At present, the crossbow is getting popularity among the hunting community. Many prolific shooters are now having crossbows in their arsenal. now I try to explain Where to shoot a deer with a crossbow
10 years back, only 6 states allowed to use crossbows. In addition to that hunters are needed to be justified by the authority before using a crossbow. Now things have changed crossbows are permitted almost every state in the USA.
Seeing the exponential growth of the crossbow market, the regulatory body has made changes in laws making it more crossbow-friendly. There are several reasons for its continuous growth among the hunting community.
Firstly, you need little practice or no practice at all for using a crossbow whereas it requires extensive training and precaution before using a gun or a rifle. Secondly, its similarity with the rifle. Like the rifle, most of the crossbow has a scoop; has the same trigger mechanism as the rifle. The only difference is that crossbow shoots an arrow while the gun shoots a bullet. Another big difference is that crossbow is far quieter than a gunshot.
Today we will be talking about where to shoot a deer when you’re hunting with a crossbow as some of our readers have been asking about this. If you’re hunting with archery equipment like a crossbow or compound bow, you do want to take broadside shots. You don’t want to be taking shots of a deer that is facing you or facing away from you or anything like that.let’s to know to Where to shoot a deer with a crossbow
Where to shoot a deer with crossbow
The famous boxer Mike Tyson once said, “I always understand the anatomy of my opponent”. What he meant that he knew where to hit the opponent to do the most damage as a boxer. It kind of works with deer hunting too. In crossbow hunting, if you understand the anatomy of the deer, it would be a lot more successful.
Aim for the Vital Organ on a Deer
When shooting at a deer, the hunter’s goal must try to place a good shot on the vital parts such as the heart or lungs. If you understand the anatomy of the deer, you would be more successful in placing a shot right to the vital organs. This ensures a clean and rapid death, which may reduce suffering from the deer increasing the opportunity to recover the prey.
While hunting a deer with a crossbow, it is suggested that you should aim for the lungs. Let me explain why you should go to the lungs. The lungs on a deer are quite big making it the biggest target. The more mature that deer is, the bigger those lungs are. On a small deer, those lungs might be tiny. On the other hand, on a larger deer or mature deer, you got bigger lungs. At the time of inhaling those lungs are going to be bigger than it should be. If you want a clean shot, you should aim for the lungs of a deer.
Angle of Shot
The angle of shot refers to the angle at which the deer stands in comparison to you. If you do not find a good shooting angle to the target, you should wait as long as the deer show up at the right position.
Profile shot or side
The profile shot allows you to make a direct hit to the lungs or the heart. For the crossbow hunter, this is the best shooting angle. If placed correctly, the arrow will hit the ribs and will be able to penetrate the chest cavity.
In order to get the best shot with a crossbow, watch the front legs of the deer in front of you, along the line with the back legs, raising 1/3 of the space toward the body. That is the point where the arrow should hit.
Front diagonal or three-quarter front
The front diagonal or three-quarters of the front is an angle to the face of the deer when its body is diagonal with respect to a hunter. From the position you can still be able to have a shot right to the lungs or heart; there is more opportunity to hit the shoulder bones.
Since the deer is in front of you, it may detect any movement. Crossbow hunters should avoid shooting at this angle due to the higher density of the shoulder as the arrow need to penetrate through. In addition, sometime the deer could notice the arrow and dodge away.
Rear diagonal or three-quarter back
The back diagonal or three-quarter back is an angle of the shot in which the deer is moving diagonally away from the hunter. You can still manage a good shot to the vital organs aiming at just below the shoulder. You should be sure that you can make an accurate shot with your crossbow since a shot outside the area could be ended up shooting to the gut known as “gut-shot”. Apart from the fact that the animal will suffer a lot, it is very likely that it will continue moving a long distance and you will lose it.
Front shot
The frontal shot refers to the animal standing directly in front of you. It is still possible to place the shot in the vulnerable body parts; there remains a high probability of damaging a good piece of the meat. Considering the speed of the arrow, it can also go through it and hit it in the stomach and even one of its legs, damaging the deer even badly. As a crossbow hunter, you should not perform this type of shot.
Rear shot
The rear shot is exactly that, aiming a deer directly from the behind. There is no vital area. You should never go for a shot, neither with a firearm nor with a crossbow. Wait for a better shot angle or let it pass. You must wait for the right angle of the deer.
Final word
We hope you will understand where to shoot a deer with a crossbow. As Mike Tyson said, know the anatomy of the prey. No matter what equipment you are using for hunting always try to shoot at the vital organ of the deer. It allows an instant kill without damaging the deer. That’s for a day. Thank for being with us, let us know whether it works for you.