quote:

Three legged critters learned to run with three legs. They didn't just get up a run away from the initial injury that took the leg/shoulder.

The second half of your comment; That has not been my experience. Maybe we can say "They learn very fast" but they can and do not only get up and run away on 3 but they can "not fall down" and run away on 3.

High shoulder shot is always a bad idea; you're aiming for a 1/2 inch spinal cord, or hoping to break the shoulder joint, which is hard to do.
The heart is low in the chest, usually under the shoulder bone.
For DG, it depends,,but high shoulder; no.
Yes, animals can run forever on 3 legs.

quote:

Three legged critters learned to run with three legs. They didn't just get up a run away from the initial injury that took the leg/shoulder.

Wrong I seen deer and bear with one front leg and shoulder taken out get up after the shot and take off.

One leg taken out well not keep them down both taken out slow them way down.

quote:

I am a huge fan of the shoulder shot.I hate butchering the fronts of deer, so many little muscle groups that by the time you spent an hour whittling one ends up with a handful of trim. I consider myself a patient person but I have little patience for front shoulders. I try to destroy BOTH shoulders. Deer down right there as a bonus.

BINGO on all counts. Lora and I butcher our game and front shoulders are a PITA.

I will always take the loss of a few pounds of meat from the front shoulders over the loss of the whole animal.

quote:

Originally posted by Ray Alaska:
I have had good luck but taking shots on moose as explained here:
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/ind...fm?adfg=hunting.shot

Ray- I just sent that link to my son to use as a training aid for his boys.

I am really surprised.

I find the front shoulders are a bit fiddly, particularly on small deer like muntjack & goats.

But you still get about a kilo of meat from each front leg & it is good eating if the animal is not too old. I sometimes just put the whole leg in the oven after marinating.

If the front legs are shot out with jelly blood meat and bone shards, then I leave them.

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:

quote:

I am a huge fan of the shoulder shot.I hate butchering the fronts of deer, so many little muscle groups that by the time you spent an hour whittling one ends up with a handful of trim. I consider myself a patient person but I have little patience for front shoulders. I try to destroy BOTH shoulders. Deer down right there as a bonus.

BINGO on all counts. Lora and I butcher our game and front shoulders are a PITA.

I will always take the loss of a few pounds of meat from the front shoulders over the loss of the whole animal.

A three-legged anecdote:

Three years ago at deer camp (western ME) guy took a shot at a nice one, 8:30ish. He thought "guts", but wasn't sure. Guides were on it immediately, jumping it several times, but could never get a look. Blood trail was starting to tail off, and they only saw blood where the animal laid up.

Lunchtime. Brother and I hear about it, they could use some help, so we volunteered our last evening. They told us to go to a certain location, split up, watch and wait. 13:00ish. So Ron goes left, I go right at the trail divide. Later I check maps and find I was exactly 300 vertical feet below the highest point in the township. Am there about 40 min and hear something coming up the same trail. Then see antler tips, gait is off, back dropping with each step. Gosh, it's the one we want.

Brain is working just fine, so it sees me just as I center punch heart at 20 yds. Dives down embankment. Thank the Lord he runs into a tree, is DRT. Blood everywhere.

Anyway, distal right femur was shattered. Don't know how that shot didn't paunch him, could see some belly hair scuffed. I knew deer could manage loss of a front leg but had no idea a deer could move so well with a broken rear driver, and that it would climb a small east coast mountain with such an injury to hide out.

Anyway, a very happy ending for all.

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I will always take the loss of a few pounds of meat from the front shoulders over the loss of the whole animal.

The point being missed, is that messing up the few pounds of meat I get off the front shoulders for me is preferable to possibly losing the whole animal due to shot that allows the animal to continue moving and possibly getting away/not being found.

Know your ability and your gun.

If I need more meat to make up for the front shoulders I destroyed, I can shoot another doe through both shoulders. Lots of opportunities to shoot deer here. It's really a simple strategy.

quote:

If I need more meat to make up for the front shoulders I destroyed, I can shoot another doe through both shoulders. Lots of opportunities to shoot deer here. It's really a simple strategy.

Being a tad nosy here, but what part of NW Nebraska?

I hunted in the Sandhills between Thetford and Valentine twice and up in the Pine Ridge out of Fort Robinson twice.

Fantastic country!

I like the top of the heart. You get heart and lungs with margin for error in any direction. I will also try to involve bone in that shot, either near or far side depending upon the deer's stance and angle. Other than CNS shots, which I rarely take, this shot has given me my best chance at DRT. It's been almost 100% DRT with Nosler Partition. In some areas, DRT isn't that important. Where I normally hunt, it can be a very big deal.

I try to shoot where the PH tells me to shoot....

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:
I try to shoot where the PH tells me to shoot....

I will likely never know the joy of having a PH.

It'a Loaded question of sorts, but if you put the bullet in front of the diaphragm and probably behind the neck/shoulder joint, your going to kill the animal. How quick depends on bullet performance and to a lesser extent the caliber..

The spine on Buffalo, Lions, Eland, elephant, Hippo for instance makes spinal shots quite easy as they are massive, drop deep into the neck and shoulder, and if you hit a short rib they still go down, and you have time to walk up and give him the coupe de grace..

I don't really have a favorite, I determine that at the scene of the crime. but mostly 1/3 up the shoulder and into the top of the heart, but a good solid double lung shot is pretty darn effective.