MA Jay

The truth is a broadhead from a decent bow will more than likely blow right through the actual shoulder blade (it's pretty thin like a ribactually except for a ridge that runs about 2/3 up the blade). The problem I have seen is that the shoulder blade itself is attached to some serious bone. If you are off by an inch or 2 you could hit the shoulder socket itself and I don't care what you are shooting in terms of lbs draw and what brand of broadhead but if you hit a deer right on the point of the shoulder it isn't making it through the deer.

Save the shoulder shots for the guns, they are designed to drop animals this way. With a bow you are trying to slice through as much vital material as possible and that is located behind the shoulder. One of the big things for a guy picking up the bow from gun hunting is learning to pass onthe quartering towards shot and hold off for the broadside or quartering away shot.

After you have shota few and seen how that broadhead works inside the deer you'll see why you want to avoid the shoulder.

Barth

I had my chance at a muture whitetail buck that i later found out scored 167 1\4 i never found it after shooting it in the shoulder blade from close to 25yards

rybohunter

Shoulder shots are not a good option. Yes you can still kill and find the deer, but it introduces much more that can go wrong. You want to reduce things that can go wrong. Stick with the ribcage.

buckstalker1187

A shoulder shot with a bow might not be the wisest choice to make. Odds are, that it might kill the deer, but odds are also that it most likely will not. The shoulder blade is not as thick as most people assume. But with a bow, a misplaced shot of only a couple inches (when aiming at the shoulder) could spell disaster.(too many things could go wrong)


(WITH A GUN)
Alot of people have seen deer drop immediately after being hit in the shoulder blade. What they are actually seeing is a (high shoulder shot) and the actual reason for the deer dropping is not because it was hit in the shoulder. It was because there is a major nerve (slightly above yet slightly behind) the top of the shoulder blade.This areais literally rittled with mass quantities of connecting tissues that possesmanynerves. If this area is hit, it will cause the deer to drop immediately (actually paralyzing the deer)
Howevera (bullet) slaming into a shoulder blade can still kill a deer due to the fact that portions of the vital zone are present behind the rearward quadrant of the shoulder blade. And if the vitals are peirced by any projectile, it will eventually kill that deer.

I personally do not like taking shoulder shots. I like to aim right behind the shoulder. It offers me greater surface area of the vital zone. Plush I wont ruin frontal shoulder meat in the process.

There is yet another way that a shoulder shot can bring a deer to stop very quickly (without hitting the nerves in the upper portin of the shoulder). This is actually to have the luck to break (BOTH) shoulders, making a complete pass through. When an animal has (BOTH) of their front shoulders broken, they are not going to go far. This is a method that is used to stop grizzly bears. It offers ultimate stopping power on dangerous game, and so the same any animal (including deer)

Again, I would not take any shoulder shot with a bow. But I personally dont like taking shoulder shots anyways. But thats just me. A shoulder shot will kill deer, but so will a nicely placed shot behind the shoulder as well.

GOOD LUCK AND GOOD HUNTING.

bowtech die hard

I've shot one in the shoulder on accident, I WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN....i never found the deer ( a big buck with a strange rack, 4 on the right that were all about 12" high and 3 on the left with a split into a drop tine that was about 8" long.) I never found it and have beating myself up over it ever since. For most midwestern guys bucks we are taking are around 150-250 lbs. depending on maturity of the deer. I won't ever do that again. I was young, but that's no excuse.

Matt / PA

Not to mention that the spine dips down and sits directly behind the shoulder of a deer. I know there is a lot of connective and nerve things going on in this joint but I would think that the massive amount of energy released into a should blade would have a 'Short circuit' affect on the entire CNS due more in part to the location of the spinal cord in relation to that bone?
Since many gun hunters are shooting from eye level that puts the results of a direct shoulder hit in line with the spine as well.

Thoughts? I'm not a big gun hunter but I always thought that the deer dropping from a shoulder shot was a result of the affect on the CNS thru the spinal column itself.

(Buckstalker, sorry that it seems like I keep finding your posts to debate!)

And I agree with everyone, shoulder shot with a bow..........BAD. Why take a shot where you may or may not kill the animal cleanly when only a few inches away is a target much larger and that with a quality broadhead and sufficient penetration you are almost guaranteed of a quick and humane kill?
Avoid as much bone as possible and shoot em' in the lungs everytime.

buckstalker1187

Its ok matt, im starting to get used to the debates in here.

What you say is correct as well. It all correlates around the central nervous system (which is actually what I was talking about when I said that area was rittled with nerves)
I also think you would even agree that taking a spine shot would be risky regardless whether its behind the shoulder or further back.
I agree with you, nothing beats a good old shot to the lungs.

buckstalker1187

It almost sounds like we were saying the same things, yet in a different way.
Notice, that I said if the bullet hit that (AREA) it would give a paralyzing effect, causingthe deerto drop.
And you said that the massive amount of energy introduced into the shoulder blade (which im assuming you mean by a "bullet") causes a "short circuit". Could this be like a paralyzing effect?
I basically think we were hitting the same points.
I never said that you had to hit the actual nerve to paralyze the animal.

You actually have a chance of hitting (6) major nerves when you penetrate the shoulder.

THE VAGUS NERVE: A rather moderate sized nerve that rides along the spinal collumn and sits behind the shoulder blade.
THE BRACHIAL PLEXUS: Another moderately sized nerve that sits behind the whole length of the shoulder blade.
THE RADIAL NERVE: This nerve is the largest nerve in diameter of the (6) nerves behind the shoulder. This also travels down the center of the shoulder blade .
THE AUXILLARY NERVE: This nerve sits right next to the radial nerve. This nerve is the smallest in diameter of the (6) nerves that sit behind the shoulder.
THE MEDIAN NERVE: This nerve also travels the route of the auxillary and radial nervebehind the shoulder and attaches to the frontal brachias area in front of the elbow.
THE ULNAR NERVE: This nerve also is located behing the shoulder, semi vertical and attaches to the back portion of the elbow area.

My point was, if you actually hit in this area, you will get the job done. And it is all about the central nervous system and the nerves therein. I have hit a deer in the shoulder and (it didn't bring it down) It seems that the bullet should have shocked those nerves though.......
but I bet if I hit the nerves in that area it would have dropped them.

I will say this matt, that every time I reply to any post,it seems that you like to come in and either question or belittle my intelect, regardless of what I have to say. I feel that this is my right to think this way, and I wonder if anyone else were to read your responses to mine, if they would think that you were trying to do this to me also.

I am actually thinking about leaving this forum, because everytime I try to help someone on here and give good advice and good knowledge...there is always someone that tries to come and eat from my plate.

You are right about the spine behind the shoulder

Matt / PA

I will say that you do seem to be awfully sensitive.......
I was ASKING your thoughts on why I always assumed deer dropped due to bullet impacts in that region, and figured that the spinal cord proper would have a major affect on the end result.
I was looking for your input on the subject if you took the time to not become defensive as soon as someone has an opinion that even resembles questioning your "authority" on a subject.
This isn't my area of expertise but I couldn't help but notice the obvious when it came to deer anatomy.

That's all.......I'd rather you stay, and considering I've only ever addressed 2 subjects that you happened to post to in 6 years of being on this forum I think you might be overreacting a bit?

You seem like a good guy and definitely have some knowledge to share, sorry you are taking my posts as some sort of attack on your intelligence.

You are certainly entitled, and feel free to poll themand link our brief and limiteddiscussionsif you like.

Davoh

Guys Guys.... WHOA....

Why so snarky sparky???

YOU'RE BOTH RIGHT!!!
Buckstalker and Matt have both brought important information to this forum. I don't know how two people who are both saying the same thing in different phrasing can bicker like this!!! [8D]

Shoulder Shot bad... the question was answered. No need for anyones toes to have been stepped on guys.

No shake hands and go play nice!!!