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Best shot placement for an axis deer (rifle)

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    Best shot placement for an axis deer (rifle)

    Here's the deal guys, Haztec, Bassmatt, myself, my lady and a few others are going down to South Texas on an axis doe hunt this weekend. My lady will be cheating with a rifle since she's not quite ready with her bow and I'm not sure where to shoot these things. I know the vitals are farther forward than a whitetail, so she would shoot for the shoulder or the crease if quartering away if she was using a bow(or so I've read here), but she'll be using a rifle this time around. We don't want to waste a bunch of meat, and I'd like to keep the hide as intact as possible, so where should she shoot these things? A head shot would be ideal, but I'm afraid she would miss the head since it's pretty much a low percentage shot. I've only killed one deer with a rifle, a fallow doe, shot center of neck and she was DRT. Would the neck shot work equally well on an axis? Where on the neck for a high percentage shot, meaning high probability of a hit, and as close to 100% as possible of taking the animal down with a hit? I'm thinking base of neck, where it meets the shoulder, but what are the odds of not hitting anything vital and wounding the deer? She will be shooting her .243, and is capable of 1.25" groups with that rifle off of sandbags. I'm going to take the bags with us, but I'm not sure if we'll be able to use them, since I don't know how the blinds are set up.

    So, there's the question....if you can shoot 1.25" groups with a .243 Winchester, where would you aim on an axis doe to perserve as much meat and hide as possible while still dropping the animal as quickly as possible?

    #2
    Personally I would still go for a heart shot. Lungs aren't quite as large as whitetail so keep it low.

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      #3
      Its the same thing as a WT, IMO.

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        #4
        head or neck. Sounds like she's shooting dang well!
        But if she gets axis fevah.... at the base of the neck

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          #5
          I personally would go through the shoulder. I have seen several exotics shot, and you do not want to be too far behind it or you will not be finding your animal. good luck.

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            #6
            I gun hunt very rarely, but when I do, neck shot 6 inches or so down from head, axis does have stubby necks and are easier than WT's!

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              #7
              I shot both of mine with a 270 and shot them broadside through the lungs, just above the elbow and behind the tricep. Like WCB said, keep it low. Very similar to an archery shot. Basically, it turned their lungs into mush and neither went more than 30 yards. I ended up with only 2 split ribs, with every other part of the deer useable, including a lot of neck meat. A 100 grain 243 bullet should do similar damage in that part of the anatomy, but they are a ridiculously tough animal, and may make it further after the shot. I imagine that a low double lung shot will result in a very easy to track blood trail. A quartering away shot, slipped fairly low into the ribs and angled to exit just in front of the shoulder near the center line would also be a very devastating shot,getting heart and lungs, and also spare a lot of meat.

              Good Luck,



              cricman

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                #8
                If you don't want to waste meat the head or neck is ideal. 243 will break a neck no problem. She's shooting good groups. Chip shot aim for the neck. feeling lucky aim for the head. Let er rip potato chip!! Good luck!!

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                  #9
                  Right between the eyes.. If she is shooting that tight of a group.

                  My daughter killed her axis with a .243, placed tight behind the shoulder,deer ran 20 yds and piled up. Made a beautiful rug for her room.

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                    #10
                    I've shot several try to clip back edge of shoulder blade lower 1/3rd of the body

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                      #11
                      Thanks guys. I was pretty impressed with her groups. The first time she ever fired a centerfire rifle, the rounds went into about 1.5", much better than I expected, but pretty much all I expected from the rifle since I had just put it in a new stock, my first "build". That rifle is capable of more, I've done it, but she's still perfecting the art of shooting (as am I). I'm thinking her limiting factor right now is the scope, as it's a cheapo that came with the rifle. Anyway, you've given me some good insite here. I was just talking with her a few minutes ago and she said "Nope, not gonna shoot one in the head, I won't do it!" So I asked her what she expected/wanted, and she said, "I don't want it to suffer at all, it has to drop right there." So, I'm thinking we're going for a neck shot. Don't want a lung shot deer that runs off, even 20 yards, because she'll say it suffered.

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