When it comes to hunting deer, there are many skills that hunters must master if they want to bring home a monster buck in a way that’s ethical and humane. One such skill is correct shot placement, which is crucial to ensuring a quick and clean kill and preventing any undue suffering for the deer.

During their recent appearance on the National Land Podcast, Cole Cannon, Jeff Danker, and Daniel McVay from BuckVentures Outdoors spoke with Mac Christian on tips to master shot placement and the reasons that this skill is so important for hunters. Let’s take a look at a few common deer shot placements, as well as their reasoning for why correct shot placement is necessary for ethical hunting and harvesting! 

Different Kinds of Shot Placements

This section will examine three common types of shot placements as well as a few benefits and drawbacks.

Broadside Shot

This is the most straightforward and effective placement for a fast and clean kill. For this shot, the deer is standing perpendicular to the hunter, exposing the broad side of its body and allowing a clear view of its vital organs. The ideal target is located just behind the shoulder where the heart and lungs reside.

Quartering Away Shot

In this shot, the deer is angled away from the hunter, which exposes more of its vital organs on one side. By targeting behind the shoulder and angling toward the opposite front leg, a hunter has a good chance of hitting these vital spots. 

For a shot like this, hunters pick out small features on the deer such as markings or tufts of hair to hone in their aim and ensure a good shot. As the adage goes, aim small to miss small!

Quartering Towards Shot

The quartering toward shot is a more difficult shot than either the quartering away or broadside shots because the deer is angled toward the hunter and exposes less of its vital organs. This type of shot is typically not recommended for beginners, since it’s hard to avoid non-lethal areas like the shoulder which would require a follow-up shot.

Advice for Beginners

For those just starting out on their hunting journey, Danker and Cannon provided a few insights as to how beginners can improve their shot placement skills and mentally prepare themselves to take that first shot. 

Danker explained that understanding the different shot placements and learning which shots are right to take is crucial for any new hunter, stating, “So we know we’ve got broadside shots and know where to hit the deer. We’ve got quartering away shots, which is a very ethical shot and we know to shoot for the exit. We teach people to shoot for the exit, so if we’ve got a quartering away shot, we think about where that [bullet] is going to come out. And then we teach that we don’t shoot quartering toward shots or frontals.”

“One thing I would teach anyone is never shoot to miss a deer. We always aim for the perfect broadside shot, and I do teach to aim for the heart. The whole saying of aim small, miss small is no joke.”

Mastering the Basics

Danker and Cannon also stressed the importance of mastering the basics and putting in the work beforehand to ensure that the deer experiences the least amount of stress and suffering possible.

When it comes to honing these skills, Danker stated, “The muscle memory, the backyard [practice] matters. The basics do matter, and another thing is some guys watch all these TV shows and now they’ve never shot a deer but they want to go out and shoot a 150.”

Emphasizing the need for repeated practice, Danker suggested that new hunters can work on their shot placement by hunting does since it can be a good way to manage what many know as “buck fever,” a state of overexcitement that comes about when inexperienced hunters see game that often causes them to miss. Danker stated, “What I would teach is to go shoot some does. A lot of people can sit in a deer stand and here comes a doe and you’re not going to shoot them so you’re not nervous. But as soon as someone says ‘We’re going to shoot this doe,’ all of a sudden your heart starts going, blood starts pumping, and remembering to pick your spot is a major deal.”

It’s also important for new hunters to understand their capabilities since new hunters lack the knowledge and experience of more seasoned veterans as Cannon explained. “I think part of it too is knowing your abilities. Whether you’re a beginner or you’ve been doing this for 30 years, especially if say someone draws a bow at 45 pounds. That person is going to have a totally different range than someone like us who’s shooting 70 pounds with a 30-inch draw and shooting 50 feet per second faster.” 

“It all depends on your abilities, the weapon you’re using, and how comfortable you feel at 20 yards compared to 60 yards. It all depends on knowing your level of competence.”

Why is Shot Placement So Important?

As mentioned above, shot placement is one of the most crucial skills for a hunter to master because proper shot placement ensures that the target game won’t experience any undue pain or suffering. Many experienced hunters hold a deep reverence and respect for the game they hunt, instilled by countless hours spent tracking and observing these animals.

Danker explained his personal philosophy on the importance of shot placement, stating the following:

“Another thing we teach is this is a deer’s life and it’s serious business. We don’t want to try to get lucky, you have to put in the time. We’ve been talking a lot about archery, but even with a gun if someone is a beginner, I would tell them they’ve got 2 shots: quartering away or broadside.”

“I can’t state it enough that you have to be prepared before you get in the moment because you won’t have the willpower unless you set it then. And again, back to the idea of respect, it needs to be about the animal and not about yourself. That’s the big deal and your mind has to be prepared to assess, ‘Can I make an ethical shot in this situation?’”

“My mentality is all about respect. Will I celebrate when I see the big deer? Absolutely! But I’ll tell you right now that when I get to the deer, that deer is getting every bit of respect from me. I don’t care if it’s a doe or a buck, I’m not going to pick it up and just drop it when I’m done. I’m going to set it down. I am going to give that deer all the respect. I’m always going to do that, I want to respect the land. I want to respect the game we’re hunting.”

If you’d like to learn more about BuckVentures’ hunting philosophy, check out their previous appearance on the National Land Podcast here! And if you’re looking for a hunting paradise of your own to improve your shot placement, contact your local Land Professional today!