"Anchoring" Shots

[loganwayne]

I dont like to shoulder shot a deer to much meat wasted. I like smoking the shoulder whole.
I'll do it with a muzzleloader and/or if I think it will cross a property line.
This buck i shot with a muzzleloader at close range 10yds or less. But I shot for shoulder because I was edge of property and didnt want to track it. Exit hole is in the front below the neck both shoulders were exploded

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Always shoot shoulders...I like to eat the heart too much to take a chance of hitting it..

 

[Unclecroc]

Best anchoring shot is in the ear or white patch.

 

[Sacrvrrat72]

Always shoot shoulders...I like to eat the heart too much to take a chance of hitting it..

Can’t argue with that

 

[FlyD10]

Have had great luck anchoring whitetail does with 30-06 and 300wm using 150-75 grain bullets with high shoulder shots. If I've got plenty of daylight left and/or more open terrain I'll usually shoot for lungs though to preserve more meat.

 

[Kingthing0307]

Normally, I aim for just behind the shoulder, but this year, I shot a buck with an anchoring shot into the shoulder. I was shooting a 6.5CM 140 grain bullet. He went about 10 yards and folded up. There was, however, quite a bit of damage to the shoulder meat.

 

[K9kodi]

Long story short, I'm curious about the idea of shooting for the shoulder rather than the heart and lungs. Seems like I've seen articles on this every once in a while and there are some folks out there that advocate it. The most recent article I saw that discusses "anchoring shots" specifically advocates for shooting the scapula (shoulder blade) because not only will breaking the shoulder make the animal less mobile but the scapula is close enough to the spine that it could damage the central nervous system. There's also a good chance that the lungs will incur some damage whether from the bullet itself or bone fragments or hydrostatic shock.

Honestly I'm a bit skeptical but last week I had an episode that is making me a little more open to the idea. I shot a doe at last light, definitely hit one lung and I'm pretty sure I hit both, but the deer ran straight into some thick brush leaving a weak blood trail that stopped entirely after only 30 yards or so. Spent hours looking, never found her.

So, with that said, anyone here subscribe to the "anchoring shot" technique? Thoughts on it?

Where were you aiming at the time?

 

[markanderson12]

I shot a doe with my buddy's 6.5 Prc with a 139 grain Hornady last Friday evening. Shot was at 275, I went for a mid shoulder shot but I ended up going in behind the shoulder into the heart and out the offside shoulder. My plan was to go with the shoulder shot to drop her and shoot another one or two does if I could. Well she took off and I stayed on her but went down within 50 yards and went down. One doe decides she didn't want to take off with the other 30 does so I swung over and dumped her as well. She was a perfect high shoulder hit and never moved. Got them both skinned out that evening at home and the heart shot deer actually had more meat damage in the one shoulder and the high shoulder shot deer. I was pretty amazed by that.