I wasn't gonna comment on this one. If anything I come back to it to learn something for myself. But here goes.

I killed my first and only deer a few years ago. Perfect spine shot and yes that is what I was aiming for. It's possible for a novice to have a clue. I grew up around hunters that were pretty much a bunch of @&$? made promises to me and never came through. Enough of that subject haha. But at least i learned a little along the way.

The real reason I could not resist posting on this is i notice it is getting a little touchy.

Maybe as a new guy to deer hunting he is asking the wrong question by asking for advice on a DRT shot. Maybe not. Might have grew up in a household full of $&@ that were too worried about blowing their season to take the kid deer hunting. I know I aint the only one.

But, I digress.

I apologize if I came across a bit strong on that tracking statement. I didn’t mean to sound like that. Poor choice of words.

I’ve killed many deer over the decades, and the lung shot has always worked. There was a problem however. I started deer hunting with a 35 Remington, which is a bit range limited, though a great caliber. With the 35, I tended to aim high on the deer to be sure the bullet would drop into the heart/lung kill zone. It worked great, but then I moved to a 270. When in a hurry, I tended to fall back on the old ‘shoot high’ approach, which resulted in a spine shot. I found myself shooting too high too often. It was a hard habit to break.

Anyway, I do believe that a lung shot, high in the lungs, gives the biggest possible vital zone shot on deer. Newbies, in my experience, benefit from a big kill zone. But when I say to put the bullet behind the shoulder, I mean right behind the shoulder. That’ll give you frothy lung blood. Get too far back behind that shoulder and you get green stuff they had for breakfast, and best of luck tracking a gut shot deer.

If you want the largest room for error, then dead center of the shoulder and slightly back from the pocket of the shoulder will certainly work (right at the circle 8 location). Anywhere in that area will take down a deer. Some tracking may be involved, but it's generally an easy tail to follow.

For a beginner I would tell them to aim for the center of the front shoulder since it has the most margin for error and there's a good chance you'll break them down quickly....3-4 inches in any direction and you'll be good.

Personally I'm a fan of the high shoulder shot.

It's more fun to single lung and track for 200+ yards! Believe me. It was my biggest but omg did I get worried... When you do shoot and IF he runs, focus on landmarks if possible to find blood to track by. Haven't lost a deer since my first and did it hurt. Probably was dead 20 yards away but was near a fence and I was on 3K acres!! High shoulder would be best to drop him. Doe go down much easier but can still run.

Thank you redchevy,

I would like for the deer to fall on the spot with shot. Where to shoot please?

Thank you,

Thank you so much regularguy11B,

I am African American man and I enjoy the outdoors and always had a interest of hunting. My daughter is now going to college so i can now pursue my hobby of hunting. I have never hunted before. Everything is new, but I am enjoying the process.

My goal is to eventually start taking my step son and nephews to guided hunts in Texas so I can teach them how to hunt as well with their kids. So far its seems fun.

I grew up with noone to teach me hunting skills. So it is all new to me, including new culture.

Thanks freerange,

Yes, I mean for short tracking. I certainly do not want to harm the deer and never track him/her down or be searching for 100 yards. I am doing a paid guided hunt, so harming the deer or lost deer counts as paid.

Looks like everyone agrees on the heart shot or lung.

Always ask the guide what HE (or she) wants for shot placement. A good guide will tell you exactly where he wants it. Assuming he's not some wet-behind-the-ears kid. (I've had a guide like that once. Montana elk. Drunk little idiot.)

NO NO Goodo, everyone did NOT agree on the heart/lung. For a novice, and almost anyone that's unsure of perfect placement for various reasons, then I think it is plenty good enough and allows the more forgiving and largest aiming point. However, many on here are VERY EXPERIENCED and they recommend other aim points. I suggest you reread all posts and continue to follow the thread.
You are very lucky to have discovered this forum at the beginning of your hunting career. Lots of us old guys on here have spent a lifetime learning the hard way a ton of stuff that you will be able to learn on here in no time. The information age has accelerated the learning curve on soooooo many things. You just have to be smart and pick through a lot of BS on here, but the good stuff is there. Good luck.

Also Goodo, if you are serious about learning things right then you may want to consider going to Firemans range. He offers instruction and has hunting simulated stations available. I think his instruction may just be geared for more precision shooting which is more than you need but he may offer a beginners basics type course. Im sure he will chime in, or others, and correct me if im wrong. Also, I think its interesting you pointed out that you are African American. Its fine that you did but I sure hope it doesn't matter to this crowd.

That shot will work a high percentage of the time.........I like high middle of the shoulder much better. It anchors them without having to trail......and if you hit off target chances of a gut shot are very slim.......this cannot be said of the lung shot as far as gut shots go.

Many call this area the crease, right at the top of the shoulder where the bottom of their neck starts. There is currently a thread on "hunting a Michigan HF ranch" that stxranchman posted some great info on this shot placement with pics.

If I have a first time hunter I tell them to shoot the Deer right through the middle of the front shoulder. That will usually break them down on the spot. Wastes a lot of meat but they don't go far.

If you want this, put the bullet in the shoulder. They will fall quickly.

Berger bullets had a good video on YouTube about shooting deer in the shoulder.

We all started hunting at one point with little to no experience. We relied heavily on what we were taught by someone on where to place the bullet on a deer. That placement was based off the teachers hunting experience with that shot placement. When I started hunting I was taught to take only a heart shot or worst case lung shot for bullet placement. We not to take any shoulder, neck or head shots for our first kill on a deer. After about 15-20 yrs of shooting and tracking deer from heart/lung shots, I gravitated to middle of the shoulders...older hunter told me "if you take the running gear out, he ain't going to far". So I then aimed to break both shoulders and deer went down or they did not go very far. Advance a few years after the middle of the shoulder shot, I went to aiming for the point of the shoulder and then high shoulder shots. When I get a broadside shot I still shoot for the high shoulder shot vast majority of my shots. It is a shot that has just worked well for me with almost never a track job.

This is what we were taught by the hunters in East Texas. The lung shot was considered to be very second rate to a heart shot. Of course, where we hunted tracking a deer thru the thick east texas brush wasn't much easier than tracking a deer in south texas so I wonder why they advocated that shot.....I've seen heart shot deer run quite a ways before piling up.

Thank you so much ChadTRG42,

So practice aiming at the heart and I should be good.

You’re welcome!!! Hope that helps!

Thank you freerange.

I was planning to buy the the deer targets and practice shooting at the targets on the deer at the gun range. Just using a little common sense here, but would not seem logical to aim at the heart.

I will be sure to ask the guide when I go. Maybe I just call him up and ask him since I am sure he seen many deer go down.

Thanks

It is my PERSONAL experience, after 50 years of hunting, is that there aren't a lot of sure things when it comes to the tenacity of a deer. I've broken shoulders and lost deer. That happened last year but wasn't the only time. I've searched and finally found deer that I blew up the heart. I only hunt my own land and it is THICK oaks. A WT can go an amazing distance with no heart or lungs.

Goodo,, you are doing good. It seems youre thoughts are bouncing around just like all the advice is bouncing around. You will NEVER get a consensus of opinion on this subject from any group of hunters. Another piece of advice from me is to take a deep breath and not get in a hurry to decide where to aim. If you practice shooting ANY target and can hit where you aim then it will be easy to adjust that aiming point a little as you get close to hunt time. For now just keep reading and rereading these posts and later on you will ultimately do what makes sense to you.
About advice from the guide. I would ask him and he shouldn't mind being asked. BUT your "guide" is likely to be very good or he is just as likely to not be so good. Some of the guys giving you advise on this thread are as good or much better than the average guide. What I WOULD ask him is what type of hunting you should expect in regard to what type rest will be available and what distance to expect.
When this thread slows down you should start a new one about how to acquire the proper "rest" which will steady as much of your whole body as you can. That would be a great thread for a whole lot of folks on here to learn from, including me and I think I know more than most.

Great illustration Quitshoot. IMO if I was advising a novice, like OP, I would want the biggest margin for error since he is likely not a great shot. In that case I would split the difference on the two spots on those pictures. Even myself I would split the difference and move into the shoulder just a little so im center shoulder from left to right. I have a lot of respect for guys on here saying high shoulder but I guess im not a good enough shot. I just don't think there is NEAR enough room for error on either heart shot or high shoulder. My 2cents, again. Thanks Quitshoot.

agree with you totally Freerange - in this particular situation the common sense placement for the OP and safest

Most of the bucks I shoot are square through both shoulders, a bit forward of center. I do not like a heart shot because it often leads to high leg shots. If I can't get them broadside, with both front legs directly beneath them, I shoot them exactly where stxranchman does. Does and cull bucks get shot in the neck just in front of their shoulder, or in the head. If I have to take a shot on a deer facing straight toward me, I shoot them in the center of their white throat patch.