Before my first safari in Africa I was given a copy of The Perfect Shot by Kevin Robertson. The book, with extreme detail, outlined the vital zones for the most popular species hunted in Africa. I studied the book with determination, specifically about the animals I intended to hunt. For the most part all the illustrations in the book – though cool to look at – were wasted paper. This is because the great African professional hunter and gun writer Finn Aagaard solved this shot placement conundrum for us in his book, Aagaard’s Africa in 1991. The wonderful thing about Finn’s advice is it’s very simple and applies to big game no matter the continent.
Finn directing the handling of a zebra in Kenya.
I won’t say the Perfect Shot book was useless. There is some great information on the skeletal structure of African animals, which is of particular interest to those who like spine shots. But there’s also a lot of general information on the various species as well as rifle cartridge suggestions. I will say it’s clear Robertson tends to like the larger caliber and more powerful cartridges. Short of the big and nasty stuff you can do anything you want in Africa with a 308 Winchester.
I know there are times when a skeletal structure shot is called for. I know some hunters foolishly like to take neck shots, and that cull hunters often head shoot animals. But what I can tell you without hesitation is that after taking hundreds of big game animals on several continents and in multiple countries, and with more than 50 different rifle cartridges, is that Finn’s advice and a good bullet is all you need. Finn’s shot placement guidance was detailed in Rifle Bullets for the Hunter, which was the first book I ever published, and it goes like this:
“When an animal is standing exactly broadside, one should bring the sights up the front leg until they are almost [emphasis mine] halfway up the chest and place the bullet there. It will pass through the shoulder muscles but just behind the shoulder joint, and quite likely in the angle formed by the upper leg bone and the shoulder blade, without striking either, though that depends on how the leg is being held at the moment. Alternatively, imagine that the animal has a grapefruit suspended in the center of its chest, above the front legs. Given that the bullet performs as intended, a shot that strikes that imaginary grapefruit will hit the center of the lungs, or the upper chambers of the heart, or the major blood vessels leading to or from it. Such a hit will totally disrupt the circulatory system and the beast, whether African or American, will usually be down well within 50 steps.”
“The spot,” as described by Finn Aagaard.
What I can also tell you is that, based on the animals I’ve killed or seen killed and then autopsied, is that the shots that seem to put animals down the fastest are usually those that strike, “the upper chambers of the heart, or the major blood vessels leading to or from it.” What I can also tell you is that this aiming point also offers the largest room for error. A couple inches left, right, up, or down, will not matter, you will still have placed the bullet through the vital zone.
This may come as a surprise to some who believe that every mammal has its vital organs placed in a slightly different spot. The thing is, that’s not completely untrue, but the other thing is that the difference in location is not enough to matter. A bullet placed as Finn suggests will get the job done. The biggest problem is determining where “almost halfway up the chest” is exactly at.
Some mammals, like kudu, eland, and even aoudad, have a pronounced hump on their back just above the front legs. This puts the halfway point of the chest a bit high for optimum shot placement. And this is the precise reason Aagaard said, “almost halfway.” I like to aim between a third and halfway up the chest, depending on how pronounced the hump. The more hump, the lower I aim. Now obviously this point of aim needs adjusted based on how the animal is standing. But Finn covered this as well when he explained to, “…imagine that the animal has a grapefruit suspended in the center of its chest, above the front legs.” This is critical on quartering shots and does take a bit of imagination.
Some 3D imagination must be applied on quartering shots.
Many years ago I was sitting in a shoot house with a bow hunter who told me he’d never completley understood where to aim when shooting a deer with a rifle. (Bowhunters tend to shoot a bit further back to avoid the shoulder bone but still get the arrow through the lungs.) I explained Finn’s guidelines to him and very shortly a deer stepped out at about 125 yards. My companion followed Finn’s advice, placed the bullet correctly, and the deer dropped on impact. This point of aim has worked for me on critters as small as groundhogs and as large as moose. If they do not go down instantly, they rarely — like Finn said — travel more than 50 steps.
But, as universal and effective as this point of aim is, I’ve had professional hunters and guides tell me that on a particular animal I need to aim here or there because their vitals are in a different place. I’m not one for suggesting you ignore your guide, but when it comes to shot placement, I’ve gained enough experience — good and bad — to know a thing or two. I think the problem is that many hunters in Africa and even in North America, particularly when hunting a new animal for the first time, tend to shoot closer to center mass.
They aim center mass in order to better guarantee the hit as opposed to aiming at the right spot to guarantee a clean kill. I believe that these center mass hits result in a lot of guides and professional hunters assuming that deer hunters – I say deer hunters because most international or western hunters have deer hunting experience – shoot too far back. In fact, I’ve done some shooting tests with hunters under the pressure of time and have found that the most common hit is one that leans toward center mass. A good deal of field experiences with other hunters confirms this. (Full discloser, I’ve done it a time or two as well.)
One of hundreds of animals Richard has conducted a detailed examination of after recovery.
Believe what you want about where the vital organs hang out in different critters, but do yourself a favor this deer season. When you get an opportunity, take Finn’s advice. If you put the bullet where he said to, take the time to conduct an autopsy to see just exactly what it hit. Centered between the front legs, inside the body of all mammals, somewhere between 1/3 and half way up the chest, is a magic spot. If your bullet gets there, you’ll get your animal and you won’t have to look long or walk far to find it.
Richard, that was an excellent article. Plain and simple. I have not shot hundred of varied animals. Mostly deer and hogs with some small game thrown in. Thanks for sending it.