Whitetail/Mule Deer Differences and Vital Pictures

the kill zone is pretty much the same in portion to the deers body size from Muley to WT. But i think a muley's front shoulder is much more solid. So avoid shoulder shots.

The Texas Heart Shot is quite popular with my brother...lol


Yeah.. If you do decide to punch shoulders, to avoid excess meat damage, use a bonded bullet.

If given the opportunity breaking both front shoulders is my 1st choice on any big game animal.

go to www.huntingnet.com/staticpages/staticpage_detail.aspx?id=8

horsager what would you say is the smallest caliber/ bullet combo that can efficiently break both front shoulders???

Any of the 7mms and up would do the job very nicely...
Regardless of the power and caliber... YOU have to be able to make the shot... the rifle is just a tool. It is the man that makes it possible.

just asking because I too like to break the front shoulders, pretty much flattens them with a 7mm Rem Mag!!! but since this a youth hunt i am assuming that the young hunter will probably be shooting a lower recoil round, such as .243

very true Jokostel

I'm fairly certain a 243 with 85gn TSX's will do it to 300 yds or so. I'll have a much more accurate statement after filling a few doe tags.

Yeah, a 100 grain .243 through the vitals will take down any whitetail or mule deer I've ever seen.

Just a question, why shoot through the front shoulders? I've always tried to maximize the amount of meat recovered from an animal while still assuring a quick clean kill, and I've never had to shoot anything through the front shoulders to keep it down yet. And I've shot a few different types of animals over the last 35 years. What would be the reason?

I've never seen any educational material directed at first time hunters stating the front shoulder is a preferred shot, I'm wondering why someone would do that? Everything I've seen talks of a broadside or quartering away shot behind the shoulders, through the heart/lung area on an animal. Has something changed?

For me, through the front shoulders has taken out the top of the heart and or the major veins/arteries into/out of the heart/lungs. It results in a very quick kill and an animal that is anchored. Exit wounds from TSX bullets have been roughly golf ball sized. I can't think there's more than 2# meat loss, tops. For my uses front shoulders are jerky/sausage.

On quartering away shots I try to envision the bullet exiting the off side shoulder, that should direct the bullet into the vitals. Shots quartering towards, I try to have the bullet exit just ahead of the last full rib. Those are all shots I'd use for a buck, high percentage, down right there performance. For does/meat deer I'm much more fussy about bullet placement, many are head or neck shots.

My feelings exactly Bowhuntin! ! ! ! Good post in my opinion! Somebody has been watching too much TV. what a waste to shoot in the shoulders. If you can't take an animal without wasting half of the meat then stay away and practice until you can. When taking new hunters out regardless of their age, I would highly suggest instructing them not to take any shot unless it is absolutely a good shot. For the novice hunter,if you can't get a broadside standing shot, especially with a mule deer then don't take it. You might have to hunt differently but then you will learn something then too. You don't need a cannon to bring a deer down. You need a rifle that doesn't hurt the shooter and gut the deer at the same time. that is why you should take a knife along. Shoot in the vitals only and you will stand a better chance of bringing home a piece of meat that is fit for human consumption and everyone will want to go hunting again some day! ! !

oh ya as to your question about finding info. Just google search for mule deer and white tail deer. There are probably 20 million pictures and sites to choose from! You go into the honest to god badlands and stay away from the fringes and the river bottom, you more than likely won't have to worry about seeing whitetail. If you are experienced with whitetail you should know what 50 percent of the issue is anyway! Mule deer have ears like a mule ! ! ! ! and they run like..... a mule deer! ! ! ! Don't have a flag when they run. Maybe you should just have me do the guiding! ! !!

Buzzardbait you caught me!! I watch lots of outdoor channel, read lots of Field and Stream and Peterson's Hunting, and I could probably be labled "Google Cowboy"!

The range session this afternoon showed me that I can consistantly keep 2 shots under 2" @ a lasered 400yds with either of my 300 Winchesters, the 3rd shot always seemed to open the group to 3.5"ish. Drove turrets on one rifle and shot subtension on the other. I may have to stay up all night looking for an outdoor channel original to help me fix that 3rd shot problem. Maybe I'll just call it "good enough", get a good nights sleep and head out tomorrow for a 500yd and 600yd range session. Maybe I could find some "How-to" books on tape covering better shooting and bullet placement to go along with the Outdoor Channel surfing, Fields and Stream, and Peterson's Hunting.

You could be flinching. Take a .22 to the range with you and do some plinking when your groups start to open. Concentrate on the basics with the rimfire then go back to the magnum. Guns & Ammo have some great accuracy tips in the magazine and on the web site.

7mag,

I know Horsager well enough to know he was poking at Buzzards response to his recommendation of the shoulder shot. No need for help from you. He most likely could outshoot 98% of the people that frequent FBO. Just look at the general hunting and fishing knowledge he provides, and the sheer number of guys that specifically ask HIM questions.

I must be the 2% u r talking about!I know he can out cast me!

7Mag, I do generally take a "control" rifle to the range. For me it's an AR-15 in 223 that I know shoots well. That is a good suggestion for anyone though, especially if you're going to be shooting a fair amount with a rifle that has substantial recoil. My trouble @ 400yds yesterday was that we were prone out on the prairie and I didn't do a good enough job of ensuring my rest was rock solid.