Frontal Shot?

[TLanoy]

If you had a clear unobstructed frontal opportunity on a deer, would you take it with a muzzleloader using PRB or, would you wait for a broadside shot to get both lungs or a heart shot?

 

[Kapow]

Fifty cal or bigger - Smoke it!

 

[silly goose]

I'm conservative, I don't like that shot. The only frontal shot I've ever taken on a whitetail was on an injured deer I came across, and that one was quite effective, but also at very close range.

For me, broadside, broadside, broadside. Its all about the lungs for me.

 

[jamesthomas]

I would pass on the shot myself, there is too much of a chance the deer can move slightly ending up with a wounded deer, i.e. broken leg, maimed front shoulder, etc. Wait till it turns broadside, if it doesn't it wasn't your turn to bring home the meat.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

At less than 50 yards, BOOM, at more than 50..., probably not, at 100 yards, no way.

LD

 

[roundball]

Killed several deer with straight on heart shots...stay low center and put the heart out of operation...they sprint 20-25 yards and pile up...cal hasn't been any different issue from a broadside heart shot...same thing

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Only time I've ever taken a frontal shot was not BP and on a elk that was "standing dead" the cow had both lungs hit & the top of the hart torn off by my 1st shot. Elk being elk that cow gave one hard stumble turned and stood facing me.

I paid the insurance & shot again :idunno:

 

[BrownBear]

Never again....

Smacked one face on and had the bullet groove down the outside of the rib cage to pass under the shoulder and out behind it. Followed that deer for 4 hours and over 2 miles before putting it down.

Wasn't a muzzleloader, but I claim all the more reason to avoid the shot. This was a 7mm magnum with 175 grain bullets. Either the angle was slightly off (sure looked straight on to me) or my shot moved to the side an inch or so. In either case, it was a train wreck I don't care to repeat.

Put a round ball in the same spot at the same angle? Just tell me the results would be any better. :rotf:

 

[Gemoke]

I took that shot at about 60 yards on a doe and she dropped in her tracks.

 

[roundball]

Right...doesn't matter which angle the ball goes through the heart from...still stops the pump.
The heart is still in the same place regardless, just need to be low center (from the front) to take it out of commission.

 

[nchawkeye]

I believe I would... :haha:

 

[Razor62]

From my experience they don't bleed much unless you keep that ball very low in the chest. Spent a long time trying to find one that I shot a few years back. I hit him mid chest. The smoke cloud made it impossible to see which way the eight pointer ran. There was no blood trail until the last twenty yards of that bucks 70 yard sprint. As Roundball stated, make it a heart shot if you're gonna take the shot and you should be OK.

 

[TLanoy]

Very much appreciate all the responses and experiences shared. This will be my first year hunting with a rifle of any kind, traditional bow hunter by trade, and just wanted to gain some information in case I was faced with such a decision.

I think broadside sounds good to me 'til I get a little more shooting experience under my belt. :thumbsup:

 

[George]

I think broadside sounds good to me 'til I get a little more shooting experience under my belt. :thumbsup:

A good decision. I took one, once, but I'll think very hard before taking another one.
http://home.insightbb.com/~bspen/TwilightDoe.html

Spence

 

[TLanoy]

Great story, thanks for the link! :thumbsup:

 

[Patocazador]

I'm a neck shooter it seems. I usually don't over-think a shot and I fire when I consider it's a lethal shot. Many times it's in the neck. However, I seldom hunt deer with a prb, I usually use a maxi-ball and that makes a difference in penetration. With a prb I would be more selective.

 

[roundball]

I think broadside sounds good to me 'til I get a little more shooting experience under my belt.

IMO...poor results very often come from not really working a deer's anatomy so really study the charts and visualize the heart inside regardless of the angle, and eliminate anatomy as a cause for a poor hit.

Then some practical suggestions for hunting practice that at least have worked for me:

1) Don't practice from a bench rest...practice from actual hunting positons.
For example, I do my shooting practice from a sitting position leaning against a post at the range, as if it was a tree, or standing leaning against a post, kneeling, etc;

2) Use small targets to make you really work at fine tuning your aim and executing the shot.
For example, I use aim point stickers on paper plates...1"@15yds, 2"@25yds, 3"@50yds...rolls of 500 or 1000 from office supply places;

3) And small fun targets of opportunity just to ease the boredom...a bag full of the little half size Coke cans at 50yds...pieces of charcoal at 25yds are also good.

Consistently hit those small targets from hunting positions with no bench rest all year before the season opens and a deer's heart is a chip shot at typical woods shot distances.

 

[George]

Good advice, roundball. Practicing under field conditions seems by far the best way to prepare. The position from which you shoot can make a big difference in your accuracy.

A point which seems important to me but which is not usually raised in these discussions on frontal shots is where the bullet goes after it hits the heart, lungs or major blood vessels. It doesn't just stop there. If you take a truly frontal shot, straight on, the ball will most likely penetrate to the belly and rupture the gut, spilling its contents. That is definitely not good for the meat, and is a big a no-no, for me. I'll pass the shot if I can't get enough of an angle to avoid the abdomen.

Spence

 

[TLanoy]

Thank you for the tips and I am getting myself a shooting stick ready and will practice consistently with it as that's what I want to use to help steady the rifle. I like the idea of practicing at random distances at small targets!

 

[TLanoy]

Good advice, roundball. Practicing under field conditions seems by far the best way to prepare. The position from which you shoot can make a big difference in your accuracy.

A point which seems important to me but which is not usually raised in these discussions on frontal shots is where the bullet goes after it hits the heart, lungs or major blood vessels. It doesn't just stop there. If you take a truly frontal shot, straight on, the ball will most likely penetrate to the belly and rupture the gut, spilling its contents. That is definitely not good for the meat, and is a big a no-no, for me. I'll pass the shot if I can't get enough of an angle to avoid the abdomen.

Spence

I was wondering about the abdominal issue also. Thank you for addressing that! :grin: