Shot Placement 101

I remember the first time I looked through an optic and settled those crosshairs on a target. I was nervous and filled with anticipation. My good friend and hunting mentor, Bill, was prepping me for my first-ever big-game hunt. The target had colored circular scoring rings, and the bullseye was bright orange and impossible not to see. Bill and I went to the range to pound paper several times over two weeks. It was fun, and I was good at it.

Then, in late October of that year, while perched on a rocky slope at 10,234 feet, I got the opportunity I'd come to the Rockies for. The bull was a respectable 5-by-5, and he moved his cows quickly through the dark timber below. I cow called to stop the herd, and when I settled my crosshairs on the quartering-away bull, I received an unexpected shock.

Without the ultra-defined aiming point, that orange bullseye, I was at a loss. Luckily, I came out of my scope, collected my thoughts, and then remembered Bill's advice to shoot a quartering-away bull toward the very back of the lungs. He said it would hammer the near lung and liver, exit through the opposite lung, or smash into the bull's opposite shoulder. I used my scope to find a spot of mud toward the back of the bull's lungs on his left side. When I squeezed the trigger, the bull crumbled.

The point is, hunting isn’t target shooting, and perfect marksmanship won’t help you if you’re not aiming at the correct spot on the animal. Let's dive in so you know right where to hold—and where not to—at every angle.

Full Broadside

A broadside shot is my favorite shot angle, no matter what big game species I'm chasing. I divide the animal into thirds, find the shoulder crease, and move my crosshairs roughly two inches from the crease while staying in the middle third. Then, I press the trigger and good things happen.

Two inches off the crease in the middle third on any big-game animal in North America means center lungs. I will also say that I sometimes go high-shoulder on broadside game as I've grown more confident in my shooting. This shot drops animals in their tracks because it causes a spinal injury. However, it often ruins meat. For this reason, I advise a double-lung shot when shooting at a broadside animal.

Quartering-Away

This is my second favorite shot angle for big game. When an animal is quartering away, I imagine where its last rib is. Sometimes, like the front crease of the shoulder, the last rib creates a defined crease. Still, I recommend studying animal anatomy before every hunt.

Whether looking through your binos, scope or spotting scope, take time to look for distinguishing marks. It's not uncommon to spy a lifted tuft or off-colored hair. A spot of mud or a wet mark is also possible. Use these marks as a reference point to guide your aim.

I still try to stay in the middle third and take out the liver and offside lung.

Quartering-Toward

It is not an excellent shot angle because the margin for error is reduced, but a quartering-to shot is lethal. However, before taking this shot, consider the range and be honest about your shooting ability.

Again, divide the animal into thirds. Next, find the point of the front shoulder and note the crease behind the front shoulder. Settle your crosshairs halfway between the point of the front shoulder and the crease. This will send the bullet through the scapula and into the lung. The exit will be in the liver or guts, depending on the severity of the quartering angle.

Bad Angles

Although you’ll find advocates and aiming points for every shot angle and animal body position, that doesn’t mean you should take them. Consider the so-called “Texas heart shot,” for animals facing straight away from the shooter. In this scenario, you might hear some recommend to aim just below the base of the animal’s tail, sending the bullet down the length of the body cavity.

However, I believe this is a shot hunters should never take. Even a “perfectly” placed hit will make a mess of the animal, and if you’re off even a bit, chances are you will cause a prolonged, painful death and difficult recovery.

Another danger zone shot is a full-frontal one. It’s not that it isn’t deadly, but it does offer a very small lethal zone—about the size of a golf ball on a pronghorn or a softball on an elk. That said, I really only consider it an option inside of 100 yards, and only if you can hit a 1-inch bullseye every time at that distance.

If you do take this shot, stay above the brisket, but don't get too high in the neck. You're looking for the thoracic opening, roughly halfway up the body cavity between the heart and lungs. You'll be able to see where the point of the neck melds into the body, and that's where the bullet must go.

But really, it’s better to simply wait for the animal to turn and offer a quartering-to or even broadside angle. Not only are those shots safer bets with much larger margins for error, but they save you the trouble of field dressing an animal that’s been hit in the guts, which is likely on a frontal shot.