Crossbows & Shoulder Shots On Deer

A shoulder hit is always a dicey proposition regardless of the equipment and should be avoided . If you have a good penetrating broad head that can bust bone such as a Muzzy or other trocar type you may still seal the deal , but bolts lose energy very fast when encountering an obstruction which will limit penetration . The best thing you can do is to always strive to hit meat instead of bone , and if the target moves before the bolt gets there it's best if the least desireable shot has been anticipated and prepared for by choosing equipment that can handle it .

JD – A shoulder shot is never recommended, however it does happen. The whitetail deer is not the same type of target as the 3-D molded foam and has a tendency to move very quickly when the trigger is pulled. I have made shoulder shots with a crossbow and the effect at close range has been devastating for the target. I credit this to the power of the crossbow at twenty-five yards or under and to the broadheads that were used to make the shot. I use a cut-on-contact broadhead made of titanium and am amazed at the penetration that it provides. Another key factor is that the shot is not a glancing shot, but instead a full broadside shot.

One of the shoulder shots was on an Aoudad antelope, which is even tougher than a whitetail. It was made at twenty yards. The arrow passed through the front shoulder and out of the neck on the other side. The animal covered on twenty yards before collapsing.

With a crossbow at short range, a full broadside shot and with a good sharp broadhead, a fatal blow will be delivered even if the shot is made to the shoulder. One should never intentionally try to make this shot, however.

Guys

I appreciate all the comments and like I stated I would never intentionally take this shot . But in reality it could happen to anyone of us . I've been bowhunting for about 27 years ... over that time I've shot deer in about every spot except a direct shoulder hit . I've been lucky to recover all of them except one . He was killed by my father-in-law the next year ... still had my broadhead in him . It was definitely a less than perfect shot almost straight down and a bad case of buckfever had set in .It was amazing to see how the deer had recovered .

My question was for curiosity more than anything and would love to hear more comments to the effect .

Did not with a crossbow but with my 70# compound I shot two far forward and it hit the shoulder bone right in the joint I mean right dead center in the joint of the joint were the shoulder blade joins the round bones of the leg. The broadhead was broken off in the joint. I tracked but did not get the deer. How do I know this well my buddy shot the same deer a couple of days later in the same area. We found my broadhead when processing the meat and there was no sign of infection either unless it was too soon to start. We both figured this deer would have lived but with a bum front shoulder. Since I have read that a 150 or 175# crossbow equals a 60 to 70 pound bow in performance I figure a xbow would have equaled the same shot.