Sitting against my favorite tree, a suspicious doe eventually moved past me, or so I thought. When I turned my head, she snorted and bolted 30 yards away, where she alarm snorted loudly. My grunt tube in hand, I “urped” loudly several times, and she snorted again. I grunted, she snorted, but on the third exchange, she became quiet and walked away. Suddenly, another deer appeared walking directly toward me, a 2.5-year-old 8-point buck, apparently intrigued by the commotion. It appeared at 40 yards, walked to 30, then 20. Even closer, it glanced away. I raised my Excalibur, placed the red dot in the center of its chest, and released.
Change of Plans
At one time, I believed that a frontal shot on a deer or elk was an unethical shot. In the case of my South Dakota 8-point, the deer expired 75 yards away, and the shot was both lethal and expedient. I believe this was an ethical shot for several reasons. First, the range was a close 15 yards, and the deer was standing still. Secondly, I was sitting on the ground with direct access to its vitals. Also, a sitting position provided a semi-rest shot, allowing the Burris red dot to settle solidly on its chest. I am wearing an orange hat because the firearm season is open, forcing deer into thick creek bottoms, which is why this spot is so productive.
A Lesson from a Mule
I once hunted elk in Idaho with outfitter Darwin Vander Esch. Our camp of six was about to pack into the Seven Devils Wilderness when Vander Esch walked a mule over to us. Holding the mule by the halter, he said decisively, “Do not pass up a frontal shot.” Using the mule, which is about the size of a bull elk, he pointed to the area just below the neck and showed us the basketball-sized area to aim for. Vander Esch was an expert at luring elk with a bugle, and those animals approached head-on. Nearly a third of his hunters took bulls with the frontal shot that season.
The Angle Matters
Frontal shots on whitetails from a tree stand are nearly always ill-advised due to the angle of the shot, so the prospect of a frontal opportunity may seem very remote. However, if you scout during deer season or sneak to or from a stand, you may have a buck walk into you, especially during the rut when their senses are intently focused on does. I remember walking back to my truck after a morning tree stand hunt when a pie-bald 6-point came running toward me. It had been jumped by another hunter and stopped at 20 yards, and looked toward its back trail. The shot would have been easy, yet I thought it was unethical, so I waited for the deer to be broadside. In an instant, it raced past me, and I never released an arrow. If you are on the ground, the range is close, and you have a steady aim, I believe this shot is both lethal and ethical. The following video shows the structure of the rib cage and gives you an excellent picture of the shot. I urge you to take the next five minutes and view the animal’s skeletal structure.