THIS!!!!

If rather have good blood to track in the nasty mess than one that managed to somehow not get anchored through the shoulders.

For me shot placement depends on a lot of things, distance what gun im shooting what bullets im shooting etc.

Like rifleman said, I like to have blood to follow no matter where I shoot them.

Since deer are seldom exactly broadside to you, I like to shoot for the far shoulder. That normally means I shoot for the crease where the neck meets the shoulder if the deer is quartered toward me, and I shoot behind the near shoulder if the deer is quartered with his head away from me. That puts the path of the bullet right through vital area. A little above center will hit some spine and nail him to the spot where he was hit.

Middle Shoulder broadside usually gets them both and the deer can't do much without two front legs. I shoot .30-.06 in South Texas so this caliber works well for that shot. Have shot quite a few being shoulder and as mentioned, those big boys can go quite a ways on adrenaline only even when lung/heart shot with a .30-.06.

behind shoulder

I usually shot right behind shoulder and they hardly ever take a step hard to run with no lungs.

Heart and lung shot placed at the back edge of the front shoulder offers the largest margin for error, making it the most ethical shot.

As for increased damage to the meat, how many of us depend on venison for our meals?

x3

Obivoulsy, the caliber and bullet used makes the difference as well.

If I shot my 30-06 or my 308 with 180gr, I can shoot them just about anywhere and they will either drt or won't run very far. Deer or hog. Killed a 175lb panhandle buck last year with a heart / lung shot. Only ran about 15yrds. Have shot numerous 200-300lb hogs with different shot placements, furthest one ran was about 20-30yrds with a heart shot. Shoulder shot in a 250lb hog, ran in circles but didn't go anywhere.

Personally, I use hogs as a test for bullet damage / placement to see how they react. I like to use a heavier bullet because of impact. I feel a lighter bullet at faster speeds will react differently on various shot placements.

I shot a 100lb hill country buck with a 222 in the heart and it ran about 100yards with very little blood. Had to track it longer than I wanted and it ran uphill over a draw. Took 3 of us to find it. The bullet did very little interior damage. Have shot them in the shoulder, neck, and high back with the same caliber and they are DRT.

Area I'm hunting and size of the game will determine what caliber / bullet I use.
Honestly, meat loss is the least of my worries. Meaning, I try to make the most ethical kill shot on a deer based on the placement the deer provides. Just my

I'm too old to chase. this shot never fails me.

If you actually hit right behind the should and 1/3 - 1/2 of the way up from the bottom, the deer will usually be down within 40 yards. The longest I've had one go with that shot was 60 yards and that was because the bullet didn't expand at all -- just penciled through.

Well, I was all for the just-behind-the-shoulder shot to save meat, until I shot one there and it ran 100 yards, jumped into the river, and drowned 3/4 of the way across the river. If it hadn't been for my boys there with their good eyes, I never would have found it.Very little blood trail. It took the three of us half the night to get to it and get it back to the truck. Since then I'm all for doing whatever it takes to drop them in their tracks, which means hit them to break their shoulder.

It is amazing how far they run sometimes. I haven't adoptedt the shoulder shot, but am considering.

I've decided to switch to the high shoulder shot this year. Property line is 100 yards from my feeder, and I don't know the neighbors. I don't want one to get over the fence.

My doe I shot last week I shot in the center of the front shoulder. Had a 2" exit hole and she ran 30 yards. I don't know how. I always aim for the back of the front shoulder because I'm a bad shot. That way I dont gut shot them.

I've been getting better at shooting so my next deer I'll be shooting behind the front shoulder to save the meat.

shoulder for big bucks, head for anything else.

I shoot 'em about 1/3 of the way up the front leg behind the shoulder because it gives me the most margin for error. They are dead shortly and leave an excellent blood trail. But I am not Annie Oakley and I don't normally use a varmint gun.

I can see in south TX why one would do the high shoulder shot. But one must place it right or one can mess up the whole deal in a hurry.

Ruining meat is not in the equation for me one way or the other.

Anything within 100 yards and it is a neck shot for me. I like the shoulder meat for ground and sausage. Other than preserving meat there are 2 advantages to a neck shot: 1. they go down, 2. no blood in the body cavity. The skinning and gutting are much cleaner especially for me because I never field dress and never cut the breast bone.

There is about a 1lb of meat in the front shoulder of a deer. Much more meat in the neck

X4 What he said

My preference is to shoot em in the lungs. If I misjudge the distance, the bullet will drop to the heart. The lung shot gives me two things, the first of which is the lung blood, which is easy to identify (so I know I placed the bullet correctly). And, on the lung shot, as long as the deer is still breathing or trying to, blood will be sprayed and easier to find.

Over the years I've shot many deer in the heart and many in the lungs. Lung shot deer seem to go less far. They quickly weaken, lay down to rest, and pass away. Some of the heart shot deer can get a good ways before they give it up. I shot a real whopper maybe 8 years ago, right through the heart, and he ran full tilt boogey for a good 100 yards and died at full stride in the middle of the biggest briar patch on the place and maybe on the planet. It varies from deer to deer, but I prefer the lung shot. And it messes up no edible meat, unless you like venison ribs. We don't.

And having hunted in South Texas, there's some evil undergrowth down there. I can understand folks trying to anchor the deer on the spot.

If the deer gives me buck fever! I take his upper shoulder out! Does are for meat.
Being from NM! All deer we shot were high shoulder! Wife and kids are tought lung shots!

If you have buck fever, shouldn't you take the shot with the greatest chance of success - IOW, halfway up the body and behind the shoulder? The downside to a high shoulder shot is that you can shoot right over the animal.

Agree. And neck meat does not have all that tendon in it.