Hit em with your Best Shot
Where to Bulls-Eye a deer
Earlier in my years I had learned the skill of tracking, but as you know its a perishable skill. If you don’t track much, chances are you wouldn’t be a good tracker. My thought was that if I can track, this would help me track my game once its been hit with my arrow. What I didn’t know was where you hit your game matters in terms of being able to track it down or never finding it.
As in tracking where you look for the tell tale sign within the bushes of where the game has gone. It’s important to look at the blood on your arrow which tells you about your shot placement.
Take a look at the video below to get some great descriptions of exactly what to look for on your arrows and see just how well placed your shot was.
Video Transcription
Shot placement on a deer is critical to a successful hunt, and each type of shot will lead to a different consistency of blood.
Gut shot: This is the least desirable shot you wanna make on any animal. Initially, the deer will run a few yards, then arch its back, tuck its tail, and walk away or bed down. The arrow will not only stink of guts, but will have brownish-red blood on it, along with greenish plant matter.
Ham shot: You might get lucky in recovering your deer if you sever one of the femoral arteries on either side of the hind leg. Initial reaction will be similar to a gut shot deer, and the blood will be red, though the arrow will often break off in its ham.
Liver shot: These shots are lethal, but take longer to kill the deer. Blood trails will be strong initially, but will typically lessen as the trail continues. Dark, almost burgundy-colored blood may indicate a hit in the liver or kidneys.
Lung shot: A lung shot or double lung-shot is always a good place to aim, and your deer won’t run far. The blood on your arrow will be a very specific pinkish-red color, and covered in air bubbles.
Heart shot: One of the best shots you can make. You know you’ve made this shot when the deer makes the famous ‘mule kick’. The arrow will be covered in a crimson-red blood, along with some blood usually found after a shot to the lungs.
by Chris Buckner
Source: Rated Red Youtube, Abby Casey
