Chapter 6: Basic Hunting Techniques
Vital Shots

Every hunter wants to bring home the game he or she is seeking; true sportsmen strive to do it by causing a minimal amount of suffering. To achieve these twin goals, it's important that you understand the anatomy of the game you're after and learn how to place a shot for a clean kill.

How Projectiles Kill Game

A bullet kills game differently than shot pellets or a broadhead-point arrow used in bowhunting. It is important to understand these differences in order to select the best shot placement.

• Bullets kill game by causing massive tissue damage and shock to vital organs.
• Shot pellets need to penetrate through the animal's hide or bird's feathers into a vital organ. The damage created disrupts the functioning of the vital organs.
• Broadhead-point arrows kill game by cutting through blood vessels or vital organs, causing massive blood loss.

The preferred shot for larger game animals, such as elk, deer, and bear, is broadside.

Where To Aim

• The most effective shots are delivered to an animal's vital organs—heart and lungs. In large game animals, these organs lie in the forward chest cavity behind the front shoulder. A lung shot is the most effective shot for big game.
• The brain is not considered a vital organ when hunting big game because it occupies a small, hard-to-hit area. All too often, hunters aiming for the brain do not hit their target. Animals injured due to a misplaced shot to the brain often escape the hunter and suffer some time before dying. The area of the vital organs also contains major blood vessels and arteries. A shot in this area causes a lot of bleeding. If the animal doesn't die immediately and tries to flee, it will leave a blood trail that's easy to track.

An exception to the no-head-shot rule occurs while turkey hunting with a shotgun. For more information, see the Turkey Hunting section below.

• Aside from being a good marksman, the key to a clean kill is patience. Hunters should limit shots to the vital organs only. If you do not have a clear shot to the vital organs, wait until the animal presents the best possible shot.

Remember ... A clean kill improves the flavor of game meat. A wounded animal that has to be chased down yields strong-flavored meat because waste products, produced by stress, accumulate in the flesh.

Turkey Hunting

An exception to this rule of thumb occurs when hunters pursue wild turkeys with a shotgun. Because of the thick feathers and heavy wing bones protecting the vital organs, shot may not be able to penetrate to the vital organs. When hunting wild turkeys with a shotgun, greater success is achieved when hunters shoot at the head and neck area of the bird. The most effective firearm shot for a turkey is to the head and neck. The preferred shot angle for bowhunters is broadside, aiming for the heart or lungs.