# Shoot for the exit...



## FullQuiver (May 2, 2006)

I was a long time 3-d shooter back in the day and always was amazed at how people swore by shooting 3d as "real practice" I always was amazed at how targets would be positioned at different angles and how you received the top score by shooting for the spot.. 

Reality and shooting on game though has many nuanced things that are not apparent when shooting on a piece of foam shaped like a deer. When people are conditioned to always shoot behind the front leg from the ground and suddenly find themselves 20ft up a tree at even a slightly quartering animal that "spot" has now in reality radically changed position. We get deer shot through one lung at varying angles through "no-mans land" and all kinds of places that people actually aim without realizing what anatomical structure lies under the skin. 

So as a life long archer with hundreds of animals under my belt, remember to think just before you release that arrow what lies beneath and where is your exit... I urge you as a fellow archer and one who has made some of these kind of mistakes to remember what I have said and take it to heart..


----------



## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

I explained it to my nephew by taking a softball up to a 3-D target.
I said "Visualize this being inside the deers' chest. You want the arrow to pass thru it."

He got it, got one that year and many more in his 25+ years of hunting.


----------



## Joe Archer (Mar 29, 2000)

No doubt about it! I'd rather track a gut shot deer than a one-lung hut deer. I agree always aim for your exit hole. Even when I do shoot 3-D for practice, I ignore the 10 spot and aim to kill! I do not shoot 3D on leagues though. 
Anyway, my rule of thumb is if I can't stay between a shoulder and the liver on quartering shots, I do not take the shot with a bow.
<----<<<


----------



## bwlacy (Jul 10, 2012)

Competitive 3D helps you learn to judge yardage, shoot under pressure, learn to hit the spot you want without a dot or bulls eye. The scoring rings are not accurate for shooting angles and for the best kill shot. Always bugged me when I shot IBO and ASA years ago. Now I only shoot 3D for practice yardage and spend some time with my son. I always aim for the kill shot and not score now that I'm not shooting for money.


----------



## michael marrs (May 22, 2017)

full quiver nailed this as well as Joe, all great advice. I recall seeing an magazine article somewhere, that showed the many positions a deer could be in and which shots were plausible, and which were not, (shoulders and brisket),where the poi should be in relation to the deer position, I wish we could do an annual sticky on that. good luck to all and be safe


----------



## plugger (Aug 8, 2001)

With a recurve or compound I find it natural to shoot for an exit. With a crossbow I have to think hard and adjust to compensate for angles. I had a neighbor who gave me a hard time about the shots I took. He said I was just lucky because no one is good enough to hit a deer in the ass and have it come out the heart. My son reminded him I did this consistently and that he should not judge others by what he could not do. In shooting for an exit I can shoot deer at some pretty extreme quartering away angles but quartering to is pretty much off the table.


----------



## FullQuiver (May 2, 2006)

plugger said:


> With a recurve or compound I find it natural to shoot for an exit. With a crossbow I have to think hard and adjust to compensate for angles. I had a neighbor who gave me a hard time about the shots I took. He said I was just lucky because no one is good enough to hit a deer in the ass and have it come out the heart. My son reminded him I did this consistently and that he should not judge others by what he could not do. In shooting for an exit I can shoot deer at some pretty extreme quartering away angles but quartering to is pretty much off the table.


Reminds me of a deer I shot years ago.. The shot raked the deers' hindquarter entering and center punched the heart.. Guys in camp called me lucky, I knew I had hit exactly where I had aimed and with a sharp coc broadhead and adequate poundage got the job done.. BTW was an extremely close shot...


----------



## michigandrake (May 17, 2012)

Completely agree that "league" shooting can ingrain some bad habits. Also, if you are going for a hard quartering shot take Pluggers advice and shoot a cut on contact head to reliably do the job. Just last year I had a very nice eight cruise by chasing does with a arrow in him. Extreme quartering shot but the broadhead had tracked down the ribs so it did not transect the body cavity. I recognized the arrow and knew this deer was hit second weekend with a rage two blade. I ran into the guy as he tracked that buck by our camp and he was beside himself trying to figure out what went wrong ...... by that time he was 1/2 mile into the track and knew there was a problem. Told me the story and how he remembered it going down. Said he hit right behind the ribs and should have come out behind the front leg. He was about right but his arrow did not track true. Nothing wrong with mechanicals if that's what you like but a coc head would have finished that deer inside of a 100 yards. Don't be that guy this year .... know your gear and it's limitations.


----------



## Chuck (Sep 24, 2000)

this is one of the best shot placement videos I have seen. I think someone posted it here last year maybe.


----------



## thill (Aug 23, 2006)

I shot a course a few times over the weekend with a group of friends. I can't tell you how many times we said "horrible shot....it will score nice though" or "Perfect shot...but you only scored an 8". I still think it's great practice. We make it interesting by taking turns "calling the shot". A few examples of "calling the shot" would be no range finder no binos, hold at full draw for 90 seconds before shooting, shoot from a sitting position and of course backing up as far as we can for 70+ yard shots. Shot placement is key but there are other benefits to shooting these courses and they are cheap entertainment.


----------



## triplelunger (Dec 21, 2009)

thill said:


> I shot a course a few times over the weekend with a group of friends. I can't tell you how many times we said "horrible shot....it will score nice though" or "Perfect shot...but you only scored an 8". I still think it's great practice. We make it interesting by taking turns "calling the shot". A few examples of "calling the shot" would be no range finder no binos, hold at full draw for 90 seconds before shooting, shoot from a sitting position and of course backing up as far as we can for 70+ yard shots. Shot placement is key but there are other benefits to shooting these courses and they are cheap entertainment.


What course do you shoot, Thill?


----------



## thill (Aug 23, 2006)

triplelunger said:


> What course do you shoot, Thill?


4B's in Hesperia. It's been $5 a round for as long as I remember.


----------



## triplelunger (Dec 21, 2009)

thill said:


> 4B's in Hesperia. It's been $5 a round for as long as I remember.


Thanks. I'll have to check that out. Not far from camp


----------



## thill (Aug 23, 2006)

triplelunger said:


> Thanks. I'll have to check that out. Not far from camp


Just a heads up, they close after Sept 30th.


----------



## triplelunger (Dec 21, 2009)

thill said:


> Just a heads up, they close after Sept 30th.


Well, that will be a next year thing apparently! Thanks.


----------



## BigWoods (Jul 6, 2003)

A club I use to shoot had targets with a slot cut out of the back and into the body cavity. They would slide a card inside the animal with heart and lungs on it. You had to account for penetration inside the animal. The vitals werent always 100% correct but sure made for a much more realistic hunting situation.


----------



## spanky steven (Sep 19, 2017)




----------

