Those of us who have spent a lot of time hunting deer, pronghorn, elk and moose in the Rocky Mountain Northwest and Alaska know that we normally work pretty hard before we get a small window of opportunity to get a shot at an animal. Therefore, we need to quickly get as stable as possible and accurately place the shot in the vital area of the animal before it moves.

Accurately placing the shot involves a knowledge of the animal’s anatomy or where the vital area is and a lot of practice with a rifle and caliber with which you are thoroughly familiar. It is better to go to the range and shoot 10 rounds, leaving you 10 rounds for the hunt, so you know where your shots are going to go, rather than using an untried rifle and cartridge combination.

Most serious hunters know the limitations of their rifles and themselves. They hunt within those limitations to put game down quickly and humanely with the first shot.

When you go to the range, it is fine to first sight your rifle in at the bench, but once you are hitting where you want to hit, make sure you can make accurate shots from the prone, sitting, kneeling and standing positions without having to wait for the maple sap to run in February before you get your shot off.

So let’s talk about bullet placement on big game. Certainly, the best bullet placement on deer, pronghorn, elk and moose for well bled out meat is the high lung shot. This of course is best presented on a broadside shot. Hit the animal close in behind the shoulder and just above the center of the lung cavity.

If your shot hits a little lower, not more than 3 or 4 inches, it is still a lethal hit. The animal may travel a little, but not normally too far before going down.

Head shots at close range are OK, but brain shots usually stop the heart, and you will need to get to the animal quickly and bleed it out to preserve the meat. Neck shots are uncertain. All too often the spine is missed and the animal goes down as though dead, but as the hunter approaches, it jumps up and runs.

When I was about 15 years old, my father and I accompanied a hunting party from Blackfoot that included two of my father’s brothers into the mountains in the Little Lost River area. About midday, one member of the group shot a mule deer in the neck, which went down and appeared dead. As the hunter knelt down to gut the animal with his knife, the deer jumped up and attacked him, hitting the man hard with his antlers. The deer then ran off.

We never found the deer and the hunter had to be taken to the nearest medical facility, which wasn’t close. He recovered, but he was through hunting that year. It could have turned out very differently though.

If you aren’t particular about some damaged meat, the deadliest shot a hunter could deliver on any game animal in North America is in the center of the shoulder in line with the spine from broadside. An adequate size and weight bullet so placed will wreck near the shoulder and spine, dropping the animal instantly.

If the animal is quartering away from you, strive to drive the bullet through the lungs in line with the chest if you prefer not to damage a shoulder.

If the animal is quartering toward you, a shot in the chest that will emerge behind the off shoulder will not damage much meat and is very effective.

If the animal is facing you, a shot into the base of the neck should drop it immediately. If it goes a little lower, it will hit the aorta or heart, and if higher, it breaks the spine at the base of the neck.

If the animal is turned squarely away, I usually won’t shoot, but some hunters will go ahead and try to place the bullet square in the rump just over the root of the tail.

In conclusion, a good hunter knows the capability of his rifle and load, knows where to place his shot and knows his own limitations. Whenever possible, he stalks to within a distance he is comfortable shooting at and can accurately shoot from the four basic shooting positions.

Don’t be too upset if you don’t drop your game with the first shot, but an adequate cartridge and a rifle with good iron sights or a good scope will certainly work in your favor.

Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.