# Question to those that take the high shoulder shot..



## Jacob Huffman (Sep 13, 2004)

These guys that hit the deer shoulder high and they drop like a sack of &&*&..I have been watching this for years on TV but never thought about trying it myself until this year...When you aim for the top of the shoulder just exatly where do you aim ?? I mean like 2-3 inches down from the back bone ?? Just thinking there is no sence in tracking if you dont need to..


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## spooledbseries (Aug 15, 2008)

I have always wanted to take this shot but I do not want to risk it


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## wally-eye (Oct 27, 2004)

No risk at all...if you can do a behind the leg shot then you can do the high shoulder..... I've shot probably 30 deer with this shot... Crosshairs right dead on the front leg and then 1/2 way up the body.. I've never had one take more than one step with this shot....with that being said I don't use this shot all the time but within 75 yards and standing dead broadside its a done deal....I've never tried it on a walking deer and don't recommend it.

I love to use this shot when hunting thick swamps or in very steep terrain where I'm worried about the deer going over the edge....



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## backstrap bill (Oct 10, 2004)

I have been wondering about that myself. I also see guys that shoot muzzleloaders and drop em in their tracks and wonder is it the bullet, or the shot placement?


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## Acts 11:7 (Mar 28, 2007)

I love it. aim one inch in front of front leg about 5-6 inches from top of back. shot 2 doubles with my muzleloader last year. turns lights off before they hit the ground!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## bucketmouthhauler (Sep 24, 2005)

Yep, I am gonna be "that guy". Seems like it will cost you a bunch of burger and maybe a few steaks? Unless I was somewhere that I know someone might claim my deer, I would just blow out the lungs and keep all the meat. I can see how it could be a tempting shot though.


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## rick (Dec 3, 2000)

Butchered 1 today for my sons buddy. It dropped in it's tracks but did do alot of damage to both front sholders. I would guess it wasted maybe 10 extra pounds of what could have been good burger meat.


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

Shot is deadly, watched video of a friend hammering a buck at 326 and a doe at 315 with this shot out west and both heaped up with a 243. But the guy is a more than capable shot. 

Will be brushing up on placement and taking this shot from now on, on all deer walking close to the property line.


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## cmfooballcoach (Aug 21, 2008)

This is the PREFERRED shot that I take. Drops em dead!


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## wally-eye (Oct 27, 2004)

You do lose a little meat with this shot but as I stated earlier it can be beneficial at times when tracking conditions are bad or if you're worried about the deer running into areas you don't want it to....




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## motorcitykid (Oct 8, 2009)

I have taken this shot on a few occasions and all I can say is that 1 step is all they take. Hard to go anywhere if your gearbox is blown out. Yes you lose a little bit of meat but not alot. I like that shot and also right under the muzzle in the front of the neck.


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## Quickdraw (Jul 31, 2007)

The high shoulder shot does 3 things that drop the deer: break the shoulder blade, damage the brachial plexus, and penetrate the lungs. It's an extremely effective shot. Here is a short article about the subject that shows where to place your shot: http://wiredtohunt.com/2009/11/13/the-best-shot-on-a-deer-with-a-rifle-the-shoulder-shot/

As mentioned, the only drawback is the lost meat.


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## Henrik for President (Sep 21, 2009)

I tried that shot today, but ended up hitting slightly behind the front shoulder. He went 80 yards and piled up under a pine tree. 120 yard shot with my 870.


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## deepwoods (Nov 18, 2002)

I hit my mule deer from this year with that shot. All he did was lay his down..........fast. Never a step. I agree though that on a moving deer more is better. Take the bigger target of a center punched lung.


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## William H Bonney (Jan 14, 2003)

I take more of a "base of the neck" shot. Does the same thing though, the deer is dead before it's body hit's the ground. From a treestand and depending on how steep the angle is, a lot of times you're gonna get some "heart" too. I don't mind if I blow out that opposite shoulder, one less front shoulder to mess with while butchering, is fine by me. I HATE those things!


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## bersh (Dec 9, 2003)

Henrik for President said:


> I tried that shot today, but ended up hitting slightly behind the front shoulder. He went 80 yards and piled up under a pine tree. 120 yard shot with my 870.


This is actually one of the good things about the shot as there is a lot of room for error, in all directions. Hit high, spine. Hit low, lungs/heart. Hit back, lungs, possible liver. Hit forward, possible lungs, possible neck shot. I've yet to shoot a deer that went more than a couple feet straight down with the shot. I don't think it really wastes that much more meat than a normal behind the shoulder shot, as you usually end up ruining one of the shoulders either way anyway. I love bang/flops, and this is a lot more reliable shot than a neck shot.


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## Mike L (Sep 8, 2003)

I learned this shot from my dad. and asked him once how come he shot them so high ? He said they don't go anywhere and I don't want to chase them.
So I tried it ? Oh ya, right on the spot, didn't even get the last kick. That's all I use now, even when walking slow and less than 50yds.


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## Jacob Huffman (Sep 13, 2004)

Thanks guy's for all the responces..I think next deer if I get this shot I will try it...So just shoot for the upper shoulder blade, right in the middle?? I was thinking along the same lines as far as tracking through a swamp where I hunt..If I can DRT them why not..As William H. said not a big fan of messing with the shoulder while butchering either so not that big of a deal..Thanks again guy's...


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## ST8 (Nov 1, 2005)

Same here. I don't want to waste any venision that I don't have to and the double lung is a sure bet. Besides, isn't tracking your animal half the fun once you make he shot?


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## PA BUCK 2 (Oct 17, 2006)

I like the bang flop method of recovery myself!!! With my rifles- it does not seem to matter if I shoot them in the shoulder, lung, heart, neck... as long as it is a deadly shot- they go down.


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## OSXer (Jul 12, 2005)

backstrap bill said:


> I have been wondering about that myself. I also see guys that shoot muzzleloaders and drop em in their tracks and wonder is it the bullet, or the shot placement?


I've wondered what the difference is with muzzleloaders as well. With my ML, 1 deer has gone 40 yards, many others were between 0-5 yards. Taking the same shots with my shotgun, while I've dropped 1 dead in it's tracks, they typically go 30-60 yards. I shoot 240 grain Hornady sabots in the ML, so I picked up some 300 grain Hornady slugs for my shotgun this year and while the pentration/blood results are better than the Lightfields IMO, it's still not the same as shooting deer with the ML.

Though I like the shot, there is one additional negative in the "room for error". Above the shoulder, but below the spine will simply be a meat shot and won't be fatal. Better to error low than high IMO.


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## Ken (Dec 6, 2000)

I have shot 3 or 4 deer high in the shoulder that dropped right away, and were unable to move, however, were still alive and required a finishing shot. 

The shot probably does also get lungs, but it is very high on the lungs, and therefore takes a long time for the chest to fill up with blood. 



It will anchor them, but be prepared for a finish shot.


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

Jacob Huffman said:


> These guys that hit the deer shoulder high and they drop like a sack of &&*&..I have been watching this for years on TV but never thought about trying it myself until this year...When you aim for the top of the shoulder just exatly where do you aim ?? I mean like 2-3 inches down from the back bone ?? Just thinking there is no sence in tracking if you dont need to..


 
Be wary of using the phrase "high shoulder shot". That may lead the the misconception that you aim high, as you say "2-3 inches down from the backbone. The shot is actually more in the area about 1/2 way between the top of the deer and the brisket area.

It is an excellent shot and takes out bone as well as the lungs. A deer hit there will not go far.

I used to hunt next to a local lake and I looked out into a very large, heavily brushed larch/black spruce swamp that was very dense with thick, heavy, underbrush. Unless you took out a front leg, along with a shot into the lungs, finding a deer in there was VERY difficult without snow on the ground. I made it a point to hit a front shoulder for that reason and anyone that I allowed to hunt that blind was ALWAYS given very specific, and repeated instructions to do the same.

Take a look at the drawing below to get an idea of just where to shoot. Keep in mind that the shock wave of the bullet will do damage as well if it is close enough to the bone.

Do you loose some meat? Yes, but the choice may be to loose those few pounds of meat or loose the entire deer.


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## GrizzlyHunter (Jun 17, 2005)

wally-eye said:


> No risk at all...... Crosshairs right dead on the front leg and then 1/2 way up the body...


No disrespect to wally-eye but I would suggest aout 3/4 of the way up the body. At 1/2 way up you typically get a great lung shot. At least I just did on Monday. :lol:


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## wally-eye (Oct 27, 2004)

GrizzlyHunter said:


> No disrespect to wally-eye but I would suggest aout 3/4 of the way up the body. At 1/2 way up you typically get a great lung shot. At least I just did on Monday. :lol:



You're right....I use the 1/2 way example to leave room for error...a lot of it depends on how the deer is standing and whether the front leg is straight up and down or is forward or rearward some which does rotate the shoulder blade..... but you're correct that 3/4 is probably a better example... 


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## jdawg240 (Oct 1, 2007)

A buddy of mine shoots all of his deer this way. And he's killed a bunch. Two reasons. 1. Its easier to drive up and pick them up out of the feild with the truck. 2. They cant run onto the huge swamp he hunts the edge of. Its very effective and deadly. The drop instantly done.


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## ryan-b (Sep 18, 2009)

my father inlaws a butcher and that shot drives him nuts! alot of blood shot meat to pick through, waste, and bone fragments. it is a devistating shot though. i was guiding a hunter on a mulie hunt and shot a buck at 70 yrds with a 338. high shoulder. he was pissed that the bullet fragmented but it blew out both shoulders, spine( in two) heart and both lungs. really was a damn mess. but it droped like a sack of taters.


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## passport (Jul 26, 2009)

wally-eye said:


> No risk at all...if you can do a behind the leg shot then you can do the high shoulder..... I've shot probably 30 deer with this shot... Crosshairs right dead on the front leg and then 1/2 way up the body.. I've never had one take more than one step with this shot....with that being said I don't use this shot all the time but within 75 yards and standing dead broadside its a done deal....I've never tried it on a walking deer and don't recommend it.
> 
> I love to use this shot when hunting thick swamps or in very steep terrain where I'm worried about the deer going over the edge....
> 
> ...


Exactly


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## bioactive (Oct 30, 2005)

wally-eye said:


> No risk at all...if you can do a behind the leg shot then you can do the high shoulder..... I've shot probably 30 deer with this shot... Crosshairs right dead on the front leg and then 1/2 way up the body.. I've never had one take more than one step with this shot....with that being said I don't use this shot all the time but within 75 yards and standing dead broadside its a done deal....I've never tried it on a walking deer and don't recommend it.
> 
> I love to use this shot when hunting thick swamps or in very steep terrain where I'm worried about the deer going over the edge....
> 
> ...


No offence wall-eye

For you, this might be true. It is sort of like saying...no problem, just hit your driver 230 yards over the hazard and you will cut the dogleg.

It depends on your skill level. The brachial plexus shot requires you to be able to hit a single grapefruit at whatever distance you are shooting. The lung shot requires that you be able to hit a pair of very large watermelons.

No problem. If you are a highly skilled person or close to the animal, take the brachial plexus shot. If you are like me, an average shooter, go for the watermelons. If you hit them, the trail is rather short.

Now, I have made the brachial plexus shot before, but only because I missed:lol:. And therein lies the problem. Most of do not hit exactly where we are aiming. Those who are skilled at shooting should be proud about their capabilities, but reserved in their expectations about other's abilities to achieve the same results.

To the original poster: If you can hit a grapefruit consistently from whatever distance you intend to shoot, by all means aim for the high shoulder if you don't want to follow a beautiful gushing lung blood trail. If you can't hit the grapefruit, aim for the watermelons, and enjoy the short tracking ceremony. If you aim for the high shoulder and miss it, you are much more likely to have a long...., a very ....long blood trail, with or without a deer at the end.


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## willy05 (Nov 19, 2005)

Depending on where I'm hunting if I don't want the deer to run, and need it to drop where it stands. But if you like your shoulder roast don't do it cause you will have to use them for burger.


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## JHart (Nov 5, 2009)

i tracked my opening day deer for 350+ yards on a lung shot that was a little low i have to say tracking is one of the bests parts of the hunt but seein em drop in their tracks isnt too bad either haha


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## November Sunrise (Jan 12, 2006)

Bump


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## vandermi (Jun 6, 2003)

Thanks for waking this thread up.I need to practice this shot.


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## On Target (Jun 10, 2007)

I was thinking about this shot the other day, and wondering if any gun will work, or if there is a required energy needed. I dropped my buck in Saskatchewan with a 270 with this shot, but will it be as effective with a 12 gauge slug or muzzleloader. I got one spot where I'm almost certain a deer will cross a property line when shot, and I don't know how to get in touch with the landowner.


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## buktruk (Jan 15, 2004)

Shot a doe with this shot last fall with my encore in .357max. DRT!


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## November Sunrise (Jan 12, 2006)

On Target said:


> I was thinking about this shot the other day, and wondering if any gun will work, or if there is a required energy needed. I dropped my buck in Saskatchewan with a 270 with this shot, but will it be as effective with a 12 gauge slug or muzzleloader. I got one spot where I'm almost certain a deer will cross a property line when shot, and I don't know how to get in touch with the landowner.


Yes, it's a highly effective shot with a shotgun slug or muzzleloader bullet.


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## Whitetail_hunter (Mar 14, 2012)

Most any legal deer caliber will do IMO two that i can think of off the top of my head that i wouldnt take the shot with would be a .410 or a .243. I know from past experiences some will probably disagree but thats ok, like i said just my opinion.


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