It’s apparent that you aren’t quite familiar with the high shoulder shot. A lot of people aren’t, which comes to light in these threads. The name is misleading. The high shoulder shot IS a spine shot. It is 100% lights out when executed properly.

Yup

140gr NB Tip behind the shoulder never fails, if they run its not far.

I guess I’m just old school. I’ve never heard anyone call a spine shot a high shoulder shot, but then I’ve only been hunting deer 54 years.

I’ve put em down right above the mid section with spine shots before. But then I’ve put them down with head shots before also. I look for a shot that will drop the animal quickly. The last deer I killed, 3 weeks ago, took out both lungs. The deer ran 20 yards.

Me neither, and that’s not what I said. I said a high shoulder shot is a spine shot, not the other way around.

A spine shot cannot be misinterpreted. It sounds to me like you want to make the shot sound better by calling it an upper shoulder shot. I think we would both agree that you can shoot a deer in the upper shoulder and not hit the spine. On the other hand, a spine shot is a spine shot, is a spine shot. No room for misinterpretation.

Your trying to break bone so you need penetration. I'm not a fan of ballistic tips but i know they will rip holes in soft tissue like lungs..etc. I used to guide and seen many people make perfect shots redirect into gut cavity and make a mess and even sometimes a messy retrieval like you dealt with.

I say take out the lungs and trail em. You'll find a cleaner kill when you get there. Keep your shot low if possible. More blood on the ground and less meat damage

Yes, I would agree. My point is that a high shoulder shot is a spine shot, but a spine shot isn’t always through the shoulder. Like I said, the name is misleading, but I didn’t name it. That’s just what it’s always been called.

Son Shot a deer this weekend. 65 yards 120 grain SST from A 7mm-08

Lung shot no pass thru

Died within 50 yards

Aaron just shoot it in the neck with that bullet. Less meat loss and it’ll die where it stands.

I'm confused; what person(who is a good shot) shoots a deer where there is a chance it will walk off. Place the bullet where every hunting book says to shoot it, with a normal gun and bullet, and the deer will fall in its tracks. I've shot deer with many different bullets, and cartridges, doesn't matter.

With a heart/lung shot the odds are much greater it will run than drop

I don’t even know where to start....

Some folks just need more range time!

I quit shooting BTs along time ago because of just what you went thru..........

Nope. Hit exactly where I was aiming. I was just aiming too low.

Hit the heart or the lungs and there is 99.9999% chance they will die.

I don’t think anyone is arguing that. It’s a run vs. drop on the spot argument.

No doubt they will die. The question is, will they die where you can find them?

I never use anything other than a shoulder shot and a soft point bullet.

Shot a bunch of deer and seen a bunch of deer get shot. Some go down quick and bleed a ton others quick and no blood some run a long ways bleeding, others a long way and no blood

By and large, a double lung shot with a centerfire rifle of appropriate caliber will result in a dead deer that won't run far.



Caribou,

Had a hunter shoot a deer on the same spot you described. 140 yards 100 grain bullet from a 6mm ackley improved

Deer hit the ground then stumbled off. I told him that deer is gonna be on the other side of the brush piled up. Found a bit of blood and bone at the shot.

Trailed him a mile with dogs and never found it.


I've seen some shots that were sho'nuff kill shots produce no game. Seen several other real marginal shots drop them.


Like anything else, no matter how good you are, it's never a bad thing to have luck on your side

I have a dog that will find a poorly shot deer. We have found a lot of deer for hunters who shot the deer "right behind the shoulder". None of them have been hit where the shooter thought. A deer running a very long way and leaving very little blood from what I have seen, is the result of poor shot placement. Often times it is compounded because the hunter thinks he made a good shot and pushes the deer.

I call it "high shoulder" on the deer I shoot. I do it with a 165 gr., .308, 2840 mv, Hornady SST bullet. I hit them below the spine in the area where there is a high concentration of arteries, one of which is the lower carotid. This is about a 4-5" space for this bullet to damage 2-3 major arteries, the kinetic energy causing enough hydrostatic shock to the brain and heart at the same time that they die instantly. With or without an exit, blood loss is huge. Growing up, I was taught the typical shoulder shot. I looked for a lot of deer. 30 years ago, by accident I hit one as described above, "high". DRT. Since then, I do it on purpose.