Based on the grid what is y’all’s preferred or optimal shot placement? I’ve always had pretty good luck with straight up the leg like E6 or D6, but that tends to waist a little more meat than behind the shoulder.

E7 for me,

C6 or D6. I want to blow out the shoulder so they’re less likely to run through the brush and it leaves room for a miss.

I always go for D to E 7.

E-7 and just give them a few minutes to pile up if they don't drop at the shot.

C7, specifically that one hair I see inside the top of that location.

C6 - 7

Depends on the situation but I like C-6, F-7 and C-4.

You sunk my battle ship!

E-6 or D-6 for me.

Doe, spike, cull = B-1 if the animal is no more than 150 yards and I have a rock steady rest with a solid anchor point for my elbow. If not, then D/E-7

Trophy = D-6 for me to try and anchor him where he stands and also to allow an inch or 2 either way.

But to be perfectly honest I don't really like completely broadsided shots. I'd rather have a big deer quartering towards me and then he gets it in C/D-4 which breaks them down 90%+ of the time.

Broadside, standing still? C4

He needs another year.

Until this year I was always a D7, E7 kind of guy. Had a buck come out this year early evening and decided I didn't want to be tracking by myself in the dark so I shot for C6 and it was DRT. Now a huge fan of C6.

If it's truly a broadside shot at a reasonable distance with a solid rest, C4 / D4. If the distance is further out then D6.

C4 with a rest E7 if not

Anywhere from the top of C to middle of E along the line between 6/5, it all depends on how far the deer is and how he is standing. Most of the time it will be at the four corner intersection of C-D-5-6.

F-7

C4 -broadside
D7

D-14

D7 or E7 for me.

c6

Pending distance, weather, rest, my own steadiness at the time, weapon etc. Just about anything inside the red.

D6 if straight broadside. Alter the position, lots of different options.

Basically where D6 and D7 meet. I think that gives you about 2 squares in EVERY direction in case your shot is off a little.
If I thought I could hit exactly where I wanted then that opens up a lot of options but I NEVER rely of hitting exactly where I want and especially not at longer distance or any other negative variable. I want to allow for the most margin of error in case my shot is a little off. I think up and down that D is in the middle of the kill zone and left to right 7 is probably in the middle. A little unsure of shot making I would hedge into D7 but if confident I would hedge into D6. Getting above D can really break them down on the spot but not enough margin for error.
I am only referring to a shot on a big Trophy buck where the highest percentage of kill is critical.

I’m not real good at drawing on a pic but this shows what I think gives a lot of margin for error.

Broad side c6

Qtr’ing to c 4.5

Qtr’ing away / opposite front leg exit

Knucklehead

That C6 I guess is what so many refer to as the high shoulder shot. It is absolutely deadly no doubt. Lots of very respected(deservedly so) guys on here shoot there. But please agree with me that it doesnt provide the most margin of error. Just a couple inches lower and couple inches to the body provides much more margin for error and I think its almost as deadly.
Bobo, and others, tell me what your maximum range is on a Trophy WT buck and tell me you would still shoot that C6. If im shooting a Trophy buck at my maximum distance Im not shooting C6 or anything above that D line.
BTW, I love this grid for talking about this.

If I am shooting my .50BMG, I aim C, -2 and snuff the breath right out of them....

No I don't worry about a back stop and no I don't care how far the bullet will travel because I only them from my executive tower inside 100 yards so the bullet is always on a severe downhill

H8 - H12 for several on my lease

Most of my shots this passed season were A2 B2 shots with a .243 . 2 were in the ear hole with a 30.06. It was doe management year. My archery shots D7 E7.

❤️ when ever possible !

I was going to put "right down the hatch". "Through the lips and over the gums, look out liver here she comes."

I don’t have a set distance. Totally environment dependent. My gun is sighted dead on at 250, and I kill something every year at that distance it seems. This year mule deer and whitetail.

I’ve passed on deer at 400 because of wind and my rest and I’ve killed deer and Aoudad at 400. Regardless of distance on a broadside shot thats my hold point, less wind. Overall perfect day 400 pretty much my max, assuming I can't get any closer or don't have another day to get closer etc. Not to many places I can't get closer though

Honestly I’ve only killed two game animals in last 10 years that where not shot with a spinal interruption. WT buck this year at 75 yards(behind shoulder, only shot I had), and pronghorn a few years ago at 400yard(technically that one went down finally with high shoulder at 200, it was dead goat walking but was headed to fence line)
.
I don't think twice about a broadside shot with it. I’ve killed elk, mule deer, Aoudad, axis, Whitetails etc
. I’ll take a chest shot also but normally keep those under 150. That’s normally me calling something in so I’m on a tripod, and normally only shot I have.

E7. Forrest

I prefer tail shots.

Im a C7 guy, if you hit your mark exactly, not a lot of wasted meat. If you wander to the right, they crumple. If you wander to the left, they die shortly from a double lung. Up, they are paralyzed from spine shot, down and you still get lungs, maybe heart and possibly blow out some lower shoulder depending on how they are standing.

Bahahaha thanks for that. Next toast for shots with my friends right there.

I like C7, even at long distance. Watch some shots on gel and then think about what gets messed up when a wound channel is created here. The wound channel is a lot more than the size of entry and exit. On gel it's 3" Ø or more. This is where I have the best chance to shut down CNS, and circulatory system at the same time. High or low, you get one to the other. The Hornady, 165 gr. .308 SST bullet placed here puts them down right there. If you've ever stomped on a water hose and seen what happens, imagine this with 1000x into the major arteries. I like the grid, never seen it before.

for sure!

Generally E7. With the close leg forward E6

6C. 6E

E7. They do not move.

C3

E7
Vertical crosshair on back of front leg, 1/4-1/3 up. Adjust aim point for quartering and elevation.
I usually hunt really close, last year’s buck under 10 yards so I get good placement.

Buck D6
Doe just below the number 1.

This, I only archery hunt and don't want any shoulder bone.

You so beat me to this!

buck E 6.5

doe c3 / b2 - and always under 100 yrds.

C8, C7, C4.

E7 or 8. The buck I shot last year was F7 and he ran 20 yards.

Well said. I skip the DOE/cull right to D7 though... seen too many bad deals in neck shots

I like d7/e7 with some of the grids around it falling into a still effective margin for error.

i shoot everything there. i used to shoot a lot at the neck but i've just stopped. I don't get to spend as much range time practicing as i used to. And in teaching my wife and kids to shoot at the shoulder i figured i wasn't much of a teacher if i wasn't doing it too. I used to not like to shoot there because it would make for a relativley messy processing job with generally a decent amount of meat loss in the area. for many years though now i've been shooting primarily nosler partition bullets which have been very effective without the meat damaging traits.

high shoulder shots just do not damage much meat any way.

when i hunted hill country we shot deer in the neck to avoid meat damage. but in south texas now...those deer have more meat on their necks than they do on their ribs. as long as there's not a lot of bloodshot, a tight to the shoulder pass thru that doesn't hit the shoulder blades wastes next to nothing except the organs in between and a couple ribs.