Quote:
Originally Posted by KegRiver
I shoot them wherever the bullet strikes.
Truth is most hunters will tell you they can hit the eye of a sparrow at 1,000 yards, while the best they can do is hope to hit somewhere on the body at ranges under 200 yards.
I can hit the kill zone, Heart Lung area, 99% of the time at ranges under 200 yards. Since that is the easiest target to hit, that is what I aim for.
I avoid shots at longer ranges. I'm simply not that good.
I haven't been hunting all that long, only 47 years now. Besides, I don't own one of those super guns. I use old fashioned equipment, like 30-06 and 30-30.
Such guns are only capable of hitting a one inch target at 100 yards under the very best of circumstances. (Good steady rest, lots of time to aim, ext.) For each additional 100 yards the target doubles in size. Many, if not most, hunting guns are doing good to hit a 2 inch target at 100 yards. Do the math.
Factor in an offhand shot, much less a hurried off hand shot, and mathematics tells me that a 14 inch target is a poor bet past 200 yards, at least for the typical hunter.
Think about it. If you aim for the shoulder, what you are actually aiming for is the upper leg bone. You are trying to hit a two inch wide target you can't even see. Or you could try for the shoulder Blade. That's a much bigger target, it's also a fools target. It will knock an animal flat. But the animal WILL get up again and they WILL be twice as hard to stop when they do.
I have done it, unintentionally, and I have watched others do it far too many times to try that shot intentionally.
Now some would argue that they are not trying to hit the leg bone, only the leg mussel. No kidding! So why not dump out half of your powder first and then shoot for the heart?
Or you could try for the back bone. It's a bigger target. But it's also hidden, and a miss would most likely result in a fatally wounded animal that will go for a very long way.
Now if you are one of those remarkable folks that can hit the eye of a sparrow at 1,000 yards, by all means go for the shoulder shot. Better still shoot them in the ear. If you're that good, it's the shot for you.
That was the shot of choice for us when we butchered a cow or other domestic animal. Instant death every time, and no loss of meat.
If you are an average hunter, I would suggest that the heart/lung shot is a better choice for you.
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FTIW the OP asked for opinions of shot placement based upon "large & dangerous" game. You go on & on about about shots at or beyond 200yds... At 200yds nothings really dangerous, if it's moving don't shoot. If it's in the open there's probably no reason that you can't set up to have a stable shooting platform, whether that's prone, sitting down or resting against a tree. Shooting beyond 200yds is not all that difficult. The 2 basics are practice and patience.
Also BTW, I am a heart/lung shooter on animals I intend to eat. Bears get shot according to their distance, how they are positioned and what happens to be in my hands at the time.
Lastly, I disagree with your statement of what "WILL" happen with a shoulder shot animal. If you have enough gun and a good bullet a shoulder shot animal will not get up. There may be nothing left to eat but if I shoot a moose thru both front shoulders with any of my Weatherby's it will not be getting up.