Would you?

[dgibson]

Being the relative archery newbie, I have to ask a question. I recently saw a show on The Outdoor Channel in which the hunter had a deer almost directly under his stand. He had drawn back, hoping the deer would turn before he reached the tree, but it didn't happen. So anyway, there he is ready to shoot with a "topside down" view of the deer. He didn't do it, but I have to wonder, could you? At that close range, would you shoot straight down into the spine? Or is it too risky?

 

[Delw]

I would..... More than likely I would have missed the deer and it richorchet off a rock then get the deer right through the side in the vitals, Just because I am a piss poor shot.... if it was a big buck I would have no problem shooting straight down....


Delw

 

[DKO]

depends on the deers body language wether youll get another opportunity or not! but I personally wouldnt hestitate to take that shot at all! on a deer! and no other shot will take out a whitetail quicker than a spine shot! ( if ya hit it )they pile-up right where there hit! but there are some things to think about! with other critters like bears! for example a bears vitals are located within the bottom 1/3 of the animals profile which means punching an arrow all the way through his back ,hide and fat layer to hit lungs which can be risky! also with larger animals (elk) exit wounds could be an issue!

most people miss that shot because most people dont practice that shot! i know this cause ive missed that shot! but now we practice at all distances angles and heights! everybody always says ill shoot it before it gets that close!!! yea right ! not always possible.

 

[Steamer]

Absoulutely I would take the shot. I don't see why you could not hit the vitals at that angle. Even if you hit the spinal column the animal is going down.

 

[amosgreg]

It's a tough shot and leaves a lot of room for error.
Think about how the organs are in the body and a shot from directly above is tough.
If you hit the spine it's over... but if you miss a little far back it is going to be a VERY LONG tracking job!
Also how are you going to be able to lean out to shoot straight down safely?

I'd wait for the animal to move a bit aways and take the broadside or quartering shot or watch him walk away if those were not presented.

My 2 cents worth!

 

[T Bone]

yes

 

[dgibson]

Gee, T Bone, feeling talkative today?

I kind of thought the same thing as most here; on deer it would seem to be a fairly large target. If you hit left or right it would seem that you'd still clip some vital parts, and if you hit smack on the spine there ought to be enough energy at that range to do some major damage there, too. I hadn't thought about hitting too far back like Amos said, though. That could make a bit of a predicament. Hmmmm....Thanks for the opinions!

 

[Nut]

I don't think I would take the shot. Like it was said "I dont practice that shot" so I probably would not be confident enough to take it. I would wait and see what happened so I could make a extremely confident shot and kill.

 

[Doug]

Heck I'd forget about that shot, and just dive straight down on the deer's back and bite him in the jugular . Seriously I would take the shot. If you hit you get a quick kill. If you miss the backbone you probably miss the deer. A deer isn't very wide when you look straight down on top of one.
Doug

 

[MULE]

Well its been a loooong time since I bowhunted but I'd take the shot.

Your either gonna kill him...or just scar him.

Not a typo "scar"

You are gonna get spine and good internals or you get lungs or ya just rip a slice that will heal

 

[dgibson]

Doug, there's an urban legend around here about a guy who somehow broke his bow or lost his arrows or whatever and had a "big'un" under his stand....Supposedly he decided to pull a Rambo and jumped out of the tree, intending to land on the deer's back and stab him with his knife. Unfortunately the buck heard him jump and looked up to see what the noise was, which resulted in his antlers impaling the guy. Almost certainly BS, but a good story anyway.

There's another question to answer...if you did miss the spine but got into the vitals, what if you got a passthrough? From top down you'd be almost certain to get into the intestines or stomach...yuck. The more I think about it the more I think I'd pass.

 

[Delw]

Darren
a buddy of mine , his brother and I were hunting in the quinault(sp) area in the late 70's.. we were hunting for elk...we also had a deer tag... This was a rifle hunt... anyway we were putting the stalk on some elk we had seen run up this draw. we ran into a little buck... the thing followed us for like 1 hour.. we went up and sat on a little rock glassing the other side when this little buck came just infront of us and stopped by the rocks we were sitting on, Jim then jumped off the rock and trying to land on the deers back.... he hit the deer but slid off.... it all happened in seconds and was really funny....
Delw

 

[Doug]

Darren,
With the small size of the buck's antlers around here, it would be less like falling on a pitchfork, and more like falling on a briar patch. Probably wouldn't impale you, just give you a few scratches .

 

[DKO]

Darren, depending one the angle you may or may not hit the paunch! same could be said from a broadside shot depending on the angle! of the animal to the shooter! as far as hitting too far back the liver is right there as well! and the arrow will be angling somewhat forward unless the deer is facing you and that is almost surely a pass shot! as far as the target being smaller! well thats true but if you can hit a 6" spot at 20 yrds you should be able to hit a 3" shot at 10 yrds just like hitting a 12"' spot at 30yrds its all relative! but i would not recommend this shot to anyone that is skeptical and who never practices those angles!

know your target know your bow! and the rest is history! most will miss because its not practiced and the intensity is a little greater when the animals are closer! always remeber this right before you shoot hold and pick a spot!

pick a spot in the goodie box! as quoted from Fred Bear himself! or in kentucky just wait a minute there will be another one along in a few!

 

[solocamo]

Welcome to the world of frustation Darren..lol just kidding. My 2 cents worth is that I would not purposely aim at the spine. I have taken this shot with success, but I did not aim at the spine, The Vitals, Always the Vitals is the best bet in making a swift and clean kill, but I don't recommend it unless the deer is positioned perfectly, by that I mean NOT facing you or quartering towards you. If the deer is going away from you all the better. It should give you the shot if your patient, if the animal doesn't present the shot, you haven't made a bad shot and spent all day or night crawling around on your knees trying to find those tiny specks of blood and hoping for a miracle. Just remember if the deer is walking towards you, straight on, and it continues its direction it will soon be going away from you for a much better chance at the vitals. Good luck this year and don't forget to AIM! Tony