An Unwanted Lesson In Shot Placement
By Jeff Leonard
Let’s face it, pursuing whitetails, especially with a bow in hand, is a costly endeavor. Just think about the amount of time, money, and effort you invest every year prior to those fleeting few adrenalin filled seconds when the moment of truth finally arrives.
With all this on the line, don’t you owe it yourself and the animal in your sights to do everything possible to place that arrow right in the boiler room making a quick clean kill?
While veteran bowhunters may scoff and feel the topic of shot placement is a bit remedial, being cocky and neglecting it will turn what could be your greatest hunting trip into a long ride home with a sick feeling in your gut.
Mother Nature reminded me of the importance of shot placement this past week while bowhunting a prime lease in Northwest Missouri. The weather had dipped down near freezing the night before and the prospects looked great for a quality hunt.
I wasn’t disappointed and as the first peaks of sunlight trickled down through the heavy timber along the Missouri River, a good mature doe silently made her way into a shooting lane a mere 22 yards away standing perfectly broadside.
I could almost taste the fresh batch of smoked summer sausage as I quietly drew back and centered my pin directly behind her front shoulder. Having bowhunted for nearly 20 years, this was going to be chip shot, and that’s when my arrogant veteran attitude got the best of me.
As I began placing pressure on the release trigger, the doe turned slightly placing her in a quartering away position. No big deal, quartering away is just as good if not better than broadside at this range.
As I eased the trigger back, I instantly realized I was still aiming at the back of the shoulder and the arrow was streaking through the air with nothing I could to change the unfolding events. The shot hit exactly where I had intended…for a broadside deer.
Unfortunately, the trajectory of my arrow carried it right into the doe’s shoulder and although it penetrated fairly deeply, it did not pass through. Had I adjusted further back on the ribs and a bit higher to compensate for the quartering away and downward angle, I probably would have quickly watched the doe go down.
Instead, I watched as she slipped out of sight into some heavy brush with no chance of a follow up shot. After waiting for around a half hour, I quietly climbed down and looked around near the stand for any sign of a blood trail.
Finding nothing and not wanting to push the deer out of the area, I opted to quietly leave for a few hours and give the deer time to expire. With temperatures in the low 40’s I knew time was on my side.
After lunch, I returned and quickly discovered a sizeable blood trail. The doe had gone into a dense thicket and stopped. Fortunately for me, the Rage Slipcam had done it’s job exceptionally well once again and even though my arrow had left no exit wound, the trail was an easy one to follow and the doe was found 60-70 yards into the thick timber.
The satisfaction of recovering the deer was quickly brought to an end as I approached the downed animal. Apparently a predator or predators of some sort neglected to heed my thoughts of leaving the doe lay for a while and had taken up the trail immediately and made short work of my deer.
As I looked at the remains of my deer, I couldn’t help but blame myself for such a lousy end to the hunt.. Had I not made been overly confident and rushed the shot before thinking it through, the deer would have been quickly recovered and I would be going home to a meal of grilled butterfly chops and a cold one to celebrate.
Instead, I was left standing in the woods with a freshly devoured deer carcass and one less doe tag. On the long ride home, I couldn’t shake the thought of what the consequences of making such an error in judgment would have meant on other hunts.
What if the deer had been a trophy you’d waited a lifetime for and it was never recovered or maybe you’ve saved for months or years to take a trip with an outfitter, would neglecting one of the most fundamental principles of bowhunting be so easy to live with then.
Most bowhunters including myself pursue this sport because we enjoy the challenge and dedication it requires to be successful. While we may spend countless hours, days, and even months preparing, those heart pounding moments your quarry finally arrives normally last only seconds.
Taking time to not only study shot placement but to put these practices into play both on the range and in the field seems like a small price to pay for the added confidence and pride you’ll have when your arrow hits its mark and the game is in your hands.
Jeff Leonard is the outdoor writer for the St. Joseph (MO) News Press. He is a member of the Missouri Outdoor Communicators and Outdoor Writers Association of America. To reach him for questions or comments or for permission to reprint contact him at - outdoorguymo@yahoo.com.
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