Deer is one of the most popular animals to hunt with a bow. Hunting deer can be incredibly varied, fun, and rewarding, but understanding deer anatomy is a crucial part of the sport. Not only does having a working knowledge of deer anatomy help you to hunt more successfully, but it’s also crucial in allowing you to hunt more ethically and efficiently, which, in turn, minimizes the suffering of the deer you shoot.
In this guide to deer anatomy, we take a deep dive into the different parts of deer anatomy. We also discuss the best targets for you to aim for, what the perfect shot on a deer looks like, and how you can read and use a deer anatomy shot when hunting. Read on to find out more!
Deer Anatomy 101
Whitetail deer is the species of deer that is most commonly hunted in North America. The whitetail deer is found across North, Central, and South America, and thrive in a variety of habitats. They are generally herbivorous, though whitetail deer have occasionally been known to eat certain types of mice and birds if necessary.
Like cows and sheep, whitetail deer are ruminants. This means that they have four stomachs that serve different roles in the process of digestion. Deer will often regurgitate food stored in their rumen and chew it again, which helps their digestive system to completely break down that food, as well as extract as many nutrients as possible from it.
Whitetail Bucks
Whitetail bucks have some features that set them apart from whitetail doe. Among these are the tarsal gland, which is found on the hind legs of the whitetail buck and which produces a musky scent that serves an important role in the process of finding a mate. Whitetail bucks also have antlers, which are composed of bone and other tissue. Whitetail doe may also have antlers, though this is a fairly rare phenomenon.
Where is the Perfect Shot on a Deer?
The idea of the ‘perfect shot’ is something of a controversial one in the world of bowhunting. Generally speaking, deer hunters should always aim to take the shot that is going to result in the quickest and most humane death for the animal that you are hunting.
When it comes to whitetail deer, there are a few different shots that you should be endeavoring to make where possible. If hit cleanly, the whitetail deer has a handful of organs and structures in its body that make for excellent targets and, when hit, will generally take the animal out.
Brain Shot
One such vital organ is the brain. A well-placed brain shot should usually be enough to drop an animal immediately, and another advantage with brain shots is that you don’t lose any meat like you do with shots to other organs. However, brain shots can be very tricky to execute; the brain makes for a fairly small target area, and, as such, the margin for error is fairly wide, as brain shots need to be placed quite precisely.
Lung Shot
Another target that bowhunters can aim for is the lungs. The lungs cover a much larger surface area and therefore make for a much easier target than the brain. Lung shots usually also result in decent blood trails, which make the animal fairly easy to track and help ensure a speedy recovery. Generally speaking, lung shots cause the animal to die by suffocation, making them arguably less ethical than, say, a brain shot, which will cause the animal to lose consciousness upon impact.
Heart Shot
Heart shots are another effective way to take out a deer. One advantage to heart shots is that they are pretty much always lethal, and they generally cause the animal to lose consciousness fairly quickly. This makes them a more ethical option than lung shots. However, one downside to the heart shot is that, like hitting a blood vessel does, a heart shot will disrupt the animal’s circulation and, as a result, usually result in somewhat subpar blood trails.
The Neck/Spinal Cord
Finally, you can aim for the major arteries in the neck of a deer, as well as its spinal cord. Puncturing the arteries generally results in a substantial blood trail, but you’ll usually need to hit the spinal cord as well in order to down the animal; deer can sometimes survive if the arteries alone are punctured.
For an even more in-depth discussion of the best bowhunting shots you can make at a deer, feel free to check out our article on the topic.
We hope that this article has demystified deer anatomy somewhat, as well as giving you a better idea of how you can hunt deer as ethically and efficiently as possible.