice. It's my belief first and second time African hunters spend too much time learning about shot placement, and not enough time learning the tendencies of their rifle, from various distances and shooting positions.

Knowing where to shoot is useless if you can't ever hit the spot.

Moja

quote:

Knowing where to shoot is useless if you can't ever hit the spot.

Amen, Moja!

I take many big game ,animals and see a lot more taken by clients every year ,red stag and water buffalo are the biger species,i recommend shouder shot only because if you shot high you get lungs ,down heart and behind lungs so you have a margin of mistake ,but if you are a good shot ,you must go for instant stops for the base of the neck .Juan