Advanced Techniques:

Where Should You Aim?

Because placement of the shot is so critical, bowhunters need to understand where the vital zone is located when a game animal is facing different directions.

Remember, the actual target you are trying to hit is inside the animal, and animals are continually moving and shifting position. Also, many bowhunters hunt from tree stands or other elevated positions, which also changes where the arrow must enter the body in order to hit the target.

Your best opportunity for a clean kill is when the animal is broadside or quartering away from you slightly. Do not shoot at an animal that is facing directly toward you or directly away from you. At these angles, the vital area is guarded by large bones (shoulder blade and leg bones in the front, and hip and leg bones in the back).

If you hunt from a treestand, don't put it too high above the place you expect the animal to approach. The bodies of most game animals (such as deer) appear very narrow from above, which means the higher you go in a tree, the smaller your target area is. And shooting straight down on an animal is not a good idea, since the large back bone that protects the spine covers a big portion of the vital area and may stop or deflect your arrow.