Would You Take The Shot?

[Wild Willie]

Lets say you are setup in a ground blind and are perfectly concealed. All the environmental conditions are perfect as you have done your homework. Then a majestic eight pointer comes walking down the trail. Unfortunately he will not cooperate by offering a broadside look, only full chest front with head/nose lifted high checking for scent. You patiently wait and watch until he stops 18 yards directly in front and level to your position. You are at full draw, with the top pin positioned in the middle of his chest. Would you take this shot?

[BigWadeS]

I'm sure I will get blasted for this, but I would take it, if you are confident with your equipment and placement, why not, so I say let it fly and knock it down

[kr8r.tom]

the front of the chest is a kill zone, and as you said all the conditions are right including, he has no clue your there and you get the draw on him, and he still has no clue, let'er fly....now with a rifle and same senerio and the deer is away from you would you shoot at the root of the tail wich is a good kill zone right into the spine would you take that shot?

[Meat-Run]

I think I would take the shot too, BUT you then take the risk of little or no blood trail. Ya, go for it!

mr

[DonBo]

One time I took that exact shot. The deer ran away with the broadhead buried in his shoulder gaining only about 1 1/2" of penetration. Never saw that deer again.

Since then I have passed on the same shot at a P&Y whitetail, and a P&Y antelope.

I'm certain that with a perfect hit your results will be a nice short bloodtrail. However the opening through that part of the chest, surrounded by heavy bone, is only softball size. Anything less than a perfect hit and you'll have to live with the consequences for the rest of your life, like I have.

The deer is not going to walk through your blind, at some point he HAS to turn. I'm gonna wait.

[DaveT]

The problem with the frontal shot is twofold. 1. No exit hole. 2. Brisket seals around the arrow and no blood gets out the entrance hole. You will have little or no blood to follow. If you can see for 200 yards in all directions, you may see him go down, if not the crows will have to find him for you. I agree with Donbo, he has to turn broadside at some point, wait for it.

[sticknstring]

No fun losing a wounded animal. Too many things can happen after the arrow is released. I'd wait for a better opportunity as well. I won't loose an arrow unless an animal is broadside or slighty quartering away. Learned my lesson at an early age.

[hookie]

A couple of years ago I had a similar experience. I marked him off at 11 yards and yes he finally did turn sideways when he turned and ran off. I declined to take the shot and as luck would have it I got him during rifle season. Was it right call? For me it was. If it had been during rifle season I would never have passed up the shot as I’ve killed many with a heart or neck shot but I have the upmost confidence in my accuracy with the rifles but not with the bow at that time. Now it might be a different story. Just my $.02

[Scoot]

NO WAY! Regardless of what was said above, it's not a good shot. If you have a 30-06, fire away. If you have a bow, it's not an ethical shot. I passed up one of the biggest bucks I've ever seen at 8 yards on a frontal shot. He was walking right at me and finally busted me, at full draw and 8 yards away. After a 2 minute stare off he bolted and I never saw him again. He was soooooooo nice, but I couldn't take a crappy shot like that. It was tough, but I know that, in my mind, I made the right choice. Everyone has the right to their opinion, but if you ask most knowledgable, seasoned, and ethical bowhunters out there, they'll tell you it has nothing to do with "trusting your equipment or yourself", it's simply not a good shot.

[Pickelfarmer]

The problem with the frontal shot is twofold. 1. No exit hole. 2. Brisket seals around the arrow and no blood gets out the entrance hole. You will have little or no blood to follow. If you can see for 200 yards in all directions, you may see him go down, if not the crows will have to find him for you. I agree with Donbo, he has to turn broadside at some point, wait for it.

Agree 100% Dave. When I was a young bow hunter (13 years old) I had this oppurtunity with a doe. Now I know its not the same thing but cloose. I decided to take the shot. There was NO blood and I watched the arrow sink in up to the fletching. We found the deer about 120 yards from where I shot it but we really had a hard time finding it. Since then, I wait for the broad side shot. I haven't bow hunted for 2 years now and the last deer I shot with my bow was wounded and I never found it. Not a good feeling. That was the first deer I wounded and didn't find. It made me sick. That was a nice broad side shot so even then things can go wrong. It was said before, I'll say it agian, wounded deer are no fun and no good for anyone concerened. Wait for the more for sure kill shot. If it doesn't present itself then theres always tomorrow or next year. No harm to foul.

[tracker x-2]

I can see how many people would take the shot as if you aiming at all the vitals but the lack of blood would make me hang on to the arrow, heck if its all perfect and he dose not see you whats to say he would'nt turn or he wont be back tmrw.

[Meat-Run]

Tracker,

your last comment has a very valid point, who's to say if you don't spook him you could get another crack him the next day and it could be a broad side shot. Great opinions here to make me think about all the scenarios. Cool post/subject!

mr

[harvey lee]

I would never take that shot. Even if one believes they are a crack shot, its way to low of a percentage shot. Hit a shoulder by just a little and you have a crippled deer.

[dspohn]

Would anyone change there mind if say it was the last weekend of the season and you had that oppurtunity?

Me personally if I had the shot the 1st weekend of the season there's no way I take it. But say i've hunted hard the whole season and that's maybe one of the few bucks i've seen all year, i might change my mind.

[Mark Christianson]

Nope.

The time of year should not matter.

The question isnt about how worried you are about filling your tag.

Its how worried are you that you could make a clean kill?

OK, maybe thats the way I read into the situation. But if its a bad shot on day 1, its a bad shot on day 90 of the archery season.

[huntnfish]

Definately a shot to pass on, no matter what part of the season.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Easy answer for me.. no.. not taking the shot.

[harvey lee]

Last day and I would not.

[DaveT]

The more deer you shoot with a bow, the more you learn what shots you can and can't take. I used to try to stop every deer for a standing broadside shot but every once in a while they would stop in the wrong spot or turn their body, making a shot impossible. Also, I've now alerted the deer and it may duck my arrow. From 30 yards in I know how much to lead and I don't stop them anymore unless they're running. But you don't learn things like that without living through them. Take our advice and pass up that head-on shot. Another thing to remember is a 250 pound buck is different animal than a 100 pound doe. That buck will go twice as far and take twice as long to die.

You'd be better off centering his throat patch and try to take out his jugular than trying to blow through 8 inches of brisket. I still wouldn't take that shot, but if you do, make sure there's snow on the ground, it'll help with the meager blood trail.

[kr8r.tom]

always waiting for the absolute perfect, high percentage shot, equals never getting a shot. the killzone may be small, but he's less than 20 and dosen't know anythings up, other than his nose.

this senario percentage is higher than a deer whose 25 yards, stomping, thinks somethings not right and you fling an arrow at him because he turned broadside the nano second before he takes off. then he's hit in the shoulder or in the guts, guess what, wounded lost deer.

i'd be willing to bet half of the "no" answers, if they weren't on a forum trying to sound ethical, because they read alot of magazines, would take the shot.

[Scoot]

Would anyone change there mind if say it was the last weekend of the season and you had that oppurtunity?

[deerminator]

Theoretically, I think its up to the individual archer. If the conditions are perfect and you believe you'll make that shot 99 out of 100 times, then go for it. As someone mentioned, no conditions are ever truly perfect. You can think they are, but something could happen, whether the deer is standing broadside or facing you. Bottom line, you have to judge based on the situation at hand and your skills. Would I take that shot at that distance on a whitetail, probably not. If he was within 10 yards in the same situation, maybe. Would I take that shot at an elk, absolutely, even though the magazines say no for the most part. But an elk has a much larger kill zone when facing you flat on the ground.

P.S. Before anyone blasts me for the 99 of 100 comment, I was trying to say no conditions are perfect. There's always some varaible(s) at play that could be beyond your control and goof up your shot. But that's why its hunting and not killing as so many like to say. So you've got to take the high probability shot or never get one.

[DaveT]

I'd be willing to bet half of the no answers have already tried that shot, and that's why they answered the way they did. I found a dead fawn in a guys back yard in Lakeland this year. I was driving out after hunting in the morning and saw it laying 10 feet from his driveway. The arrow was still in it and he had good penetration, through to the guts, shot head on. I tried to back trail this deer to find the guys stand and only found 2 drops of blood. I'm sure this is why the guy never found it either. It will kill the deer, no doubt, but you will have a [PoorWordUsage] of a time trying to find it. I like to find the deer I kill, so I pass up this shot. In fact, I had a 140 class 9 pointer at 8 yards 2 years ago and passed up the shot. Every situation is different, if I was hunting out west where I could see for a mile, I would probably take it if I thought I couldn't get a better angle. I learned a while ago to take the first good shot I get, waiting for perfect results in unfilled tags. But head-on with a bow doesn't qualify as good in my book for your average whitetail woods.

[huntnfish]

I am guessing you have never lost a deer, kr8r. Its not a good feeling. I haven't lost a deer with a bow, but I lost one with a rifle about 7 years ago. Its not a good feeling searching and searching only to come up empty handed. After that opening morning lost deer, I had no desire to even sit in a stand. I didn't want to even have a chance at another deer after blowing the first shot. I felt too guilty losing the first and didn't feel that I deserved another deer. Killing a deer is the last thing on the list of why I go hunting so passing up a poor shot gives me more time hunting and theres always a chance he either turns and offers a shot or comes back the next day.

[DonBo]

DaveT, you are right. I mentioned in a previous post about a deer I lost with this shot. I was lucky though, I hit the shoulder and got no penetration. Even though I have no doubts that deer was fine, it was still enough that I will NEVER take that shot again.

I passed on a huge 10 pointer at 10 yards from a ground blind and a P&Y antelope since then with no regrets.