Bare Bones Pt 2 - The Spine

[Goose]

You bring up some valid points BUT IMO there is no good or necessary time to AIM for the spine. If the deer is directly below you, you should wait and take the shot when he walks away offering a lethal heart/lung shot. If he is broadside or quartering, the lungs/heart are your best options. How many times do you hear of spine shots that need a follow up shot? No deer deserves that, and we as responsible/ethical hunters should do everything we can to avoid that. Aiming for the spine is asking for this and that is a very unethical thing IMO.

[Woods Walker]

I agree with Goose. I re-read the article also, and although Dr. Bishop does state that he does not advocate the use of the spine shot with a bow, he does with a firearm.
 
Like I said, I have accidently shot several deer in the spine (and they were NOT too far back), and every one of them required either a follow-up shot, or a throat cutting, two end-games that I do NOT strive for. I want clean, one shot quick kills. No spine shot I have every had did any of those things.
 
I think this article was a low point for D&DH.

[B3N1706]

plus the best meat on the whole deer are the tenderloins, not only is a spine shot unnecessary and risky but why ruin a few inches of the backstraps??

[Woods Walker]

Why intentionally lose even a FRACTION of an inch of backstraps!!!
 
I'd more than gladly sacrifice a bit of a front shoulder for any part of the backstrap anyday.

[ranwin33]

There really is just no call for a spine shot - given the only benefit, and I use that term loosely, is a deer dropped in it's tracks. You can do that with a shoulder shot, and even some broadside shots will accomplish this.

The two deer we've taken this gun season both pretty much dropped where they were hit, neither was a spine or shoulder shot but both were close enough to both or one of the shoulders to create enough shock to drop the deer.

And there wasn't a whole lot of meat damage despite shooting 270WSM and 300WSM rifles.

If you're worried about blood trailing, become a better trailer and don't take the risky shots.

[Everyday Hunter]

ORIGINAL: B3N1706

plus the best meat on the whole deer are the tenderloins, not only is a spine shot unnecessary and risky but why ruin a few inches of the backstraps??

I agree that the best meat on a deer are the tenderloins, but that's not the same thing as the backstraps. Anyone who ruins the tenderloins has not made a good shot. No one intentionally shoots a deer to hit the area where the tenderloins lie.

Steve

[ranwin33]

That would be true, but you are much more apt to take out the tenderloins while attempting a spine shot then you would if attempting a shoulder or heart/lung shot.

[buckhunter21]

Personally I would never take that shot...I'd pass the deer up before doing that.  I do know guys that will take it, and have done so successfully, but I guess it's a personal choice.  Not a very high percentage shot IMO!

[Patriot]

Both of my deer this year (does) were unintentional spine shots.  Onc with bow and one with gun.
 
Although the combined tracking was nill, I would not recommend the shot.
 
Both deer required follow up shots, and that is not something I like to do. 
 
My gun kill last weekend was at first light and the doe dropped right there (75 yards away in very tall grass).  I assumed she was dead and stayed on stand.  Three hours later when I got down she was still very much alive.  She had not been able to move much...it made me sick thinking how she had laid there all that time.[:(]
 
Lesson learned....I need to aim lower.

[B3N1706]

huh, I guess you learn somethin everyday. In my neck of the woods people use the term tenderloin and back strap interchangably but upon a little digging I found out the difference. Well I was referring to the backstraps originally I guess, and NOW I cannot wait to harvest a doe and try some ACTUAL tenderloins......mmmm