Do You Need A Do-Over With Your Shot?

It’s rare for any hunter to walk away from a field or reflect on a hunt and not think about whether a shot could have been better.

By Alan Clemons, Southern Managing Editor

Click on the photo to order Shot Simulator!

Whether with a bow, crossbow or firearm, there are times when we hesitate. A little voice – instinct, caution, doubt? – throws up a hurdle. Sometimes we adjust and avoid the hurdle. Other times we pull up short and don’t leap. We don’t take the shot.

And, unfortunately, there are times when we know the hurdle is there but take the shot anyway. We’re confident in our abilities and that of our bow, crossbow or gun. Some might call that experience. Some might say it’s recklessness or unethical. We probably all can look back and wrestle with at least one shot that might have been risky, even if things turned out well after taking it and the buck or doe is on the ground.

Part of our duty as hunters is to strive to maximize our abilities with whatever weapon we use. We practice, tune our bows, hit the range with our guns. We try to find the right combination of arrows and broadheads or the ammunition that works best with our rifles, muzzleloaders, handguns or shotguns.

One way to improve our knowledge and experience is with Deer & Deer Hunting’s “Shot Simulator” software. If you’ve ever been curious about where your bullet, slug or arrow has entered a deer’s body and what happened, here’s how to find out.

The Shot Simulator software is designed to provide you with outstanding animation of a deer’s body and internal bones, muscles and organs. With the Shot Simulator, you can position the animated deer in numerous positions – how it was when you shot, or how you saw a buck or doe and didn’t shoot – and then learn which organs were hit.

Didn’t like what you saw? Position it differently and do it again. You can not only position the deer, but also your shot from a treestand or ground level. If you’re a stand hunter but only climb about 15 feet, you can see the difference in that height versus 25 feet or on the ground. The animation allows you to move the deer around and then remove the hide, skin and bones to see what happened.

Then, you can punch in the trailing guide to find out what happens next. Should you follow the deer immediately? Wait a while? Just for your knowledge, you could take the shots on the computer that you’d definitely pass up in real life and then see what would happen.

It’s an educational tool that could help you glean more knowledge and help make you a better hunter. Shot Simulator also is a great teaching tool for young hunters, too. They’re curious about what happens and this is a great way to augment their in-field learning.

Check out the Shot Simulator here now.

 

 

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