I will not take a shot that wont give me a fast clean kill. Straight on shot with a bow NO, with a rifle yes and i have and the deer dropped like a ton of bricks. Sharp quatering to or away nope, dont wanna injure the animal and thats with rifle or bow. Also I wont take a running shot, if the deer is walking thats one thing but in a full run I'll just watch it go.

Texas heart shot!

Texas Heart shot is right in the exit. That the one I will pass on, had to help track one that was shot like that one time and it went 4 miles before he got it and it was a mess to clean up.

Ok, lol, I was just wondering.

It may sound funny, but I know of more than one guy who were very successful with a Texas heart shot....

I can say that I would never shoot at an animal running away, but I have taken a shot at some pronghorns running straight to me.  I had been prone and ready to shoot when a herd started running straight for me.  I hurried and sat up and fired "from the hip" just to get them to swerve so I wouldn't get trampled.  I didn't hit any of them but it was very funny in retrospect.  As for other shots, I have done a front on shot with the second deer that I shot, I had shot my first deer ever the previous week.  I was still a novice and no one had told me what to do when that is the only shot you have.  I fired and hit the heart.  Scruffy started calling me "Deadeye" after that.  I like the broadside and slightly quartering away shots, but a sharply quartering away or quartering to shot, I would not even try.

These are the two shots I just won't make on any big game animal not already wounded.  Head shots are out for two reasons. The first is that I find it disrespectful to the animal.  It seems to reduce the animal to the category of farm animal reduced to slaughter.  May not make sense but I'll stick to it.  The second & probably more important reason is that the target (brain & spinal column)is very small & not to be taken but at very close range in perfect conditions.  I've seen too many wounded & recently expired animals with their jaws or noses shot off to consider this shot.  Can't think of a worse way for an animal to die.

Shots up the back side, the "Texas Heart Shot"  (why Texas I wonder - I would have thought San Francisco more appropriate) simply waste too much meat unless perfectly made.  A high shot destroys the loin, errant shots to the side are tough on the hind quarters.  And I can gaurantee that if someone I'm with executes the perfect shot up the rectum between the hams & below the spine he or she will be gutting the animal by themselves.  The mess made of the inside is just plain nasty.