90% of the time I am a behind the shoulder broadside shot kind of hunter when it comes to deer.
10% of the time I will shoot to break down both front shoulders. I only do this with a rifle and only when tracking the deer is something I want to avoid at all costs. Blowing out both shoulders usually results in a animal that drops in its tracks but also results in quite a bit of meat loss.

For pigs I will blow out both shoulders just about every time unless I plan to eat them. Every now and then I will take a head or neck shot on one but its usually a last resort.

Never cared for neck shots and in my opinion head shots are egotistical.

As a rifle hunter, I prefer behind the shoulder. You might have to track a little ways, but if you put a bullet in there, the deer is done. I don't mind a little tracking anyways. The practice keeps my skills sharp. Also, I'm primarily a meat hunter. If you shoot up the shoulders and neck, your missing out on some good burger.

I take the shot I'm given when rifle hunting. Broadside behind the shoulder, Quartering away aim for the front of the far shoulder, quartering to, aim for the back of the far shoulder, usually hitting the edge of the front shoulder, Straight on base of the neck, straight away no shot. I have not mustered up the courage for the Texas heart shot on a deer.

I just turned 60 this year been hunting since I was 6 years old..In my experience I have always shot for the vitals..heart lung shot..preferably double lung shot..just talked with another " old timer" and he said he aims for the neck..said he has never seen a dying deer always kills them instantly..so my question is what is your default shot..mine has always been right behind front shoulder..lung heart shot..what say you?? the interested in what you say jcb

Lot's of good info on this thread.

My follow up question is this- what's the best kill shot for potentially messing up the least amount of meat?

If you miss forward, it is the base of the neck. If you miss back, it is in the vitals. If you miss low, it is breaks the shoulders or legs. If you miss high, you missed. My

Hi-point of the shoulder is my shot on any deer. It anchors the deer in it tracks with zero tracking. It gets spine, neck, and/or shoulders on the deer. I have used this shot for 24 yrs now and will not change.

Most efficient is to the head, but messy. I've shot a ton of deer in the neck, just in front of the shoulder. Their butt hits the ground first and I've never had one get up, but I've had some take as long as 10 minutes to die from shock. Their neck is broken, but their vitals are not.

The high shoulder is a great shot, BUT, be very careful. There is an area above the vitals and beneath the spine that will cause you a lost deer if you are a bit high or back of your point of aim. I've personally seen three deer shot this way that went down, got up and took off never to be seen again. Well, two of them anyway. One showed back up at the same feeder three days later and was killed.

If I'm shooting a big, trophy deer, I shoot them square in the center of both shoulders. They may fall or they may run, but they won't go far.

Back to the high shoulder shot, many of you have heard of Roy Hindes III (Little Roy) and his famed blood trailing dogs. Roy told me he will not even come out to try and find a deer that was shot in the high shoulder and ran off, anymore. He showed me three sets of vertebrae he had wired together from a buck that got away after being shot in the high shoulder. All three vertebrae had damage to their bottom edges from a high shoulder shot. That deer was able to get up and haul azz. Roy found him dead a few days later.

One other thing, want to take a guess on what caliber accounts for the most lost trophy deer in Texas? 7mm mag is responsible for more than all other calibers combined, according to Little Roy.