Knowing where to shoot an animal is one of the most important parts of hunting. You have to know where to shoot a game animal when the situation comes. Failure to do so could result in a wounded animal and going home empty-handed.

What animals you can shoot the same

In North America, there are a few animals you can shoot the same, here is the list:

All bears in North America you can shoot the same. A bear’s vital organs are further forward than other animals. Grizzly bears, polar bears, and black bears (the only 3 types of bears in North America), you can shoot the same.

You can shoot elk, deer, moose, all game sheep and goats, and pronghorn the same. The vitals on these animals are in the shoulder and behind the shoulder. On these animals, the only difference is the size of the lung and heart. If you hunt with a bow and arrow, you may want to be further from the shoulder on some bigger animals because the shoulder will often stop an arrow. This is why it is so important to have the right arrow setup on animals like elk.

All varmints are shot the same; Varmints are raccoons, coyotes, opossums, badgers, prairie dogs, and other animals that cause damage. Before hunting any animals check your state’s regulations, so you know it’s legal.

Where to shoot the game animal  

When hunting bears, you want to aim as you would on a deer and go 3 inches towards the shoulder. If you do it right, your bullet or arrow will pass through the middle of the lungs. To hit the heart, you aim straight behind the leg and forward a little, about 3 inches, and in the lower ⅓ of the bear. You want the bear to be broadside to shoot it like this.

When hunting elk, deer, moose, pronghorn, and all mountain goats and sheep; You want to aim about 2 inches behind the shoulder to hit double lung. To hit the heart you aim straight up the leg in the lower ⅓. You want the animal to be broadside when shooting them like this.

On elk, you may have to shoot a frontal shot. The frontal shot is very deadly; However, You do not want to shoot a frontal shot over 20 yards because it’s a small area to hit. You want to shoot 5-7 inches above the start of the black neck hair. You also do not want to shoot too far left or right; you want to shoot straight in the middle of the chest. Cory Jacobson from elk 101, does a great job of demonstrating a frontal shot.

On varmints, you aim just behind the shoulder (as you would on a deer) or in the head, right behind the eye.

On small game, my preferred shot is right in the brain. The brain on all game animals is right behind the eye. On small game, that are not birds, you want to aim right behind the shoulder to hit the lungs. On birds, you want to aim for the middle of the wing to hit the lungs.

The reason I aim for the head on small game is to minimize meat wastage. Small game animals do not have much meat, and by hitting the shoulder, you waste a lot of meat. By hitting the head no meat is wasted.

Now when hunting you will encounter angels where the animal is not broadside. The goal when shooting animals that are quartering away or to you is to aim for the exit hole. 

You want your arrow or bullet to exit right behind the shoulder on animals that are quartering to you. When shooting animals that are quartering away you want your arrow or bullet to hit the shoulder; Take where you would aim normally, and draw an imaginary line through the animal to the side facing you, now aim somewhere on that line and you should hit the vitals.

This elk is quartering away. This elk is a broadside

this elk is quartering to you.

when hunting g animals it is important to know where to aim, now with this article, you have a guide on where to aim when you are on a hunt for a new animal. Before heading into the field, make sure to do your research, that way you don’t have to chase a wounded animal all over the mountain.

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