Straight down shots

Mike I have been I that situation a couple of times and I did spine shoot the deer. Not the ideal shot but if a buck charges in and stops under you there is no way to tell if he will bolt again or walk away and give you a better angle. I go for the spine between the shoulders and if I am off slightly to either side it will still give a lung/ heart shot.

Everytime I think about this topic, I remember an episode of Midwest Whitetail where Winke had 190 inches of deer coming at him. Shot at @ around 18 minutes. He makes a good point about having a strong broadhead and a bow setup for penetration - talks about the shot at the 20 minute mark and when he recovers it. Also addresses it in the next episode.

http://www.midwestwhitetail.com/gallery/96/media/3699/mw1113-the-g5-buck.html

I lost my biggest deer trying a straight down shot,I tried to angle it to the liver/diaphragm,which didn't work

I think its dam risky. I have had horrible experiences with it. I wouldn't recommend it. I'd take the chance of not getting a chance at all.

Educate a unsuccessful deer hunter here........Can you not reach the vitals given enough KE an momentum from going through the back?Im guessing the spine is pretty dang stout even for a high KE arrow with fixed blade head....Spine stops arrow,but stops deer which needs a 2nd vital shot to finish it off?

ohio mossy oak said:

Educate a unsuccessful deer hunter here........Can you not reach the vitals given enough KE an momentum from going through the back?

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I don't think KE matters on straight down shots,,,it boils down too you can't catch enough vitals,if you hit the spine,that deer is done,if you don't hit the spine then its just a hope you get that 1 in million hits

I think the actual window to pass through without making much bone contact is small. It's going to be between vertebrae and ribs, and the width of the broadhead will most likely hit some type of nerve, hopefully slightly paralyzing or fully paralyzing. I have never had this shot opportunity, but if the situation felt right, I wouldn't hestite taking it. Just remember an almost straight down shot is on target with your 40-60yr pin depending on a few box setup factors.

I have done it once. Was hunting a farm under nuisance permits and had one come in from behind. Quietly stood up and had no choice but to put one strait down. I placed it dead center and right at the top of her back in the spine. She dropped in her tracks and expired so quickly I couldn't believe it.
With that said.. Not a shot I particularly enjoy. I would much rather put one through the lungs! but considering the circumstances I went through with it.

I shot a doe in West Virginia straight down and had the broadhead lodge between her spine and her horizontal vertebrae. It was like hitting steel, it just stopped. It only penetrated her about 3 inches before lodging. Luckily she ran 10 yards and stopped, and I was able to pull of another shot, this time lethal. If she wouldn't have stopped, this deer would have been running around with 25 inches of arrow hanging out of her. That is not what we want or need as hunters.

Another time I shot a buck straight down, missed the spine, but completely took out his left lung. I mean there was lung pieces laying in the blood trail. It was the biggest nightmare of a tracking job I ever had. He ended up going over a mile with one lung, and when I found him he was still alive and looking at me and I had to kill him with my knife. It was horrible. So don't hope for a single lung shot and expect it to be over. If its straight down, there is no way to get double lung. Single lung or spine, even if you do recover the deer, both are a losing situation in my book.

bowhunter1023 said:

I've never taken that shot, but I would. My bow will blow an arrow right through the spine and into the boiler room. I don't see it as an unethical shot, but it's not the best one in the book.

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Im guessing I got enough to blow through then...This beast it packing some serious power

Mike said:

Would you ever take a straight down shot? Would you ever purposely shoot a deer through it's spine?

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Mike,
To answer your questions, yes and yes.

There are a lot of circumstances that go into taking a particular shot like this one.
* What was/is the deer doing?
* Will it present a better shot or is this as good as it's going to get?

As far as the shot itself goes...it MUST be practiced! Different bow set ups vary the point of impact, on a straight down shot. MOST bows will require the use of the 30 yard pin for a straight down shot. The reason for this is that the arrow hasn't risen to the height of the 20 yard pin, as it's just leaving the bow...and it won't on this shot angle. You're going to want to be certain that the arrow isn't floating and is sitting on the arrow rest, before the release.

Generally speaking, there's a distance away from the base of the tree, where the 20 yard pin will come back into play, instead of the 30 yard pin. Basing this off of all the bow and arrow set ups that I've owned over the years, approximately 6 to 10 feet from the base of the tree is where the 30 yard pin will be used. Anything more than 10 to 15 feet will require the use of the 20 yard pin. Different bow set ups, shoot differently.

The easy way to test this it to get on the roof of your house and place a bag/block target on the ground, beside the house and shoot it. Have someone move the target out 2 feet and shoot it again. At some point, your point of impact will change. At least you'll know for certain, where your P.O.I. will be on that type of shot.
* FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY: Don't fall off of the roof, while looking down to make the shot. AND...don't let the person that's moving the target for you, stand too close.

Bowhunter57

I take the shot and have 4 times now. I aim just to the side of the spine about 1 1/2" on the side that allows for a good angle. I guess it could be a slightly risky shot, but much less risk if you truly know your bow. Mine is shooting like 130 KE, so if I do hit the spine, I'm going through it.

Have only spine shot one deer. It was a doe last season. Wasn't straight up and down but close. My deal is I always aim for the exit of the arrow. That is what I was doing on this particular shot. It is because of where I wanted the arrow to exit that caused a spine shot. She dropped in her tracks, and I had to do a second shot to finish her off. I did totally penetrate the spine with my broadhead about 2" through the spine.

Done it 2 years ago with my buck. I wouldn't say it was straight down as he was out away from the tree a bit at 7 yards. Not something I will likely do again but it got the job done with a follow-up shot. Dropped him in his tracks and was able to climb down and make the follow-up count. Smallest margin of error doing a shot like that. I wasn't wanting the arrow to smack the spine and was aiming just off the side hoping for single lung/heart but like I said, small margin for error and I made an error. Shot a 29" arrow at #64 around 280fps or so and that sucker stopped like it hit a brick wall at only 7 yards and sounded like it too. Completely severed the spinal cord and shattered the vertebra but lodged in the underside of that vertebra. If I would have been shooting #70 and a heavy arrow/log I would have blown threw it but not sure if it would have went straight or got to the thicker part of the bone and ricochet or not. Would take a heck of a setup to blow the spine and keep on going. I'm not saying it couldn't happen but it would take some good gear.

Given a dink buck or a doe I would let it walk before I did this again. If it was a monster and a once in a lifetime buck, well I am pretty sure I would give it another whirl.

I shot a small buck straight down quite a few years ago. I missed the spine and my arrow buried past the fletch with my broadhead dragging the ground. Just as LonewolfNopak, I took out the left lung. My buddy was hunting a finger about 150 yards from me, and that deer ran right to him. It made it 30 yards past his set up. It pulled the arrow out through the bottom, and the snuffer left a good size drain hole. I have had the chance to take that shot again and passed it.

I've heard too many stories over the years of one lungers, missing the spine and lost deer to ever give it a try myself. I spined one deer before and he dropped on a dime. It was at about 15 yards and I was around 25 ft. up and the shot went a little higher than I was aiming. A second shot had to be made to put him down for good and after that I said I had hoped to never spine one again. Sure the fact he didn't run off was good, I just didn't care for all of what followed. Now that I am shooting a little less poundage as well I sure hope I never do.

My buddy took 2 deer this year (one being that buck that I posted a pic of) with almost straight down shots, both shots took out the heart and left a massive blood trail. Both arrows did not pass through.

Opening day in 2005 I shot my 14 pt with a crossbow straight down. I thought for sure I'd get spine, but no such luck. The only reason we found him was 6 of us spread out through a small woods after searching for blood, and did a grid search. After an hour my nephew found him piled up in brush about 200 yards from the impact spot. The only blood that we found was where he died, and I nicked his lungs and took out some arteries I believe. With my bow I now shoot, I believe Id take that shot again.