Firearm Hunting and Bowhunting Shot Placment
and Shot Selection on Whitetail Deer and Mule Deer

Knowing which shot to take on a whitetail deer or mule deer and when to take it will make you a more ethical and successful hunter. Even more important is knowing when to pass and not take the shot at all. The following tips will help you in making accurate and humane decisions on which shots to take and which ones not to when deer hunting. It can be very tough to make a good shot decision when your adrenaline levels are going off the charts. Sometimes the window of shooting opportunity while deer hunting is very brief and knowing when to shoot and when not to shoot ahead of time will hasten your ability to make the right choices when time is at a minimum.

The Golden Rule of hunting that all sportsmen should know is to be sure of your target and beyond; in other words, you must know and be sure what is beyond or past your target before shooting to ensure the safety of other hunters as well as other game and property. A bullet, as well as an arrow, can have a devastating effect well after passing through or missing your intended target. Always consider this before taking any shot at whitetail or mule deer and make no exceptions.

The following examples contain different scenarios and shot opportunities that you should expect to encounter while bow or rifle hunting, as well as the factors that you will have to analyze when considering shot selection and placement on whietail and mule deer.

Frontal Shot on Whitetail and Mule Deer

This shot is too risky on whitetail and mule deer. Yes, you can kill a deer by taking a frontal shot with a bow, but the odds are against you. The chances of hitting the rib cage bone and deflecting or stopping your arrow far outweigh the odds of your broadhead taking out enough vitals for a quick and humane kill. This is a shot to pass on until the animal turns broadside for a more effective and ethical killing shot.

You can take this shot with a firearm but the effective target area is much narrower than the width of the deer and the shot must be dead on for a quick and humane kill. A few inches either side of dead center will result in a frontal shoulder shot and will more than likely require a second shot. A little low on the shot and you will hit the deer in the meaty, lower brisket, resulting in a wounded animal.

Straight Down Shot on Whitetail and Mule Deer

A whitetail or mule deer can be taken by a straight down shot but this is a marginal shot at best. The best case scenario on a straight down shot when deer hunting is to hit the spine, or one lung. This, however, requires perfect shot placement and the target area is very small and very unforgiving of shot error. The straight down shot can also make for a difficult tracking job if there is no exit wound, as the entrance wound will be extremely high. Also, a single-lung shot whitetail or mule deer can travel for a long distance before expiring. When deer hunting it is best to wait until the animal passes a short distance and turns for a better angled shot into the vitals.

Rear Shot on Whitetail and Mule Deer

This shot is humorously referred to as the "Texas Heart Shot"...however there is nothing funny about taking this shot when deer hunting. It is an irresponsible shot that should never be taken with firearm or bow. Yes, there are stories of hunters taking whitetails and mule deer with this shot by severing the femoral artery and the animal drops quickly after the shot, but the normal outcome for this shot is wounding the animal with a small chance for a quick recovery. We always pass on this shot and so should any ethical deer hunter.

Quartering Away Shots on Whitetail and Mule Deer

Quartering away shots with both archery equipment as well as firearms are excellent opportunities for taking whitetail and mule deer in a quick and humane manner. This is a shot of angles. You should angle your shot so it enters in a straight line towards the opposite front leg of the side you're shooting on. Many hunters refer to this as "aiming for the exit hole".

When done right this shot will hit the vitals and dispatch the whitetail or mule deer cleanly and quickly. However, be careful not to place the shot too far forward. At this angle you may only catch one lung and make for a more difficult recovery as opposed to cleanly hitting both lungs. This shot angle is a little more forgiving than other angles, allowing some room for error if your shot is a little farther back than you had aimed for. As your projectile moves forward in its course it stills has a good chance of hitting vitals (i.e. one opposite lung, a liver...) before it exits the opposite side, even though its entry would ideally have been forward a few inches to contact both lungs and/or a heart .

Quartering Towards Shot on Whitetail and Mule Deer

A bow hunter should never, under any circumstances, shoot at an animal that is quartering, or angled, towards them. This is an extremely low percentage shot as the vitals are protected by the front leg and shoulder. Placing an arrow in front of the shoulder on a whitetail or mule deer at this angle will most likely result in a wounded animal with the best case scenario being a single-lung hit with a moderate to difficult recovery. Placing an arrow behind the shoulder may result in a single lung and liver hit at best, while quit often resulting in a paunch shot animal and making for a lengthy and difficult recovery.

The firearms hunter can take a quartering toward shot and break the front leg and shoulder, resulting in a clean and effective kill. However, we must stress that this is not a preferred shot when deer hunting. Always try to wait for a broadside or quartering away shot which result in a much larger target and unobstructed view of the whitetail and mule deer's vitals.

Broadside Shot on Whitetail and Mule Deer

This is the shot that every deer hunter hopes for. A whitetail or mule deer standing with an unobstructed broadside view is as good as it gets when it comes to a perfect shot opportunity. Make sure the deer is in range and center your shot just behind the front leg and below the shoulder. Many hunters prefer a heart shot, while others feel that a center lung shot just a few inches further behind the shoulder (rather than right behind the shoulder) presents better odds for a clean kill. The reasoning for this is that you have more room for error with the larger kill zone of the lungs, which extends a third of the way back on a whitetail deer. This lung shot allows you to keep a little further away from the shoulder bone and blade that can stop or deflect your arrow should you hit a little further forward than you had planned. A direct, double lung hit with no heart contact will dispatch the animal as quickly, and in many cases even more quickly, than a true heart shot with smaller lung contact.

Either shot will humanely dispatch the animal and wastes very little meat in the process. Consider a whitetail or mule deer that is facing to your left. If the shot is a bit high it still takes out the lungs or hits the spine. If your shot is low it takes out the heart. If it is to the left it may break the shoulder and penetrate into the lungs, and if it is a bit to the right it takes part of the lung and liver. This is the shot that every ethical deer hunter should strive for. The bow hunter should always avoid hitting the shoulder while the firearms hunter will break the animal down quickly if he hits the shoulder, however, there will be some meat loss.

Now let’s discuss some less talked about shot opportunities and judgment calls that you may encounter while afield in pursuit of your whitetail and mule deer. Although you may never find yourself in some of these hunting situations, you can be assured that the longer you hunt and the more time you spend pursuing your species of choice throughout your hunting endeavors, the better the odds are that you that you will encounter some if not all of these situations. The following scenarios may help you become more aware of and familiar with the situation should it arise.

Moving Shots When Deer Hunting

There is a saying that many things can happen on a moving shot and none of them are good. This is, of course, very true. Misjudging the speed of your target can result in a missed shot, or hitting your whitetail or mule deer further back than intended, making for a lengthy and difficult recovery. Instead of trying to calculate a lead while your adrenaline surges through you like a high voltage current it is best to try to stop the animal instead. This can be done by a soft grunt call, a whistle, or even yelling "Hey!”. This is often all that is needed to stop a deer, but you will need to be at full draw or have your rifle sights on the animal in order to quickly and effectively take the shot when it is presented. For you bowhunters out there, that means being at full draw with your sight on the animal when it stops, giving you an opportunity to settle your pin and make an effective and ethical shot.

Screened By Brush When Deer Hunting

Under no circumstance when deer hunting should a shot be made hoping to bust through the brush with a firearm or an arrow. One little branch or twig smaller than your pinky finger or the lead of a pencil will deflect an arrow or bullet and change your point of impact potentially resulting in a miss or even worse, a wounded animal.

This is true even on animals screened by “soft brush” such as cattails or tall reed grass often found on riverbanks. This soft brush also makes it difficult or impossible to see the body of the whitetail or mule deer in order to aim at your target effectively.

One may be tempted to “blow through” the soft brush, but under no circumstances should you take an “educated guess” on the vital location of the whitetail or mule deer in this instance. Keep in mind that these are all shots to pass and wait for the deer to walk into a clearing for a better shot opportunity.

Many seasoned deer hunters find it helpful to visit your treestand or hunting blind and cut clear shooting lanes for better shot opportunities. Trimming shooting lanes is most often done during the spring and summer months to give your hunting area ample opportunity to “cool off” before hunting season. By utilizing this tactic you will be rewarded with clear shots when the opportunity presents itself.

Target Animal Among Others When Deer Hunting

During your deer hunting endeavors, you may find your trophy of a lifetime lingering among other members of its herd. During this instance, it is imperative that you be patient and wait for the buck or target animal to position himself safely in regards to the other animals. One example may be a whitetail or mule deer buck grazing among other deer in a food plot or agricultural field, resulting in one or more deer to be situated behind the buck. Taking a rifle shot at this buck can result in your bullet hitting one of the deer situated behind your target animal. This can also be true of a bowhunter’s arrow if the deer are in close proximity to one another. This is not only unethical, but it can be illegal as well should you lethally wound another animal without having the proper tags. Wait for the animal to clear the others before taking the shot.

Skyline Shots When Deer Hunting

Sometimes you may locate your game on a small hill, ridge, dike, or similar rising. Because you may be unaware of what is beyond your game you should pass on this shot. A missed shot or a clean pass through in this situation can result your projectile traveling well past your intended target. This is unsafe to other hunters, game, livestock, and property. Again, remember the Golden Rule: “All sportsmen should be sure of your target and what lays beyond.”

A hunter should never attempt a shot when other people or personal property beyond your target is at risk of being struck. This includes houses, farm buildings, automobiles, roadways and areas where other hunters are in the field.

Never attempt a shot when there are people or personal property in the background.

Barbed-wire Fences When Deer Hunting

In a lot of hunting areas, both public and private, you are likely to encounter barbed-wire fences used to hold livestock or act as a boundary line between properties. A lot of hunting situations are created by spur-of-moment hunting opportunities such “jumping” a whitetail buck from its bed while on the way into or out of your stand.

During instance like these, it can be easy to fail to see the thin strands of barbed wire in the foreground (between you and your target) while looking through the scope of your favorite hunting rifle or your bow sights.. A small strand of barbed-wire can ruin a deer hunting experience from a resulting missed shot, or worse, a wounded animal.

A bow shot should never be attempted through a fence, as one usually misjudges or forgets to consider the arc of the arrow as it speeds towards the whitetail or mule deer. You have probably heard stories of barbed-wire fences deflecting an arrow to miss the buck of a lifetime, with even some well-known hunters making this mistake. It usually results in a good laugh, but should the arrow have been deflected and still hit the deer, the story would have turned disappointing quite suddenly. The same holds true for firearms hunters. All hunters should avoid shooting through a barbed-wire or any other type of fence at all costs.

Also take into account that the fence may mark a boundary of your hunting land and that of a private individual, so be familiar with your hunting ground and know for sure where you can hunt and which fences in your area indicate the end of your hunting land. It is never OK to shoot an animal over a fence on someone else’s property. Respecting all landowners rights helps preserve our sport.

A Bedded Animal When Deer Hunting

Sometimes you may find yourself in the advantage of finding your game bedded before it spots you. If you are lucky enough to locate your quarry while it is still bedded, good job! Hopefully, the whitetail or mule deer is unalert, relaxed, and unaware of your presence, but sometimes they see you at the same time you see them...they may remain “frozen” for a brief period during this instance, so know what is a good shot and what is not in either situation so you can make an ethical and quick decision.

First, a bedded shot is ethical and effective, as long as the whitetail or mule deer is positioned correctly for good shot placement. The shot placement is very much like the deer was standing as you read above, and the same standards should be considered in such a case. You must consider the position of the animal whether it is bedded quartering away from you, quartering towards you, broadside, facing away, or facing towards you. These positions are the same as those discussed above and are the same on a bedded animal as well. Take into consideration that a bedded animal is usually leaning slightly one way or another depending on which side of his body he is bedded on. This will slightly change the entry and exit of your shot compared to a standing broadside shot.

For instance, if a deer is bedded facing your right and leaning on its left side (away from you), the exit of you bullet or arrow will be slightly higher in relation to your entry as the “rib area” of the deer sits slightly lower on the exit side and is turned down towards the ground. A deer hunter should do everything he can to get a perfect broadside shot on an animal “curled up” in this position, as this lying position compacts the vital area between the rump and shoulder as opposed to the animal being "spread out" while standing upright. A whitetail or mule deer bedded with its front legs positioned directly under it is ideal for a good shot. If you feel uncomfortable on taking a bedded shot, you can try to get the animal to rise once you are in a steady, solid shooting position with your sights fixed on the target. A common trick is to whistle or toss a small rock in some brush nearby. These subtle disturbances in the animal’s environment may cause it to rise slowly and assess the source of the disturbance while you are taking steady aim and releasing a comfortable, unrushed shot.

Crossing A River, Flowing or Frozen When Deer Hunting

Some deer hunting situations may find you in a position to make a decision whether of not to take a shot at your game while it is crossing a river. This is a shot to pass under all circumstances. First, a whitetail or mule deer crossing a river presents a moving target which as we mentioned earlier is not ideal for a good shot. Besides a moving target, the water itself poses a deflective barrier for you projectile. Second, a deer crossing a river poses both recovery and safety issues. Should your game be crossing a flowing river and expire while still in the river, it will be washed downstream with the river’s current. Recovering this animal will be difficult should you be lucky enough that it floats for a long period of time. Recovering a floating animal can be difficult and unsafe as many situations will leave you at a risk for falling into the river yourself and risk drowning and hypothermia. You can put your deer hunting buddies at risk as well, as they will try to help you. Should the animal sink, you will have lost it.

An animal crossing a frozen river can pose safety and recovery issues as well. Many also consider this shot unethical. Should an animal expire on the ice, your are immediately placed at risk as far as safety is concerned. It can be extremely difficult to determine the thickness of the ice to support your and the animal’s weight during recovery. Ice thickness can vary from feet to millimeters in as few as a couple of inches. Should you fall through the ice; the waters current underneath can pull you under and send you downstream, under the ice! You can guess the outcome of that unfortunate instance. Should you fall through and be lucky enough to get out, you are immediately at risk of severe hypothermia. Of course, there is the risk of slipping and breaking a bone or getting injured as well.

If you encounter the buck of your dreams crossing a river, whether it be frozen or flowing, wait for the animal to reach solid ground on the other side and present an ethical, broadside or similar shot. But before you take that shot opportunity, be sure that it is Ok that you hunt the other side of the river as rivers often represent the boundary between properties.

If you don’t have permission to hunt the other side, or you are unsure whether it is ok or not, pass on the shot and let the animal go on its way. The decision to shoot first and ask questions later can lead you to be subject to the consequences of the law.

If you are certain that you do have permission or that you are allowed to hunt the other side, you must also consider accessibility to the other side such as a nearby bridge or accessible boat. Make sure that you can recover your deer in a timely matter so the meat is not at risk of spoiling.

These are just a few examples of what you may encounter afield. It is reasonable to state that there are many other situations that you may face while in the field aside from the ones discussed here. Just remember to respect the animal, your safety, and others around you and the right decision will be easier to make when the moment of truth arises.

Conclusion on Whitetail and Mule Deer Shot Placement

Every ethical bow and firearm deer hunter owes it to the animal he hunts to exercise good judgment and be knowledgeable of shot placement. There is simply no second guessing or chance shooting when it comes to placing an ethical shot. We owe it to the animal to dispatch it as quickly and humanely as we can and then utilize the animal once it is down. Take the time to mentally imagine different shot situations and shot angles so that when it comes time in that brief time frame to make the shot on that whitetail or mule deer of a lifetime or doe for the freezer you will know exactly when and where to place your shot. Remember, it is all about shot placement...because there’s no finer feeling than quickly recovering the animal you worked so hard to hunt.

What To Do When Shooting Or Harvesting A Whitetail Deer

One of the biggest reasons why many animals are not recovered after being shot is that all too often bowhunters take up the trail too soon, simply bumping the animal away never to be found again. What you do following the shot can make or break a successful recovery.

When mortality wounded 90% of whitetail and mule deer will bed within 250 yards of the shot. If an animal dies beyond this most likely some outside factor pushed the animal. Think about all of the animals you've taken, found or lost. You've probably found at least one if not mutliple beds within this distance.

Now I' m not proclaiming myself the ultimate tracker/hunter but I can testify that my deer hunting partners and I have not lost an animal in many, many years and several of these recoveries were because of waiting for the right moment to trail the animal, rather than the initial shot placement.

I'll give you an example of an animal that I made a poor shot on because I neglected to stop the animal and shot him on the move. At 25 yards I placed my arrow too far back on the buck. As soon as I saw the arrow hit further back than I wanted, I knew immediately not to take up the track until at least 6 hours later. I shot this animal at 7:30 am and got out of my tree at 11:00 and left the woods. At 3:30 I returned to the woods and found my buck not 50 yards inside a woods at the last point I saw him. Had I not waited, there is a very good chance that I wouldn't have found him due to the standing cornfields surrounding the woods he was bedded in.

In this particular case I also glassed the animal immediately following the shot to verify the hit. One important note I always make is that binoculars are invaluable for archers not only to glass an animal post shot, but to watch for his movement once he moves off. Quite often we as hunters get caught up in the heat of the moment and become unsure of our arrow's point of impact. A good set of binoculars and some quick thinking can help you verify your shot placement and help you formulate the proper game plan for recovering your animal.

The following is a list of several tips that I feel are invaluable for bowhunters to use when deciding what to do both before and after the shot. In the past, many deer hunters have helped to tweak and add their own priceless tidbits of information as well... Hopefully one of the tips here or posted herein will you in a speedy recovery this hunting season.

"I hit him, now what?"

Here are 7 surefire steps towards recovering your animal safely and securely:

1. Unless you witness a double lung pass through, I firmly believe to let an animal go for a couple hours rather than the common misconseption of half hour wait. Too many times a half hour isn't enough. The only shots that put an animal down quickly are double lung hits and heart shots. If you don't see your animal fall within site, your best bet is to wait it out.

2. If you are not 100% sure of your hit, simply put.... wait!!! The animal isn't going to go anywhere, he's dead, why hurry? Sit back, collect your thoughts, replay the shot, the hit, and where the animal went. Also, this gives you a chance to listen and relax. If your arrow was a pass thru, get down and get the arrow and study it and wait. Mark the direction but don' t pursue, if you wait, he'll be there or he'll live another day.

3. If you think it' s a single lung hit because of angle, wait at least 4 hours. This includes shots that are just under the spine and because of the angle you might have caught the second lung but missed the first. Wait and let him expire. Many people belive in "the void" which they claim is an area between a deer's lungs and spine where no vital organs reside. This is a myth - if you place an arrow under the spine, you will catch at least one lung.

4. If you think you caught the liver wait and the animal will bleed out. Wait at least 4 hours to take up the trail - the animal will not go anywhere if given the chance to expire. Jump him and he may go forever.

5. If you catch the guts only, you're in for at least a 6 hour minimum wait with 8 hours being more preferrable and overnight being the best case scenario. In case of rain or snow you should get down, find your arrow, find the blood trail, and wait for the next morning. If you know your property, you' ll find him close.

6. Coyotes can and will give the location of your animal, if your worried about them, get down, listen for the them and move on them if you know they are on your animal. IF they are there, your animal won' t be so move on the coyotes and they may lead you to the animal.

7. Whether your shot hits lungs, liver,or guts the key to a successful recovery is to wait. The animal is going to die just wait him out and your blood trail should be adequate a couple hours later.

Let' s recover the animals bowyers, we owe it to them, we owe it to each other, and we owe it to ourselves. Good luck out there....