Try as I might, I simply can't make out what is meant by the term. Any help? diagrams?

Thanx

BNagel

I'll give it a bash. It's the joint between the scapula (Shoulder blade) and the humerus (upper foreleg).

If you're concerned about shot placement, why not buy yourself a copy of 'The Perfect Shot' by Kevin Robertson..... it'll be money well spent when compared to the trophy fee on a lost animal - and you won't be disappointed.

Looking at the picture Steve has posted above, for most species, you want to aim at the point on the OPPOSITE shoulder of where those two lines cross. If you always remember the OPPOSITE shoulder, it won't matter at what angle the animal is standing, it'll always penetrate the heart....... that rule obviously doesn't apply if thw animal is facing you or facing directly away. In which case a frontal chest shot or a texas heart shot will apply.

Maybe some of you experts can define "front shoulder" ??

They shoot horses, don't they?

Understanding The Shoulder Shot by Jim Hackiewicz.

Mete, the front shoulder is the other end of the animal from the ass shoulder.

What Sakari said......

The point of the shoulder, like on the horse picture, is usually discussed in shots at animals that are facing you but quartering to one side or the other. The POTS is the point to aim at so that the bullet goes through the heart and/or lungs.

All the other above discussions are, at least in part, mumbo jumbo.

All good posts. The 'point of the shoulder' shot only applies to an animal quartering towards you, on which it's a devastating shot. Anything quartering away, follow Shakari's advice - aim at the OPPOSITE foreleg. If broadside, aim a hand's breadth or two BEHIND the point of the shoulder and it'll be a short tracking session

Thank you all.

Shakari nailed it, all you need to know on any shot is the path of the bullet from where you are to the opposite side of the animal such as a quartering shot to the point of the shoulder and that path should exit the bullet somewhere between the opposite shoulder and/or just behind the shoulder.

If the horses head was down in the above picture the point of the shoulder would be very apparant..

In the bareback or bronc riding event in rodeo, the cowboy must have his spurs over the points of the shoulders on the first jump out of the chute, watch this event on TV and pay particular attention to where he has his spurs on the first jump out of the chute and you will know where the points of the shoulders are as its very apparant on a lunging horse. It is the far end/front end of the large scapula.

On second look at the paint horse in the above post, I would say the point of the shoulder is at the base of the left end of the crosswise arrow as opposed to where its listed, It is listed too far left and pointed at the brisket muscle IMO..The point of the shoulder is very pronounced and pointed depending on the condition of the horse, extremely apparant on a thin animal and less so on a fitted animal.

The easiest way to kill an animal is to aim for a point between the shoulders, regardless of what angle he is presenting.

Everything else is taken care of them.

Once you start thinking and seeing animals as three dimensional beings and knowing the internal anatomy of them, you'll never be confused by trying to locate internal organs by external features or markers. There could be an infinite number of external reference points based on the position of animal and hunter, instead of trying to think, 'OK, he's standing this way, so I use this marker to hit the heart" Just think, where is his heart, where are the lungs etc. and put you crosshairs on the heart (or whatever you want to hit, i.e. brain) and squeeze the shot.



_BAxter



_BAxter

quote:

The easiest way to kill an animal is to aim for a point between the shoulders, regardless of what angle he is presenting.

that's some pretty solid advice.

I've had this discussion with JJ before.
First, let me say I know what is meant when the words "shoulder" and "Scapula" are mentioned. They are usually the same thing.
Forget the scapula or shoulder, their just the aiming point. The object is to hit the spine or extensions.
If you aim high on the shoulder, usually, you will hit the spine or extensions. The animal is disabled because the spine is damaged. That is the point.
When hunting large animals such as moose, or dangerous animals such as brown bear, you want to stop them in their tracks, this shot will do that.
The point is to drop the animal, not "kill" it. You can kill it with the second shot.
Forget the heart-lung shot, the animal can and will, travel for miles with this shot. Not a good idea with a moose or bear.
I call this shot, the "hump shot".

quote:

Originally posted by Nitehawk:
They shoot horses, don't they?

Yea, but they have stripes and are called "ZEBRAS."

JPK

Not just.... we killed 350 plus wild horses here last year...

TJ,

I would respectfully take exception to your advice.
While there is a time and a place for a spine shot, it is generally not recommended and not the type of advice I would give a novice. The heart lung region is almost always a better option, and is indeed a killing shot.(No need for a follow-up shot.) While it is true the animal may (usually) run some distancee after being hit even in the heart, it will not be miles and the animal will be dead.
The spine is a much smaller target, is very hard for most people to locate on various species, and small misses will cause the wounded animal to run off, very likely for miles.
I do not question the effectiveness of the spine shot for the expereinced hunter, but believe it should be used only in specialty situation, by someone with significant expereince making heart lung shots.

Good Hunting,

Bill