PLACING
THE SHOT
BY
LARRY LEWIS
Sooner or later, opportunity
walks in from different angles and your hear starts racing and your hands
shaking. This article will help you make the most of the moment. Above all, the
complete deer hunter understands the responsibility his sport entails and always
hunts safely and ethically.
SHOULD I SHOOT
The
goal is a safe, clean-killing shot. A safe shot means you’re certain of the
target and certain that your bullet or arrow will end up in a safe place whether
you hit or miss. A clean –killing shot means the deer is within the effective
range of your gun or bow and offers an unobstructed shot at a vital area you
feel you can hit. If there’s any doubt, pass up the shot.
WHERE TO AIM
A deer shot in the brain or
spinal column will drop in short order, but are risky shots. The best place to
aim at a deer is the heart/lung area, because it is deadly and it offers the
greatest margin of error. The heart/lung area is a spot on the outside of a
deer’s body about the size of a paper plate. Hit the paper plate an you would
have venison in a few seconds. The chart shows where to aim to hit the
heart/lung area depending on angle of the sot and which way the deer is facing.
HITTING YOUR MARK
Before
you even hit the woods, you need to make sure your gun or bow is sighted in
properly. You have to choose ammo or broad heads that will work best with our
equipment, land then use the same brand and grain size when you go hunting.
Assuming you’ve done all that, before you pull the trigger, you need to judge
distance, wind and steady your gun as best you can. Use any available gun rest,
such as a stump, log or your backpack.
If
you take a shot you can make, and take the best shot you can take, your only
concern mow will be finding room in the freezer.
In
order t hit he heart/lung area, you need to adjust your aiming point depending
on whether the deer is broadside, quartering away, quartering toward, or facing
you.
