Gun vs. Bow: Where to Shoot a Deer for a Clean Shot

First, we need to understand how different projectiles work. Then, you can determine the best places to shoot a deer when hunting with a gun vs. bow.

We'll explain in this guide!

Gun vs. Bow Shot Placement: What's the Difference?

While it might not seem like a big difference, shot placement is crucial to understand based on the weapon you use to hunt.

Arrows kill by cutting arteries and veins, resulting in massive blood loss. This dramatic amount of blood loss causes blood pressure to drop, cutting oxygen off from the brain, and the animal loses consciousness.

The main targets hunters want to aim for are the heart and lungs. Arrows can disrupt the heart and lung muscles and stop the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain. 

However, bullets primarily kill by shock, transferring massive amounts of kinetic energy that can disrupt or destroy organs in and around their path. This gives a larger room for error as a larger area of tissue is damaged.

Because of these differences, let's talk about where to shoot a deer, depending on whether we are hunting with a gun or a bow.

Know Your Shot Angles

Understanding shot angles is key to knowing where to aim for that clean shot and a quick kill. Here are the best angles to wait for when a deer comes into your sights.

Broadside

This is the gold standard for taking a shot.

Follow the front leg up until reaching just below the midway point up the deer's chest. This shot offers an unobstructed view of the lungs and heart, and there won't be much difference in shot placement — whether hunting with a bow or a firearm — at this angle.

Gun hunters can hold tighter to the crease of what would be the armpit. Bowhunters will want a little more wiggle room and should aim about an inch or two below that center point. This shot will still put you at the top of the heart and gives archers a little bit of room for error if the deer attempts to "jump the string."

Whitetails can be notorious for dropping down almost a foot to load their legs before bounding away from danger. With this shot, your arrow can still hit both lungs if off slightly in all directions, resulting in a good to excellent blood trail with minimal meat loss due to damage.

Quartering-Away

Many hunters, myself included, prefer this shot over the broadside shot angle. That's not just because drawing your bow or getting your gun up is easier without the deer catching your movement.

Most of the time, a slightly quartering-away angle creates a larger shot window as the deer's legs are now farther in front of the vital organs. You'll want to aim farther back than from a quartering-away shot, using the offside front leg for a reference point.

Your bullet or arrow's path will likely catch the back of the first lung, possibly the heart, and the front of the second lung as it exits on the opposite side. 

Quartering-To

This can be a difficult shot for archers to make.

This angle causes bowhunters to hold tighter to the shoulder as the target window is now much smaller. There is also an increased likelihood of hitting the bones in the near side leg if the shot is too far forward or hitting the guts if the shot is too far back.

If the angle is not too extreme, this can still be a good shot angle for gun hunters. The bullet will go through the "V" created by the humorous and scapula bones of the leg and exit through the ribs. A well-placed shot can still damage a fair amount of edible meat from the shoulder and ribs, though.

Frontal

Frontal shots offer much smaller target windows but can be highly effective.

This shot angle comes up frequently when rattling from the ground, and bucks typically try to circle downwind when they come in to investigate.

Aim directly between the shoulders and slightly below the halfway mark on their chest. This should put your shot even with the joint of the humerus and scapula and should take out the heart, a lung or two, and the liver.

Archers should take this shot with heavy arrows and fixed blade broadheads to ensure deep penetration for a quick kill. 

Elevated

If you are hunting from up high in an elevated position, such as a tree stand or tower blind, your point of aim will be slightly higher.

The downward angle of your shot will shorten the distance that gravity affects your projectile in flight. This slightly shorter distance will make you want to aim just an inch higher so that the path of the arrow or bullet will still intersect the center of the animal at a downward angle. 

Make Your First Shot Count

Whether you hunt with a gun vs. bow, it is our responsibility as hunters to make ethical decisions on the shots we take on the game we pursue. The best way to make sure your next blood trail is a short one is to practice, practice, practice.

During my practice sessions, I always try to make my first shot count — no warming up, just straight to the task.

Knowing your weapon and your effective range with that weapon can make all the difference in the field when it all comes down to that one moment. I like to practice how I hunt, so I like to shoot anatomical targets instead of just circles. I also practice from elevated positions to simulate hunting out of a tree stand or shooting from a sitting or kneeling position if I plan to hunt from the ground.

It is also good practice to think through hypothetical scenarios of where you would aim and when you would take the shot as you study their anatomy while watching deer in the field. 

Take Your Best Shot (and Know Where to Take It with HuntWise)

No matter if you decide to hunt with a gun or a bow this season, download HuntWise to help you tag out.

HuntCast helps you pinpoint the best days (and hours) to get into the field to maximize your time outdoors so you can set up that perfect shot. RutCast shows you the different levels of rut activity in your area and the best times for you to be in your stand. And, WindCast helps you plan your hunt around the wind, whether it's the best place to put your stand or planning your approach into your stand when it's time to get out for your hunt.

Plus, HuntWise Pro and Elite users get access to deep discounts on the best gear to improve your hunt!

Download HuntWise now and try it free for your first week.