Situational Shot Selection - Firearm

[yoderjac]

Of course, we are not always offered the shot we would like on a deer, and there are times when none of the shot options meet the criteria for an ethical shot and I pass. So, I'm not talking about the shot a deer offers us. I'm presuming we can wait and get the shot opportunity we like best.

I think my most desired shot is going to change, at least at my retirement property. The situation at this location is that I'm using my barn as a blind overlooking a food plot. When I purchased the property, the neighboring property was an overgrown pasture. It had gotten to the point where the volunteer pines were about 12' tall and most of it was a thick mess of briars. You had to pick your way through it. It was a great bedding area for deer, but without a good blood trail, recovering deer that ran into it was very difficult at best.

A couple years ago, it was sold. The new owner cleared most of it. He was kind enough to give me permission to hunt on it. It is now mostly a hay field. He left a thin strip of pines along about 3/4 of the property boundary and has mowed paths under them. There is still enough brush that a deer can be difficult to find depending on exactly where it expires, but nothing like it was before. The surrounding area is mature hardwoods with an open understory.

I have always opted for a scapula shot when possible. It drops a deer in its tracks when well executed. I chose that because of the difficulty of recover on the neighboring property. Now that the neighboring property has changed, I'm probably going to change to a heart/lung shot. I plan to do this for two reasons. A deer shot in the food plot or corner of the hayfield not occluded by the pine strip will have a way to run before it is out of the field. Second, I now have security cameras covering the area around the barn. So, even when I don't see which way a deer runs in real time, I can always review the video and mark the spot they entered cover.

The big advantage of this is less meat destroyed. The disadvantage is a little more time and effort locating the deer.

Do you guys change you aim point depending on the habitat you are hunting in? If so, tell us you preferred aim point and the habitat you use it in.

 

[Mennoniteman]

If hunting for the freezer with a rifle at reasonable distances with a good rest, I have shot piles of deer with a neck shot, as the butchering job is cleaner with less meat lost, and the deer usually drops in it's tracks, allowing for a fast and short recovery. I have also had several clean misses when going for neck shots, due to the deer moving it's head right at the shot.
When hunting for a nice trophy I might be taking longer shots, and usually just aim for the largest vitals sight picture offered to cut down on that small margin of error of the deer moving it's head at the wrong instant.
The property, neighbors, and habitat I'm hunting in doesn't really make much of a difference in my mind, as the only shot placements I will be willing to try are going to be ones that will result in a short retrieve if everything goes right. In deer hunting there's always a small margin of error where things just don't go right no matter what your aiming point.
If I do see a big buck that doesn't give me a great shot, my mentality will be that if I let him go there's a good chance I can get him later with a second chance, and if I know if I take the lower margin shot there's a chance I won't get him and then have zero second chances left to try again. For seasoned hunters this equation is a no-brainer, always wait for a better shot rather than slinging lead at fast retreating tails.

 

[yoderjac]

If hunting for the freezer with a rifle at reasonable distances with a good rest, I have shot piles of deer with a neck shot, as the butchering job is cleaner with less meat lost, and the deer usually drops in it's tracks, allowing for a fast and short recovery. I have also had several clean misses when going for neck shots, due to the deer moving it's head right at the shot.
When hunting for a nice trophy I might be taking longer shots, and usually just aim for the largest vitals sight picture offered to cut down on that small margin of error of the deer moving it's head at the wrong instant.
The property, neighbors, and habitat I'm hunting in doesn't really make much of a difference in my mind, as the only shot placements I will be willing to try are going to be ones that will result in a short retrieve if everything goes right. In deer hunting there's always a small margin of error where things just don't go right no matter what your aiming point.
If I do see a big buck that doesn't give me a great shot, my mentality will be that if I let him go there's a good chance I can get him later with a second chance, and if I know if I take the lower margin shot there's a chance I won't get him and then have zero second chances left to try again. For seasoned hunters this equation is a no-brainer, always wait for a better shot rather than slinging lead at fast retreating tails.

Yep, neck shots drop the deer. They are a hit or miss. If you miss, it is rarely a fatal shot. Either you hit the spine or you don't. I'm considering the middle of the vitals for all deer in the environment where retrieval is easy. I rarely have good blood trails to follow when using a firearm.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Yep, neck shots drop the deer. They are a hit or miss. If you miss, it is rarely a fatal shot. Either you hit the spine or you don't. I'm considering the middle of the vitals for all deer in the environment where retrieval is easy. I rarely have good blood trails to follow when using a firearm.

Something is wrong if you rarely have good blood trails with a firearm.
From what you are saying I'd suggest holding a little lower and further back, the same mentality as an archery shot.
I've double lunged many a deer, shooting straight broadside through the ribs behind the elbow, far enough back to not get any blood behind the shoulders. Excellent blood trails and you can usually see the deer drop.

 

[yoderjac]

Something is wrong if you rarely have good blood trails with a firearm.
From what you are saying I'd suggest holding a little lower and further back, the same mentality as an archery shot.
I've double lunged many a deer, shooting straight broadside through the ribs behind the elbow, far enough back to not get any blood behind the shoulders. Excellent blood trails and you can usually see the deer drop.

The problem is that the bullets are designed to mushroom and deliver all of their energy to the deer. I rarely get an exit wound even with double lung placement. That is what got me started taking scapula shots. I've considered jacketed rounds, but less of the energy is delivered to the deer.

 

[Mennoniteman]

The problem is that the bullets are designed to mushroom and deliver all of their energy to the deer. I rarely get an exit wound even with double lung placement. That is what got me started taking scapula shots. I've considered jacketed rounds, but less of the energy is delivered to the deer.

Sounds like you've got the wrong bullets. My favorite is good old fashioned Federal Powershok Power Point bullets that come in the blue box, this is lower cost standard ammunition that will give solid performance on deer sized animals. Most other ammo manufacturers also make their own version of power point bullets, I'd suggest finding a brand and weight that shoots well in your particular rifle.
Hunters get sidetracked by all these articles touting anything from accubonds to ballistic tip bullets and everything in between for whitetails, when neither of those are great choices.
Accubond and nosler partition bullets are designed for heavy boned animals like elk and bears and will just drill a hole through a whitetail leaving the hunter without much of a blood trail.
Ballistic tipped bullets will mushroom excessively and fragment upon impact, leaving no exit hole, again, very poor blood trails.
Silvertip bullets sound romantic, and are made by good old Winchester, they perform well, but are horrible bullets, leaving lead slivers all through the meat, contaminating good food.
Other questionable choices are sierra game kings (soft) and hornady precision hunters (fragment), bullets that have disappointing performance on deer out of high powered rifles. Slower velocity rifles will have less problems with soft bullets, but more difficulty with hard bullets.
Corelokt bullets are dependable, but years ago they weren't seated well, and the primers were notorious for failure to fire. I have not tried the new ones.
The absolute worst choice is the fully jacketed bullets you're thinking of, they will give even less of a blood trail.
Again, overthinking bullets is just like everything else, more often gives you less, in this instance, than the standard item on the shelf at the local store down on the corner that every local guy always grabs and never seems to have much of a problem.

 

[yoderjac]

Sounds like you've got the wrong bullets. My favorite is good old fashioned Federal Powershok Power Point bullets that come in the blue box, this is lower cost standard ammunition that will give solid performance on deer sized animals. Most other ammo manufacturers also make their own version of power point bullets, I'd suggest finding a brand and weight that shoots well in your particular rifle.
Hunters get sidetracked by all these articles touting anything from accubonds to ballistic tip bullets and everything in between for whitetails, when neither of those are great choices.
Accubond and nosler partition bullets are designed for heavy boned animals like elk and bears and will just drill a hole through a whitetail leaving the hunter without much of a blood trail.
Ballistic tipped bullets will mushroom excessively and fragment upon impact, leaving no exit hole, again, very poor blood trails.
Silvertip bullets sound romantic, and are made by good old Winchester, they perform well, but are horrible bullets, leaving lead slivers all through the meat, contaminating good food.
Other questionable choices are sierra game kings (soft) and hornady precision hunters (fragment), bullets that have disappointing performance on deer out of high powered rifles. Slower velocity rifles will have less problems with soft bullets, but more difficulty with hard bullets.
Corelokt bullets are dependable, but years ago they weren't seated well, and the primers were notorious for failure to fire. I have not tried the new ones.
The absolute worst choice is the fully jacketed bullets you're thinking of, they will give even less of a blood trail.
Again, overthinking bullets is just like everything else, more often gives you less, in this instance, than the standard item on the shelf at the local store down on the corner that every local guy always grabs and never seems to have much of a problem.

View attachment 30603

In my .300 Win Mag, I've been using Hornady 300 Win Mag 180 gr SST factory loads. In my .30-06, I've been using Winchester 30-06 Springfield 150 gr PowerMax Bonded PHP. In my smokeless muzzleloader, I've been using Pittman AccuMax .452" 275 Grain. All of these loads have been very accurate for me. On the .30-06 and the .300 Win Mag, I have Leupold VX 6 scopes use CDS dials for the respective loads. On the SML, I've got a Burris Eliminator 6, so I can easily change the ballistics of the scope.

I really love the Eliminator 6, except in very low light. I guess anything with a heads-up display is going to have reduced light transmission all else being equal. In the last 5-10 minutes of shooting light (depending on how cloudy it is), I have a hard time picking out the cross-hairs. They are not illuminated. You need them to get the range dot to illuminate. It, of course is illuminated. I'm hoping the next version of the Eliminator addresses this. So until then, I stick with the existing Leupolds.

It looks like Winchester had stopped making the load I'm using in my .30-06. The Muzzle Velocity is 2920 fps and the BC is .325. I'd love to find a load close enough that I could use the same dial.

All of the bullets I'm using today are devastating if they hit bone.

 

[catscratch]

I use a bow. Don't hunt where a slightly off shot might make a deer un-retrievable. If zi do have one run into nasty stuff then I just have more work to do. But, I only shoot a deer every few yrs so it's not a big deal if that happens.

 

[Mennoniteman]

In my .300 Win Mag, I've been using Hornady 300 Win Mag 180 gr SST factory loads. In my .30-06, I've been using Winchester 30-06 Springfield 150 gr PowerMax Bonded PHP. In my smokeless muzzleloader, I've been using Pittman AccuMax .452" 275 Grain. All of these loads have been very accurate for me. On the .30-06 and the .300 Win Mag, I have Leupold VX 6 scopes use CDS dials for the respective loads. On the SML, I've got a Burris Eliminator 6, so I can easily change the ballistics of the scope.

I really love the Eliminator 6, except in very low light. I guess anything with a heads-up display is going to have reduced light transmission all else being equal. In the last 5-10 minutes of shooting light (depending on how cloudy it is), I have a hard time picking out the cross-hairs. They are not illuminated. You need them to get the range dot to illuminate. It, of course is illuminated. I'm hoping the next version of the Eliminator addresses this. So until then, I stick with the existing Leupolds.

It looks like Winchester had stopped making the load I'm using in my .30-06. The Muzzle Velocity is 2920 fps and the BC is .325. I'd love to find a load close enough that I could use the same dial.

All of the bullets I'm using today are devastating if they hit bone.

Like I said, in my opinion, you are using the wrong bullets.You need more of a medium bullet instead of bonded and ballistic tip.

 

[KSQ2]

One of our neighbors and friends is a rifle guru. He builds his own rifles and loads his own ammo. (He also happens to be one of the best shots I’ve ever seen; and that includes one of my good friends who was an Army Ranger sniper and served multiple tours in Afghanistan.) Tom is my go-to when the bonus season rolls around and we take the rifles out of the closet to shoot some does. When the girls were younger and hunting youth season, I really leaned into his knowledge. Dawna and the girls use a .243. (I use a .223 with soft nose 55 gr cartridges. Works perfectly, but you want to stay away from the shoulder, which I want to do that anyway to not mess up meat.) As far as the .243 goes, we dumb luck bought some 80 gr soft nose cartridges for the girls, thinking they wouldn’t kick as hard as a heavier bullet. I was planning to go to the more common 100 gr when they got older. When I told Tom that, he said that would be a mistake. He said even a good sized whitetail does not offer much resistance to a bullet when hit in the right spot. And a .243 travels too fast and isn’t in the deer long enough to mushroom when the bullet is 100 gr or more. He said the 80 gr on the other hand, will mushroom every time, and provide a good blood trail. He said most of his buddies use a 30-06 or .270 for deer, but one loves his .243 and it took him not finding 3 deer to finally convince him to take Tom’s advice with the 80 gr over the 100. That was years ago of course and his buddy has been faithfully and happily using the 80 gr for a long time now. Again, I’m not a rifle guy, so I don’t know how this translates to a larger caliber, just throwing it out there to consider.

 

[catscratch]

Interesting info KSQ2. It leans heavily into experiences my kids had growing up. Their first several deer were with an AR (.223). Short tracking and lots of blood. As they got older they wanted bigger, so they went to the .308. Those deer went further and left almost no blood. They were very difficult to track. They were hunting the same spots and shooting deer from the same stands and at the same distances. The .308 was poking through the deer without a ton of shock or energy released. The .223 was releasing a ton of energy into the deer and taking them down in just a few yds (heart/lung shots).

 

[Elkaddict]

Being color blind, I long ago concluded that loosing a few pounds of shoulder meat was worth not having to search for deer after the shot. Most of my shooting is 350+ yards hence I tend towards fast premium bullets that are likely to exit. Consequently, I tend to shoot straight up the leg on broadside shots and actually prefer slightly quartering shots. The one caveat is when the wind is blowing enough I need to hold for it. In those circumstances, particularly out west where there can be multiple currents of varying speed and direction, I will try to hedge my bets by holding the center of the vitals. I prefer exit wounds for the better blood trails they almost always provide. Exit wounds also make lung function far less likely in my experience.

Bowhunting is of course a far different challenge. There I concentrate on the lower 1/3 of the vitals because a good blood trail is so much more likely because the body cavity doesn’t have to fill up.