Vitals Diagrams

Shot placement is key when it comes to bowhunting whitetails in the suburbs. Not only do we want a quick, clean kill, but we also want to avoid having the deer make it onto a neighbors property. If a deer does die on a neighbors property always ask permission before entering the neighbors land. If the neighbor denies you permission to track your deer you can call you local conservation officer and in most cases they will have no problem escorting you to your deer and helping you track it onto the neighbors land.

Below is a diagram of a whitetails organs, skeletal system and nervous system. Notice the placement of the shoulder blade and the deer’s “elbow” and how they are connected by a third bone that goes from the elbow towards the deer’s brisket to connect to the shoulder blade. You want your arrow to stay behind this point, otherwise you’ll have a lot of bone to get through and your chances of successfully harvesting the deer will decrease.

The deer’s lungs are quite large and shot that is slightly high and back is not necessarily a bad shot as both lungs and the liver can still be hit. However, a better shot is in the lower 1/3 of the deer’s vitals. If you look at the diagram below, imagine a point in the center of the deer’s heart and then move that point horizontally towards the back of the heart where it meets the lungs. This is where I like to place my arrow on a broadside shot at a deer. This does three things – ensures I take out both lungs, gives me a chance to take out the deer’s heart, and gives me a nice entry and exit hole so I will have a good blood trail to follow.

The only shots I would recommend taking with a bow are broadside shots and slightly quartering away shots. Never take a shot at a deer that is head on or quartering towards you – the chances of killing the deer are significantly lower and the risk of wounding the animal is too great.

One of my favorite ways to practice these shots is on a 3D target of a deer. This allows you to easily visualize how the arrow will pass through the deer. For example, on a quartering away shot you have to aim further back than you would on a broadside shot. On quartering away shots the trick is to visualize where your arrow will exit and pick a spot that will allow the arrow to exit right behind the deer’s opposite leg.

If you plan on doing any hunting from a tree stand, make sure you get up in your treestand from the height you will be hunting and practice a few shots on a 3D target. This will allow you to see how the arrow impacts the deer at different distances from an elevated position. The angle of the arrow will be steeper and you also may have to aim slightly lower to compensate for the arrow hitting higher at closer ranges. My bow, for example, shoot dead on with my 20 yard pin at 5 yards, 3″ high at 10 yards, 2″ high at 15 yards and is dead on at 20 yards. Everyone’s bow is different and everyone hunts from different heights so take the time to see how your bow will shoot from your treestand – also remember to bend at the waist when shooting from a treestand.

Then when that buck of a lifetime steps out next time you’re hunting the suburbs, pick out a hair in the lower 1/3 of the deer’s body right behind the shoulder and let your arrow fly!