Bedded Buck Shot....

bowhunter223 · Aug 29, 2007

What kind of a shot do you take on a bedded buck? Suppose you're behind and above him (he's bedded looking downhill)...all you have is his spine and a ribcage view. Do you just stick him dead center and let it pin him to the ground?

Or....just wait it out for a standing shot. That doesn't present a very good shot either though...still looking downhill, but standing.

What has been your experience? Recommendations?
-223

flyingbrass · Aug 29, 2007

toughest shot in the book. Best to pass with a bow and ok to take it with a rifle/ml. I swear it is real difficult. I suspect that the vitals fall lower in the chest or something. cold dead hands

AZtrophyhunter · Aug 29, 2007

If he's bedded looking down hill & you're above him isn't that about equivalent to a decent treestand shot? You can still take out one of the lungs.....a deer isn't going anywhere with two holes in a lung. I'm not gonna lie, I would take that shot.

BigPig · Aug 30, 2007

If I was close and was confident I could make it, I'd take that shot. Waiting for the buck to stand is probably smarter, but if conditions were right, I know my equipment is capable.

UTodd · Aug 30, 2007

My only experience with that shot was a funny one. When I was 16 I jumped a little forkie out of his bed and watched him run down the ridge 300-400 yards and go right back into another bed. I put my best sneek job on him and due to a favorable wind, I ended up literally standing right over him as he slept. I drew my old PSE back and thought there is no way in the world I can miss this shot. I missed. The forkie about fell over himself waking up and getting out of there. For me it was probably the combination of shooting fingers with no sights and a large amount of buck fever that lead to the miss. If I could get that shot again within 30 yards I would take it in a heartbeat.

nv_hunter · Aug 31, 2007

Dont shoot for the head!!! I was 12 yards from a buck with a 70# switchback and a 300 grain arrow and 100 grain broadhead and shot him in the temple. It stuck...he jumped up and ran 20 yards and it fell out. The deer ran down the canyon to a spring where he laid down. At this point I think he is over. one hour later he gets up and drinks and feeds till dark. I saw the buck the next three days also. Im sure all I did was give him a headache. Lesson learned!!

Camo · Aug 31, 2007

You won't pin him to the ground unless your using a harpoon. Like with any shot try to look for the path the arrow will take as it passes through. If you don't have a good angle wait. I've shot a pronghorn from above a ledge and he went about 100 yards till he went down. It sure does look different seeing an arrow straight up and down in a critter.

canhunter · Aug 31, 2007

60yds and under I'm driving it home based on the position you describe. Anything past 60 I probably won't shoot even if he stands up because the angle is the same and so would the target. If he happened to turn sideways past 60 probably lay off again because of the angled and smaller are to hit for total vitals.

JohnnyLegend · Sep 1, 2007

This one depends alot on angle, distance, terrain. Like it best when they stand up or I can make them stand and zip.

Regarding the head shot, shotting a Matthews Black Max few years ago, cranked one in the head by mistake, long story, deer dropped in its tracks like a lead balloon. Shot a hog one time that was charging me, right between the eyes, he veered off, but never saw that pig again, looked like a unicorn going through the woods with my arrow sticking out of its head. Several years ago, on a steep angle up, single lunged a big cow elk and hit her spine, she dropped in her tracks rolled down almost over me stopped in dead fall and begin barking in distress without stopping, had to shoot her again in the head at point blank, took her out immediately, but was one of the low points of my archery hunting. Anyhow, some of those times where things didn't quite go right, fortunately there are alot more double lung quickies that went right. So, back to the point of this thread, from these experiences, I won't shoot unless 100% confident in a double lung. Have drawn 3 or 4 times on 340 class and bigger bulls in the past couple years, but never released cause something wasn't quite right.

Good hunting boys.

Johnny

AZbowhntr · Sep 1, 2007

I was javelina hunting with knifeboy from here on MM a couple years ago and he shot a javelina as it was walking past at about 20 yards. He led it just a bit to much and drilled it right in the head. It practically took it off it's feet and body slammed it the arrow hit it so hard. Dead as a doornail.

Desertflinger · Sep 1, 2007

Draw your bow then squeak like dying rabbit or howl like a coyote. When he gets up, let him have it. It works 9 times out of 10. The key is to get close without being detected. If he smells a rat and you do this you will see a blue flame coming from him as he changed zip codes.