casper50,

Thanks for your comments. I agree. Hunters I know try to shoot just behing the front leg abd slightly lower as that doesn't destroy the shoulder.

My comments about "hit a deer in the leg" may not have been that clear. The comment wasn't about a should hit but a leg hit. We were ignorant and thought that a powerful gun completely made up for poor shot placement and just a solid hit in the leg would bring a deer down which isn't correct. A deer can run fairly well on 3 legs. A deer can also run very far (and get lost) on a gut shot.

Of course, deer do always cooperate and all one has is a front, tail, shoulder, or neck shot and of course, one has to make a decision as to whether to take the shot.

The point that I was tryiong to make is that it is fun hunting with vintage rifles in calibers like 25/35 and even 22HP. Of course, I also like hunting with a pistol.