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Deer Anatomy....

5K views 23 replies 14 participants last post by  Doc 
#1 ·
It was suggested that we stick this picture here. It was contributed by fellow bowhunter Doc. Thanks Doc.. great job on the merge.. :wink:

Let's see how it goes.. I see a lot of threads where it appears that not everyone fully understands the bone/organ structure and position in the whitetail deer. I'm sure the hillhumpin deer are similarly constructed... :lol:

So.. now that you can see the bones and inner workings... get your spot right!!! :chortle: :wink:

Thanks again to Doc for his contribution in another thread. Hope this proves helpful here.. I think it will.. anyone have any other or conflicting info, please post it.. :thumb:
 

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#4 ·
The thread that picture was generated for was a good thread and opened a lot of people's eyes. If I had known it was going to be promoted to sticky status, then I would have labeled the organs as well. Many people try to shoot behind where the front leg meets the body in fear of hitting the shoulder bone. The term stick it behind the leg is always used. Well hopefully people can appreciate there is less room for error when aiming behind the leg and this may very well be why we see so many gutshot and liver shot deer.
 
#5 ·
Doc said:
The thread that picture was generated for was a good thread and opened a lot of people's eyes. If I had known it was going to be promoted to sticky status, then I would have labeled the organs as well. Many people try to shoot behind where the front leg meets the body in fear of hitting the shoulder bone. The term stick it behind the leg is always used. Well hopefully people can appreciate there is less room for error when aiming behind the leg and this may very well be why we see so many gutshot and liver shot deer.
Well it is sort of color coded for us.... just aim for pink or red... if ya hit white, it's gonna be a looooong nite... :wink:

Yes, exactly why I though it should be prominently placed for a bit.. I think many shoot too far behind the shoulder, as mentioned. There is more room than we sometimes realize to squeeze it in past the bone to get to the vitals...... :tea:
 
#8 ·
That is the pic that was used to make the photomerge.
 
#9 · (Edited)
The old rule of thumb, straight up the back of the front leg, or shoot for the opposite leg on those quatering shots will Git-R-Done:)

You just have to be careful not to shoot too high and let the shoulder blade get in harms way.

That is not a good thing and I am sure there are several ATer's that will attest to that.;)

A little foward is ok, but you get forward and high you asking for trouble:)

Most of the time finding a Deer with a less than ideal shot is more about knowing where you hit it and what to do or not do next than anything else.:)
 
#10 ·
Great looking sticky and information, yep follow the crease in the shoulder and fire away.:wink:
 
#11 ·
Great sticky. From reading all of the earlier posts this fall I think we needed that about three months ago. :confused:

I teach Bow Hunter Ed for the DNR and I have over lays that show this. We also use a full size deer with magnetic cut outs of the leg/shoulder bone, lung, heart and liver and you would be surprised where people stick the cut outs. Can't seem to understand how they can hunt when they have not a clue where the vitals are. After two hours of showing the vital locations and discussing shot placement they have a better idea.
 
#12 ·
BIG ARCHERY NUT said:
Great sticky. From reading all of the earlier posts this fall I think we needed that about three months ago. :confused:

I teach Bow Hunter Ed for the DNR and I have over lays that show this. We also use a full size deer with magnetic cut outs of the leg/shoulder bone, lung, heart and liver and you would be surprised where people stick the cut outs. Can't seem to understand how they can hunt when they have not a clue where the vitals are. After two hours of showing the vital locations and discussing shot placement they have a better idea.
Sorry, I wasn't modding then... :wink:

But.. I'll be sure it comes up next season in July.. plenty of time to learn the vital locations.... :thumb:

Hopefully a few less "What should I do now" threads... :wink:
 
#18 ·
dustyvarmint said:
Does the "window" change if the deer squats down (sometimes referred to ask jumping the string) upon hearing the shot?

thanks, dv
Not really... you can see the broad part of the shoulder blade is at the top of the shoulder... the lower leg bones are sooo small, that you'd not likely hit them and they are the ones that will move around more when it squats. If you keep your shots 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the deer, you are well below the shoulder blade... that is a large energy bandit.. stay away from it... :wink:
 
#20 ·
shooter31 said:
In my experience, the heart is a bit further back. Last two deer I hit about two inches behind the back edge of the leg and they went through the middle of the heart.
They must have been turned or contorting their body before the arrow impacted.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Each deer was exactly broadside and standing pretty relaxed (as relaxed as a whitetail gets). Here's a pic of one. This is the exit hole, entry was a bit higher, but the same distance behind the leg. Middle of the heart. It's only a couple of inches different than the graphic. Still a valuable reference!
 

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#24 ·
smokey111 said:
Great pictures. With turkey season coming up maybe we could get some pictures for shot placement on them. They seem tougher to take with a bow than deer even.:(
Steve
:thumb:
 

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