When shooting game, choosing the best point of aim is not as simple as you might believe. Bowhunters sometimes don’t even handle broad side shots properly. As the angle of the shot changes, the opportunities for a humane kill are affected and your aiming point must change.

Imagine 2 horizontal lines cutting the animal’s torso in thirds. Assuming you are on the same level as the animal, aim for the line between the lower third and the middle third, about two to five inches (depending on whether it’s a deer or a moose) behind the front leg. In other words, the best aim point is only 33% of the way up the animal’s body.

It is tempting to aim higher, close to the center of the chest. That offers the greatest margin for error, right? Wrong. Aiming this way is a mistake. When I was in college I spent a year studying animal anatomy for 3 hours a day. The center of the chest is not the center of the lungs. Trust me, the lungs in most animals are lower in the chest cavity than most bowhunters realize. Shooting too high is a common mistake – maybe the most common one made when choosing an aiming point.

When the shot angle changes, you have to change your aim point. Ideally, one thing should always stay the same: the arrow should pass through a point right at the physical center of the animal’s lungs. Imagine this central point and pick an aim point that will hit it. When the animal is angling away, this will bring the aim point back, when you are in a tree stand this will raise the aim point higher on the animal’s side.

A tough shot selection dilemma occurs when the animal is angling toward you. In this case, when you project an aim point that will put the arrow through center of the lungs, the point falls on the shoulder. This is a red light situation. Ethical bowhunters know it is never a good idea to intentionally aim for the shoulder and that tempts some to aim just behind it. Unfortunately, unless the angle is very slight, aiming behind the shoulder will produce only a liver hit at best and probably a paunch hit. Avoid this poor shot. As a rule, pass up all shot angles quartering-toward you and wait for a better opportunity. Often your reward will come only moments later.

Knowing when to shoot and when to wait is one sign of maturity in a bowhunter. Be patient and pick your aim point carefully.