I aim through the deer... as is aim for the opposite side exit.

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Do you aim exactly where you want the arrow to impact or do you compensate any for them ducking the string?


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To low, and too far forward.

Aim at the center of this circle. It gives you the most room for error.

 

I had originally planned on aiming there but I’ve saw a lot of YouTube videos referencing the vital v tucked up closer to the shoulder, and other videos about the majority of deer ducking the string so I thought I would need to aim a little further forward and lower


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You have to compensate for how high up you are. The higher up you are the smaller the target area is. I always aim higher up on the animal then you would if you were on the ground. Picture the arrow going through at that dot when you are up in the air. You would be lucky to catch the edge of the heart aiming at that spot if you were 20' in the air.
I'm no expert by far. I've only shot 2 deer with my bow. Both deer were 15' or less from the tree. I was 20' up and 27' up. One deer went 30 yards and did a sort of back flip and was dead when she hit the ground. Second went 60 yards on a death run and rain smack in to a downed oak tree. She flipped over the tree and was dead. So not much experience but me aiming higher up on there vitals sure seemed to work.
I'm sure someone will be by to explain this better

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I understand your worry about jumping the string, had it happen a month ago for the first time, 20yd shot deer ducked about 3-4 inches on a vertically centered shot...so 1.5 inches lower and i would've taken him home...but aiming at the heart is a bit exagerated.

 

I understand your worry about jumping the string, had it happen a month ago for the first time, 20yd shot deer ducked about 3-4 inches on a vertically centered shot........

If you aim at the center of the circle I showed, they can drop 6+" and you'll still kill them dead as a hammer.

A couple inches forward, and you'll hit nothing but meat and/or scapula.

 

A little visual aid

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That's too high, for that far forward.
Aim a few inches back.

 

yup that diagram is on the money, just compensate for angle and its tight

 

Following because I will be hunting from a tree for the first time next year as well

 

I aim 1/3 up in the body cavity in line with the FRONT LEG. If the deer is quartering away the front leg is on the opposite side. If the deer doesn’t move you clip lungs and maybe get heart. If he ducks you get double lungs.

 

Precisely here.

 

Precisely here. View attachment 7306978

"Precisely" is indeed the correct word.
That right there is an absolutley perfect place to put an arrow for a broadside (or slightly quartering shot in either direction.)
It will work just fine from a treestand to perhaps a 20-30 degree angle off horizontal as well.

Yes it is tucked somewhat tight to bone, right in the VEE.

But if you can put it there you will devastate both lungs and chop those massive veins and arteries off the top of the heart, which often will shut off the lights faster than hitting the heart itself.

I would never have the slightest doubt of a quick recovery after seeing my arrow go exactly and precisely there.

 

I agree with Pinwheeled that the large green dot above is too far back. I like your original aim point (right over the heart) because in my experience the majority of deer duck, at least a little, if the shot is more than about 15 yards. For closer shots you'll aim higher on the body to account for the downward angle – aim for the exit to be in the opposite shoulder.

 

I typically aim center mass straight up the front leg. I had a nice one flinch at the shot, or I just threw the shot, either way smacked him in the shoulder on Saturday. Got a solid 1.5” of penetration. At least that’s the point where the arrow broke! Will be adjusting my aiming point back a little in the future!

 

Yep, the "vital V" sure is nice but not the most forgiving place to be.

 

Your first picture with the lower dot is where my dad insists on aiming many long blood trails when deer is 4 yds further then he thought or few inches back. Their is a void/pocket in the lower ribs when a deers leg is back a little it looks like a heart shot but your actually 1 lung maybe liver and a little gut. Seen it at least twice. First deer was alive 10 hrs later. I like the triangle or a little back. Just under half way up. For midwest deer I judge on the attitude of deer if alert hold low.

 

I aim for center of the lungs. Gives me the best margin for error. I'm not a super human shooter, so I don't always hit the exact hair I'm aiming at.

Plus, my double lunged deer seem to go less yards after the shot than my heart shot deer. Also, I eat the heart...so, I'd rather not hit it if possible.

 

The problem is that most people have learned to shoot at a target on the surface of the deer. This is wrong. You are aiming for the center of the lungs, where the top of the heart is. The lungs are a lot further forward than people think. That "perfect shot" on a foam deer target? Yeah, forget about it. That's the stomach. The spot you want to hit inside the deer is directly between the elbows of the deer. If a deer is perfectly broadside and I am on the ground, I aim just above the leg. Thats right, straight up about 2-3" above the leg. Shoot the apple off the post. If you are in a tree, you need to hit the deer a bit higher because your arrow is pointed down. Think about where that arrow is going to go once it is inside the deer.

 

I always go for double lung. Gives me the most room for error. You've been given good advice here. Remember what many people have said, aim for where your arrow is going to exit if you in a tree. You have to compensate for the angle.

 

People that have loud bows or poor form tend to aim lower. You can avoid all that if you want to. Also if the deer is close like say 10 yards you'll hit high if you use your 20 yard pin because no bow shoots flat at 10 and 20 both. It may be an inch if your bow is really fast or up to 3 inches if your bow is slow.

For me at 230 it's a little over 2 inches if I use my 20 yard pin at 10. So I'll aim 2 inches lows on close shots. Lots of things cause you to hit high.....like I listed so many hunters don't try to figure out why they just aim low and roll with that.

 

Good on you for studying deer anatomy and asking questions for clarification. I think you'll do just fine

 

all the pictures shown are aiming at a deer at ground level. if you are elevated and aim at those spots , your will most likely miss vitals all together. you have think about the heart being inside the deer somewhere roughly in the middle of the deer's chest cavity. because of your elevated position,... your aim point must be higher on the deer's body at the outside, so that the arrow will penetrate to the vitals at the angle it is flying. you have imagine hitting a spot inside the deer's body, by projecting the arrow's trajectory all the way through the deer. in my opinion, it is always better to go for a good solid lung shot. there is a much bigger area that will be fatal to shoot at. 3d deer are not good teachers of where to aim, if you hunt from a tree stand. every 3d deer i have ever seen, has the vitals anatomically correct,....for a shot on level ground. the problem with that, is everybody learns to aim at the spot that is the deer's heart from the same elevation that the deer is on. if you aim there when in a stand, you are actually aiming way too low. when you add to that ,...that most people estimate the that the deer is not as far away as it really is, it's no wonder there are so many missed and/or wounded deer in bow hunting.

 

I try always to aim for the "vital V", see the ranch fairy on YouTube or others that are out there on thee Vital V. As far as jumping the string, to be honest I haven't head an issue with that. The deer is actually loading his/her legs to run off (like a basketball player taking a jump shot). I'm not too proud to say that when I didn't aim for the vital V, I lost a few deer to hitting too far back. Deer lungs don't sit as far back as you'd think .....

 

From a tree stand I aim for the exit not as much as the entrance. I want the arrow to exit in the arm pit on the off side. Try to shoot when the on side leg is forward. There is no single answer but learning where the vitals lay at different angles is ideal. You will be fine and go whack a pile.


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Most of the pics you will see on line show a broadside deer. Those are good in that they educate you on deer anatomy, but go a step further and find something that shows you how and where to aim from an elevated angle. And it's not rocket science, you can figure that part out for yourself. To pick a spot to shoot at on the deer visualize how the arrow will travel through the deer.
Also pay attention to the shape of a deer's front leg bone. From the top of the leg the bone extends forward then backward again giving you more area of lung to shoot at. A double lung shot is the highest percentage shot for a fast clean kill.

 

Center mass , stay off the shoulder . U put two holes in and animal he won’t live .

 

The problem with that is most people think the leg bone is right up from the leg.....and it's not. The shoulder is (or could be depending on where the leg is forward or back at the time) but the shoulder is way too high up to be an issue....unless the deer is close and you are high up in a tree......otherwise you shouldn't be in the shoulder. In the old days I would aim behind the leg (in the pocket) and that was a big mistake IMO. it led to a lot of long blood trails.

Now I aim right above the leg and low.......like the green circle.

 

There’s an app called bowhunting simulator. It allows you to select everything about a shot and then take the shot and review what you hit inside the animal.. You can change arrow speed, shot height, angle, pin yardage, leg position etc. it’s a great way to learn different shot placements.

 

I’ve hunted whitetails about 15 years but this year is my first time bow hunting, and I’m curious where everyone aims from a tree stand. Do you compensate for deer ducking the string? The green dot is where I plan on aiming, am I good to go, or should I have a different Point of Aim?

Someone else posted this just recently on another post. Best advice I have ever heard, watch this:

As to compensating for deer ducking, normally do NOT do it. Here is why-- probability and common sense.

-- If your range is less than about 25 yards and your arrow speed is 250 ft /sec + even an edgy deer will not have the time to react enough to duck out of the shot IF you aim where you pointed(correctly!)
-- If your range is much farther than that then there is a higher probability the deer can duck it and you MAY miss but: Most ethical shots on deer with Bows are made at LESS than 25 yds. Don't try to be macho-man so you can brag about a 40 yd shot, especially, if you are not years experienced. The last thing you want is to wound an animal and have it die a slow death. Not what an ethical hunter is about.
-- If your range is beyond, say 40 yds and out to . . . ? 60 yds, depending on your arrow speed, it is still possible the deer reacts and ducks but then returns back to original level of aim and you get a kill shot.
-- KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid, use the KISS method that most pragmatic people do for many things. Don't try to compensate for something you have no control of.

Good Luck.


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