Front shot

[Supergrit]

Wondering what others thought on shooting animal facing you with a bow. Just watched elk video and guy shot the elk the animal was on slight angle and it worked for him it died fast but I would have to say I would not have shot personally just wonder what others think on this topic

[-JR-]

I did a shoot on a Big horn ram many years ago . I really did not want to take the shot . He was in the middle of a group of ewes and i was below them around 50 yards . He finally broke free of them and stood with his two front feet on a bolder straight at me like he was checking me out . I let an arrow fly from my old PSE . In those 3 seconds he had time to lower his head and i watched the arrow bounce off his horns and ran away with his lades. I should of waited .Another solo hunt went home empty handed .

[TrollGRG]

I have to laugh when I hear "hunters" telling how they took a follow up shot at a deer - 450 yards away - quartering away from you. So many things wrong with that.

Personally, if it isn't a guaranteed kill shot, I don't take it. I am there for the hunting not the killing. If there is any doubt at all then I go to the supermarket and feel good about it.

[freeride]

I have never tried a frontal shot in archery or rifle.

I have seen lots of videos with it working very well on elk. To me its the size of the target and if you know where that target is (the heart inside). Elk have a big heart, so if the opportunity presented itself with a completely front facing elk in very close, I would try it.

On smaller game or farther away elk... no I would not.

[-JR-]

Originally Posted by TrollGRG

I have to laugh when I hear "hunters" telling how they took a follow up shot at a deer - 450 yards away - quartering away from you. So many things wrong with that.

Personally, if it isn't a guaranteed kill shot, I don't take it. I am there for the hunting not the killing. If there is any doubt at all then I go to the supermarket and feel good about it.

Thats a long shot for archery . Lol

[pikeslayer22]

I for one wouldn’t try it with a bow. Killed a few with rifle with frontal but never bang flops always ran further than one would want. Funny how you see all the frontal shots that work. Not so much on the ones where the animal runs away never to be found again

[gman1978]

I have been on a few bull elk recovery’s from full frontal shots. It makes for a long day and maybe no bull. Only once have I seen it work like it should but that’s long and far between. Many of the guys I hunt with call it a desperation shot. I guess they do work but it’s low percentage if it’s not exactly where it needs to be. If you calling solo and the bull comes right to you it’s common to be tempted but don’t. At least in my experience.

[Ballertrawler II]

Elk are tough enough i wouldn't like to take a less than ideal shot. Frontal shots have a small margin for success and large margin of error...

think 3" wide and pretty hard to do in a hunting situation in the excitement when your heart is at 150 beats per second (or beating more than twice per second)

Broad side or quartering you have a much wider margin of success.

[DirtShooter]

I think it has to start with the proper arrow set up. Heavy, cut on contact broadhead.

A lot of youtube hunters are doing it and like one person said here "where are the ones that they don't recover"

Not sure I would take that shot myself.

[jcrayford]

VERY small target under an adrenaline filled moment. Not one that I'd consider taking but to each their own. Elk Frontal Shot - Youtube

Some people either just aren't aware of the potential to wound an animal, or they just don't care.

J.

[7magtime]

I've only took a frontal shot once with archery and it was a few years ago on a mulie buck I had been after for awhile.
He came down a treeline I was set up in following a doe. He stopped at about 10 yards to look over at the doe and I sent an arrow into his bottom 1/3 dead center.
It was one of the most dramatic and quick kills I have witnessed with archery gear with him being down inside 40 yards and probably less than 10 seconds from the shot.
After the first 20 feet it was like someone started pouring red paint on the snow, it was quite the blood trail.

I had passed on frontal shots before but in that circumstance it was a close shot and the buck had no idea I was there so I had time to pick my spot carefully.
I was using fairly heavy arrows and cut on contact broadheads, the broadhead was found against the skin just shy of the rear hip.

Just my experience, like others have said every opportunity on a frontal shot can have different variables which will affect the outcome.....

[CBintheNorth]

Originally Posted by Supergrit

Wondering what others thought on shooting animal facing you with a bow. Just watched elk video and guy shot the elk the animal was on slight angle and it worked for him it died fast but I would have to say I would not have shot personally just wonder what others think on this topic

Have you ever taken a frontal shot on an animal with a rifle?
Ever shot an elk?

[Supergrit]

Originally Posted by CBintheNorth

Have you ever taken a frontal shot on an animal with a rifle?
Ever shot an elk?

Never shot an animal with a front shot with a rifle I might if it was close enough I don’t think I would ever try it with a bow. Had one bad experience personally with loosing animal bow hunting and have tried to recover animals from friends very little success.
If the shot is not perfect personally I just won’t take it. 60 yards broad side from bull elk last year just couldn’t take the shot. Deadly out to 50 that’s were my sites stop. I practice to 60 but just let the elk walk.
Miss hits and bad stuff can happen to any one when it happens to me I get so disgusted with myself.

[CBintheNorth]

Originally Posted by Supergrit

Never shot an animal with a front shot with a rifle I might if it was close enough I don’t think I would ever try it with a bow. Had one bad experience personally with loosing animal bow hunting and have tried to recover animals from friends very little success.
If the shot is not perfect personally I just won’t take it. 60 yards broad side from bull elk last year just couldn’t take the shot. Deadly out to 50 that’s were my sites stop. I practice to 60 but just let the elk walk.
Miss hits and bad stuff can happen to any one when it happens to me I get so disgusted with myself.

Sounds like you know your limits. Just as I assume the hunter in your OP knows theirs. It's not like he shot it in the behind trying to get to the vitals, or took a running shot.
I've seen guys make 60 yard shots that were perfect, but they practice at 80 yards regularly. I do neither as I'm not comfortable there.
But just because I'm not, doesn't mean others shouldn't be either.
Frontal shots when placed properly, are as deadly as any broadside shot.
All depends on what someone is confident with.
Like in gambling, know your limit and stay within it.

[Supergrit]

Originally Posted by CBintheNorth

Sounds like you know your limits. Just as I assume the hunter in your OP knows theirs. It's not like he shot it in the behind trying to get to the vitals, or took a running shot.
I've seen guys make 60 yard shots that were perfect, but they practice at 80 yards regularly. I do neither as I'm not comfortable there.
But just because I'm not, doesn't mean others shouldn't be either.
Frontal shots when placed properly, are as deadly as any broadside shot.
All depends on what someone is confident with.
Like in gambling, know your limit and stay within it.

For sure no your limits curious about what others thought of them I would say most stay away from them.

[bucksnbears]

I've killed about 10 deer with frontal shots.
Always close range.
Extremely lethal.

[Redrider]

I shot a bull elk straight on at 20 yards, let’s just say after looking for two days,
I’ll never do that again on any animal with a bow.

[Prairiekid]

I have shot a couple deer with a frontal shot inside of 25 yards and I’m on the save level or the deer is slightly above. For me the results were impressive, quicker than a heart or lung shot broadside but two kills isn’t very much data. If I was on the ground inside of 25 yards I would be pretty confident with my bow as well, definitely on deer but I think Elk as well. Two years ago I passed a buck that was inside of 5 yards, basically right under me. I was at full draw and had my pin just to the right side of his spine. He was the biggest deer I had ever seen and my wife eventually got him during the rut. Some people told me it was the right choice because it was one lung others told me I was crazy to pass a shot that would have had massive internal damage. It’s so situational…I find in the long run patience does pay off.

[bezzola]

A buddy took elk 2 years in a row with 25 yard frontal shot he shoots a bowtech with stryker broadheads both times elk was dead only 30 yards away.

[Stinky Buffalo]

I've never done it, and I don't know if I would do it personally, but really, when it comes down to it, it depends on how confident I would be on the shot, given distance and position of the animal (and how "relaxed" it appears).

If it's on high alert, for example, then no...

I'm looking for that window like in the picture below. Not always easy to judge. Buf if you get it right, it is devastating. Look at all of those blood vessels etc.

[DiabeticKripple]

I’ve seen tons of videos on it, and it absolutely hammers them.

I won’t hesitate to take a frontal shot on a closer yardage, like under 25-30yds.

[Lefty-Canuck]

It’s not a big area, you have to know exactly where to hit and it’s literally the size of an iPhone, you have to be on the same level as the animal as well.

LC

[3blade]

I’ve taken two. One on a whitetail doe at 20 yards, from a tree stand, she turned a little and it went in just in front of the scapula, out the last rib, down in 30 yards. Blood everywhere. One blade touched the inside edge of the scapula, that’s how close I was to a bad shot.

Second was on a mulie buck I called in, 30 yards from a ground blind, last 5 min, snow on the ground. Hit him dead center on the hair I was aiming at. Got to the spot, hair but no blood. Couldn’t believe it. Followed tracks until I lost them in bunch of others in willows. Ended up down wind, smelled rutted up buck, found him within a few min of the shot. He went about 50 yards, arrow/fletching and fat plugged the hole. Using a 70 lb bow, slick trick broadheads and heavy micro diameter arrows.

Based on my experiences, I don’t recommend it, despite quick recoveries both times.

What stinky posted should be studied. The thoracic opening is small, higher than you think (NOT at the color change) and arrows that touch the outside of a first or second rib will tend to be directed outwards along the rib cage, not into the vitals.