“Shoot ’em behind the shoulder” is an age-old adage that rarely leads hunters astray, sending their projectile through both lungs, resulting in a quick and ethical kill. However, contrary to what your grandpa taught you, shooting an animal behind the shoulder is not always your “best” play. Angle, topography and your specific target’s anatomy all play into the often, snap decision of where to settle your crosshairs. Allow me to explain.

Behind the shoulder vs. on the shoulder

Waiting for a broadside offering is always preferred, but rarely do real-world scenarios in the field dictate the ability to wait for that perfect broadside presentation. Even when presented with a broadside shot, I personally preach shooting animals on the shoulder. Why? Two reasons: first and foremost, a blow to the shoulder breaks the animal down and results in very short, if any, necessary tracking. Second, the front of the lungs and heart are both nestled behind the shield of the shoulder, resulting in rapid blood loss and ethical kills while immobilizing your target when impacted.

I fully recognize that we are often taught to shy away from the shoulder, especially on larger game such as elk and moose, due to the dense conglomerate of muscle and bones. However, given a proper bullet weight, construction and necessary energy, the shoulder is no match. I have witnessed first-hand dozens upon dozens of mature bull elk taken down with shots to the shoulder using both Hornady ELD-X and CX bullets from a variety of cartridges.

Will a shot behind the shoulder still kill? Absolutely. Which one is the best? Well, I suppose that argument will carry on around the campfire for generations to come. A caveat for consideration, a shot behind the shoulder on African game will regularly result in long track jobs, frustration and unrecovered animals. We will dive into that later.

Angles

Regardless of what school of thought for shot placement you subscribe to, a good general rule of thumb when shooting at animals angled towards or away from you is to visualize the exit. Case in point, a shot behind the shoulder on a buck slightly quartering towards you will result in perforating one lung, if you’re lucky, and a hole through the guts. That buck will die, but it won’t be fast nor humane. If bumped, that animal can cover a lot of country leaving little in the way of a blood trail, exponentially diminishing your odds of recovery. Instead, on that same shot, using the offside front leg as a reference point and visualizing your bullets path of travel, settle your crosshairs in front of the shoulder at the base of the neck and you will likely drop the animal on the spot, taking out major organs including the heart and lungs and severing the neck or breaking the shoulder.

The offside front leg can be used as a good reference on a quartering away shot as well. You might hold your crosshairs through the center of the abdomen, depending on the severity of the angle, but by using that offside front leg, you can visualize the bullet’s trajectory upon impact, punching through the liver, lungs and on through to the heart and shoulder.

Yes, that broadside shot is always preferred, but hunters miss out on a lot of good opportunities when waiting for the ideal broadside presentation. Learning to read the body language of your quarry is an acquired skill that is incredibly useful when determining when to take a shot. If the animal is undisturbed and feeding in an open area, you can exercise more patience and usually be rewarded with a good shot opportunity. On the contrary, if the animal is alert, rutting his suitors or moving in and out of thick vegetation, shot opportunities may be fleeting. This necessitates an intimate understanding of shot angles and subconsciously anticipating the bullets trajectory through its intended target.

Always visualize the exit and know your bullets capabilities, but that’s an article for another day.

Anatomy

Your shot four inches behind the shoulder on a broadside whitetail undoubtedly takes out both lungs, filling your freezer and hopefully tacking on a taxidermy bill. However, that same shot placement on any animal in Africa will likely result in a less-than-ideal gut punch and a long tracking job. Maybe that’s why African PH’s (Professional Hunters) always have trackers and blood trailing dogs with them. Regardless, this brings up the necessity for hunters to always have a deep understanding of the anatomy of the animals they are pursuing. In Africa, for whatever reason or reasons, the vitals of their animals sit much further forward than their North American relatives, with the vast majority of the major organs settling behind the shield of the shoulder. On a broadside shot, you will always be directed by your PH to shoot the animal on the shoulder. This not only takes out vital organs but, as mentioned previously, breaks bones, bringing animals rapidly to their final resting place.

Both Hornady ELD-X and CX bullets are more than capable and have proved their worth on African game out of my 7mm PRC over and over again on even the biggest of plains game.

Bears are another common game animal that utilize a unique anatomy layout. Bears vitals, particularly their lungs, sit farther back than most other animals. Going against my own personal belief of shooting animals on the shoulder, I typically hold in the crease on bears, centering the lungs, potentially taking out the back end of the heart and, if I’m lucky, anchoring the boar with a shock to the shoulder.

You can have the best rifle and bullet combination on the market and wear the title of sniper, yet they all render you useless unless you understand where to place those crosshairs when transitioning from paper at the range to a live target in the field. Study required shot placement and anatomy of your intended quarry, understand shot angles and bullet trajectories, and know your gear and personal limitations. Doing so will reap dividends in the field with punched tags and full freezers.