Thank you so much QuitShootinYoungBucks,

So if the deer is facing that way in the picture.

Questions:

1. So if the deer is facing that way in the picture I attached, where do I aim to shoot at?
2. Do I wait until the deer turn sideways? In the hunting shows, I think they wait until the deer turn side ways.

Thanks

The bottom picture shows the shot placement much further back than it should be. That location where the X is would be an improper shot placement, IMO. With the buck quarter facing you, you should shoot in front of the shoulder, not behind it. If you shot where that X is, the bullet will exit out the back half of the other side, and most likely have a gut shot deer. That's too far back. You have to think 3 dimensionally on where the hear and lung area is. I would not shoot a deer in that location where the yellow X is on the bottom picture.

IMO, I would aim about 3"-4" left of the yellow X in the bottom picture.

Think of the yellow X as a fulcrum point that is stationary, but with the vitals behind it. When broadside, the boiler room is right behind it, but as the deer quarters and turns, the boiler room behind the yellow X follows suit and ends "misplaced". Its like spinning a globe, the countries don't move, but their location in proportion to you are shifted.

Getting the perfect broadside shot is not always easy. I would study where the vitals are from different angles so that you are prepared to take a shot that is not perfect. The angle the deer is standing at to you will effect where you want to aim to hit vitals. Here is a link with some info that might help you prepare for that not perfectly broadside shot.
https://www.tnhuntingclub.com/hunting-tips/shooting-at-deer-from-different-angles/
Another link with more info on shot placement.
https://outdoorever.com/best-places-to-shoot-a-deer/#tab-con-22

I have to comment. Some awesome info here. But How in the world did all of us old guys learn to shoot a deer 30-50 years ago before internet and forums? Information is good but sometimes too much information is not good.

To the OP - go to the range and practice shooting a target - make sure your rifle is zeroed in. When the moment comes to pull the trigger on a deer you may get a little shaky
- that is normal. Do the best you can. Aim for the center of the shoulder. If you mess up? You will not be the first to do so. At the end of the day just go enjoy being outdoors and the experience.

As usual Stxranchman has came through. The man posts so many links I don't know if he just looks those up on the spot or if he has them saved somewhere in a deer hunters cloud. That one on shot placement should be required reading for all deer hunters.
As tlk said anyone starting out nowdays is so lucky to have all the information at hand and especially on this forum. Some one said the forum should be required in hunters ed and I agree. How did us old guys ever learn to shoot without the information age--for me and im sure for most it was our Dad or close family member. I remember before I started deer hunting(pre teen) Dad had me cut out a ton of different pics of deer from Outdoor Life and Field and Stream etc and mark where I would aim for. I have tweaked that aiming point a little over 54 hunting years but between Dads spot and my new spot almost all deer died when I did my part. Like tlk said and others practice a lot and just think 3 dimensionally and aim middle of the entire kill zone and you will be fine. Everybody that's shot enough deer has lost a deer.

Honestly, any area between those yellow and red dots is going to kill the deer. He might drop or he might run a bit. Center punch a doe in that area, it is dropping 9 out of 10 times. Within 200 yards you should be fine as you will be dead on or an inch high/low.

As tlk said. Don't make this more difficult than it really is. Pick a capable caliber, practice, and be confident in your cold bore shot

^^^^^^^^^this

High shouler shot is what I go for and Ii try to place so it will get the far shoulder. Learned that trick from an African PH. In order for the bullet to get to the far shoulder it has to pass through the vitals and if you break the far shoulder eith the energy of th bullet going away the animal will go straigt down. Hitting the near shoulder doesn't always mean you hit the vitals but the far shoulder does.

Now it’s probably time to start giving tips on tracking wounded deer.

this is what happens to us in the off season tlk, LOL!

All of us have learned how to blood trail too. I would rather my kids learn to be expert Marksman, drop animals where they stand or awefully close to where they stood, than to be expert trackers.

Victory favors the prepared.

No getting around the fact that blood trailing is a skill that all hunters need to develop. If a fellow hasn’t needed to do it, he will eventually. Hunting with an experienced old guy, to learn the ropes, would be advised. I learned the basics of the art from my Grandfather and due to some wobbly shooting as a young man I honed the skills over the decades.

The way I see it, the last sight picture I had when the rifle fired is where the bullet went. And assuming it went where it was supposed to, the deer is dead. If it isn’t laying in plain sight, I just need to find it. Usually it’s easy, but not always.

Dang, I wish Deer season would hurry up.

Yeah it is time for some cool weather, football, and deer hunting to kick in! Putting our trail cameras out this weekend so for me that is sort of the beginning of the deer part.

What I have seen is. A person can be the best marksman in the world on targets. But that means squat when the target becomes a live Deer.

True. I've tried to think a station for a hunting challenge all the way through. Something liike this: Open range, 100 yards wide, 400 yards long. The view of the range is obstructed as the shooter gets in a prone position. Rifle on safety. Obstruction is removed, shooter has five seconds to find and hit a 6" x 12" plate, that is "somewhere" within the field of fire. I've shot a lot of deer within a few seconds of seeing them, sometimes that's all you have. Call the range cold, every body turn around, have a high school track star move the plate, next shooter up.

"All of us have learned how to blood trail too. I would rather my kids learn to be expert Marksman, drop animals where they stand or awefully close to where they stood, than to be expert trackers.

Victory favors the prepared."

This is what I believe also.

I think the hardest step for a new hunter is going from a "target shooter" to a "game shooter". Start with bullseye/sight-in targets to get the rifle sighted in, and then as soon as you are competent in group shooting go to the deer anatomy targets I mentioned earlier in the thread. These targets have helped me drastically increase my DRT shots on deer.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Boy, that's the truth.

Another thing to do each time you're in stand. Practice getting your rifle up and on the 1st few deer that you see. That way you'll have made your mistakes (banging the blind wall and determined which windows make noise) on deer that you don't really care to shoot and hopefully learned from your mistakes.

JR

^^^^^Good advice. Along with a lot of others.

Since I'm a long way from where I hunt. And it's too hot here to go outside.
For practice I have set up pop up blind in basement with chair and everything else I have in blind and a deer and hog target down the hall and in the reloading room as far as possible. I practice picking up rifle, getting on target, and dry fire. I literally can do it with eyes closed.

M

Since this is your first deer hunt in Texas, lets keep it simple. Just aim and hit the deer directly in the shoulder.

Or the neck. They don't go anywhere with that busted.